Second-hand car disputes — your rights and how to claim

Buying from a trader (a dealer or business). Your rights depend on how long has passed since purchase.

Short-term right to reject — you can demand a full refund if the car is faulty. The dealer cannot insist on repair first. Applies to most second-hand cars from a trader.

Fault is presumed to have existed at the time of sale. Dealer gets one attempt to repair or replace. If that fails, you are entitled to a refund (which can be reduced for use).

You must prove the fault existed at the time of sale. Independent inspection reports become essential. Up to six years to claim from the date of purchase (Limitation Act 1980).

Second-hand car disputes — your rights and how to claim

Three windows of protection

These protections apply to most second-hand cars from traders. The standard expected adjusts for age and price — you cannot expect a 10-year-old £2,000 car to be fault-free, but you can expect it to be road-worthy and as described.

If you bought on finance — claim s.75

If you bought the car on a regulated finance agreement (PCP, HP, conditional sale) and the cash price was between £100 and £30,000, the finance provider is

jointly and severally liable

with the dealer for breaches of contract or misrepresentation under

section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974

This means you can claim directly against the finance company — often more practical than chasing a dealer who may be unresponsive or insolvent. Lenders have proper complaints processes and you can escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service (free) if they reject you.

PCP and HP both work — even though technically you are renting until the final payment, s.75 still applies because the finance was used to acquire the car.