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Your rights start the moment you pay

Buying a used car from a dealer is a legal contract, and the law expects the dealer to keep their side of it. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, anything sold by a trader must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. That applies to a five-year-old hatchback just as much as it does to a brand-new one; the standard shifts with age, mileage and price, but it never disappears.

Crucially, a dealer cannot sign these rights away. No invoice wording, no "trade sale" box ticked on a receipt, and no extended warranty replaces the protection you already have. If a fault was present when you bought the car, the dealer is on the hook for it, and your remedy is against them rather than the previous owner or the garage that did the last service.

What "satisfactory quality" means on a used car

This is where most disputes are won or lost, so it is worth being clear about what the phrase covers. A car is not expected to be perfect, but it should be free from defects that would stop a reasonable buyer handing over the money, given what they knew at the time.

• Age, mileage and price are all taken into account. A squeaky trim on a 12-year-old car with 120,000 miles is unlikely to be a breach; a failed gearbox on the same car three days after purchase almost certainly is.
• Safety-related faults carry more weight. Brakes, steering, tyres, airbags and structural corrosion are rarely acceptable on any roadworthy car.
• Fit for purpose matters if you were specific about your needs. If you told the dealer you needed something to tow a caravan and the clutch gives out on the first trip, that is a different conversation than if you simply liked the colour.
• A recent MOT is not a guarantee. The test only confirms the car met minimum standards on the day. It says nothing about the clutch, the turbo, or the air conditioning, and it does not transfer any liability away from the seller.

Your remedies: 30 days, six months, and beyond

The timeline matters enormously, and it is the single most useful thing to understand before you phone the dealer.

Within the first 30 days, you have a short-term right to reject the car and get a full refund. You do not have to accept a repair, and the dealer cannot insist on one. If you have used the car normally in that time, expect no deduction. Keep it in reasonable condition and return it promptly.

Between 30 days and six months, you must give the dealer one opportunity to repair or replace the vehicle. If the repair fails, is impossible, or cannot be done without significant inconvenience, you can then reject the car for a refund. That refund can be reduced to reflect the mileage you have added, but it should still be a substantial sum.

After six months, the balance of proof shifts. For the first six months, a fault is presumed to have existed at the point of sale unless the dealer can show otherwise. Beyond that, you will need evidence, such as an independent engineer's report, that the problem was there from the start. You generally have up to six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or five in Scotland, to bring a claim, though the practical hurdles rise steadily with time.

Phrases that do not affect your rights

Certain sales lines get trotted out so often that buyers assume they are legally binding. They are not.

• "Sold as seen" has no legal meaning in a dealer sale. It cannot remove your statutory rights, and a court will not treat it as doing so.
• "Trade sale" or "to the trade" only works if you genuinely are a trader buying for business purposes. If you bought as an ordinary consumer, it is irrelevant.
• "It's under warranty" is reassuring but beside the point. A warranty is an extra layer; your rights under consumer law sit underneath it and are usually stronger.
• "The AA-style inspection passed it" is not a defence. A third-party check does not override the dealer's own obligations.

If the car was misdescribed or the paperwork hides something

Accurate description is a legal requirement, not a courtesy. If the car was advertised as having full service history that does not exist, as one owner when it has had four, or as never accident-damaged when it has been, that is a misdescription. So is silence about something significant, such as a mileage discrepancy or outstanding finance the dealer knew about.

Unfair commercial practices rules give you a route to redress when a trader misleads you. Depending on the circumstances, you may be entitled to unwind the deal, negotiate a price reduction that reflects the difference in value, or claim damages. Gather the evidence while it is fresh: screenshot the advert, save the text messages, photograph the invoices, and keep the original listing in case it quietly changes.

Paying on finance, and how to complain effectively

If you bought on hire purchase, PCP or a personal loan arranged by the dealer, the finance provider can be jointly liable when something goes wrong with the goods or how they were sold. On a credit card, purchases between £100 and £30,000 are covered by similar protection, and even a deposit paid by card can sometimes bring the whole deal into scope. That gives you a second party to pursue, which is often the fastest route to a sensible outcome.

When you raise a complaint, do it in writing and do it early. Set out the fault, the date you bought the car, what you want (repair, replacement or refund), and a reasonable deadline such as 14 days. Report the problem the moment it appears; waiting months weakens your position and may affect how much you are offered. If the dealer stalls, escalate to their head office, then to the finance provider, then to a certified alternative dispute resolution scheme or your local trading standards team. An independent inspection report costs money but frequently pays for itself, because it converts a disagreement into evidence. Most cases settle well before a courtroom, provided you keep a calm, dated paper trail.