Your consumer rights

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the car must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. For a used car, satisfactory quality is judged relative to its age, mileage and the price you paid. This is the most important qualifier and it cuts both ways.

A ten-year-old car with 90,000 miles is not expected to drive like a new one. Worn tyres and brake pads, stone chips, a tired interior and normal wear are not faults — and if we told you about something before you bought, it is not a fault either. A gearbox that fails a fortnight in, or a battery that will not hold the charge we advertised, is a different matter.

If the car is faulty you can reject it and ask for a full refund within 30 days. You do not have to accept a repair in that window if you would rather have your money back.

The 30 days run from the latest of: ownership passing to you, the car being delivered to you, and anything we agreed to set up or fit being finished. So if we agreed to fit a tow bar and it was ready a week after collection, the clock starts then.

If you ask us to attempt a repair, the clock is paused while we have the car, and it restarts when you get it back. You never lose days by giving us the chance to fix something.

If a fault appears in the first six months, the law presumes it was already there when you bought the car. It is for us to show otherwise, not for you to prove it. In that window you can ask for a repair or replacement, and if that fails or is not done in a reasonable time you can move to a refund.

After six months, the burden flips: it is then for you to show the fault was present at the point of sale.

There is one exception that applies specifically to vehicles. For most goods, a refund in the first six months has to be given in full. For motor vehicles, section 24(8) of the Consumer Rights Act allows a deduction for use from a refund on the final right to reject, even within those first six months.

This does not apply to the short-term right to reject in the first 30 days — that refund is in full. Any deduction we propose will be explained in writing with the reasoning and the mileage it is based on.

The 14-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations depends on how the contract was concluded, not on whether the car was delivered or collected. It applies to distance contracts (agreed entirely online, by phone or by email) and off-premises contracts (agreed somewhere other than our premises, such as at your home).

If you reserved online but signed the order with us in the showroom, that is generally not a distance contract and the 14-day right does not apply. Your Consumer Rights Act protections above apply either way. We record which applies on your order and tell you at the point of signing.

Where it does apply:

• The 14 days start the day after you receive the vehicle.
• Once you tell us you are cancelling, you have a further 14 days to return the vehicle.
• You may inspect the car as you would in a showroom. If you use it beyond what is needed to check it, we may deduct for the reduction in its value — a couple of local miles is inspection, a 400-mile weekend is not.
• No reason is needed, and this right is separate from anything being faulty.

A reservation fee of £99 holds a car for 48 hours and is refundable if you decide not to buy. The full terms are shown, and you have to tick to accept them, before you pay anything. Reserving is not a contract to buy.

Contact us first — 01283 000000 or hello@theevcollection.co.uk. Tell us what the fault is and when you noticed it. We will acknowledge it in writing so there is a record of the date, which matters for the timescales above.

If we cannot resolve it between us, you can take it to an alternative dispute resolution scheme, and finance complaints can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Nothing here affects your right to do so.