The cliff notes to your rights
| Situation | Your rights |
|---|---|
| Buying from a dealer | Strong. Car must be as described. You can reject it. |
| Buying privately | Almost none. Sold as seen. |
| Dealer that isn't really a dealer | Complicated. And that's the problem. |
You've found the car. The photos look good. The seller sounds normal. The price is right.
Before you send a penny — even a deposit — there's one thing you need to understand. It won't take long. And it could save you everything you're about to spend.
A registered dealership has to sell you a car that does what a car is supposed to do. That's not a favour. That's the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and it applies whether the dealer likes it or not.
Satisfactory quality means what a reasonable person would expect for the age, mileage, and price. An EV with a battery that delivers half the advertised range isn't satisfactory. A car described as accident-free that turns out not to be isn't as described. You don't have to accept either.
Here's what you can do and when:
| What happened | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Car not as described — spotted within 30 days | Reject it. Full refund. |
| Fault develops between 30 days and 6 months | Ask for repair or replacement. One attempt only. |
| They repair it and the same fault comes back | Now you can reject it or get a partial refund. |
| After 6 months | You can still claim — but the burden of proof shifts to you. |
| Paid any amount by credit card | Section 75 — your card provider is jointly liable. |
That last one. Pay even £1 on a credit card and your card company shares the legal responsibility if something goes wrong. It costs you nothing. It's free protection sitting right there. Use it.
If the car is being delivered to you — you're buying online, you haven't viewed it in person — you get an extra layer of protection on top of the Consumer Rights Act.
The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you 14 days to cancel from the date the car arrives. No reason needed. Just: I've changed my mind.
But — and this matters — ask the dealer before you buy what happens if you need to return it. Who arranges collection? Who pays? The law says you shouldn't be out of pocket for a return if the car is faulty. Get that agreed in writing before the car arrives. A dealer who goes quiet on that question before you've even paid is telling you something.
Here's where it changes.
You've found a car on Facebook Marketplace. Bloke called Dan, couple of photos, seems genuine. He's asking £3,500.
Dan is not a business. The Consumer Rights Act doesn't apply to Dan.
Sold as seen means sold as seen. You drive it away, something's wrong, that's your problem now. The only thing that still applies is the Misrepresentation Act 1967 — if Dan looked you in the eye and told you something specific that wasn't true, you might have a claim. But you'd need to prove what he said. And then you'd need to find him.
That's why private sales are cheaper. You're taking on the risk, so you pay less. You get your own mechanic, you do your own checks, and if something goes wrong it's on you. That's a fair deal — as long as everyone understands what it is.
| What happened | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Car not as described | Almost nothing, unless you can prove deliberate misrepresentation. |
| Hidden fault you didn't spot | Nothing. |
| Paid by bank transfer and it goes wrong | Almost certainly nothing. Once it's gone, it's gone. |
| Paid by credit card | Chargeback might help. Not guaranteed. Better than nothing. |
Never take the full purchase price to a first viewing. Never pay a deposit on a car you haven't seen. Those two rules won't protect your consumer rights — but they might protect your money.
Some sellers look exactly like dealers. Trading name. Multiple cars listed. Forecourt photos. AutoTrader profile.
But they're not on Companies House. Or the company's dissolved. Or it was registered three weeks ago.
When you pay dealer prices, you're paying for something specific. Not the black tyres and the extra layer of car wax. You're paying for the legal rights that come with a trader sale — the 30-day right to reject, the Consumer Rights Act protection, the Section 75 route back to your money if something goes wrong.
An unverified dealer charges you dealer prices and gives you private sale risk. That's not a deal. That's a con.
Trading Standards Wales found that 44% of vehicle purchase complaints involved traders masquerading as private sellers to avoid their legal responsibilities. Nearly half. And that's just the ones who complained.
Your statutory rights technically exist against any trader. Enforcing them against someone who doesn't legally exist as a registered business is a completely different thing. You can be right and still get nothing.
If a seller looks like a dealer but can't be verified — treat it as a private sale. Same caution. Same rules. Don't pay dealer prices for private sale risk.
Run the free check — or see exactly what's in the full report.