This is not a straightforward yes or no. There are multiple circumstances that will determine this, which we will explain below;
There is no such thing as a cooling off period with a car purchase. However, you may be able to return the vehicle for another reason.
Within the first 30 days of buying a used vehicle, if the vehicle is Unfit for it’s intended Purpose or not of Satisfactory Quality and you can prove this, then the dealer will need to take the car back.
Once, the first 30 days have passed, you still have Consumer Right, but these change. If the vehicle is deemed Unfit for it’s intended Purpose or not of Satisfactory Quality in this timescale then it becomes the dealer’s responsibility to either;
It is very difficult for a dealer to prove a car was fit for purpose when it was sold unless;
If a car was to have more than one qualifying issue inside 6 months, then you would have grounds to return the vehicle.
If a car was to have a recurrence of the same problem that the dealer repaired inside 6 months, then you would have grounds to return the vehicle. (The timescale on this is grey due to the expected lifespan of some parts and your responsibility to service and maintain the vehicle).
You still have rights even if a fault is discovered outside the first 6 months. However, the onus is then put on the consumer to prove that the fault was present at the point of sale. If you would be unable to prove this to be fact then you wouldn’t have consumer rights.
If you bought had the car delivered to you AFTER the dealer was paid for it, you qualify for distance sale rights. This means that you would be able to hand the car back to the dealer within 14 days of purchase for any reason. However, if the car was delivered to you BEFORE the dealer was paid, this right is not applicable to you. Some finance companies/dealers insist on you checking the car before making/taking payment.
If there was a feature advertised with a car or a mistake when the car was advertised that isn’t accurate you will be able to return the car to the dealer. The timescale on this is hazy because there are different features that you may or may not use straight away. For example, if you bought a car that you thought had heated seats at the start of summer, you may not realise it doesn’t for several months whereas you’d be expected to notice that the car doesn’t have air conditioning quite quickly.
This depends how you paid for the car;
If you bought the car on finance, you should complain to your finance company.
If you paid any part of the balance for the car on credit card, you can complain to your credit card company.
If you paid cash, bank transfer, debit card or part exchange for the car then you would need to complain to Trading Standards and seek advice from the Citizen’s Advice Bureaux
Hopefully this helps to explain your car finance consumer rights.
