Buying a used car online: delivery, returns and rights
Your rights when you buy a used car online from a dealer: the 14-day cancellation right, who pays to return it, and the checks to make before delivery day.
Updated
When you buy a used car online or by phone from a dealer, you get two layers of protection. First, a 14-day right to cancel for any reason, counted from the day the car is delivered to you. Second, the full Consumer Rights Act 2015 protection that applies to any dealer sale, including the 30-day right to reject a faulty car. You may have to pay to send the car back if you cancel for a change of mind, so read the returns terms before you order.
Buying from a private seller online gives you neither. The rights below apply when the seller is a trader.
The 14-day cancellation right
The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you a right to cancel a distance contract: one agreed without you and the trader being in the same place, using the website, email or phone up to the moment the deal is done. It also covers off-premises contracts, such as a sale agreed at your home.
- How long: for goods, the cancellation period ends 14 days after the day the car comes into your physical possession, or that of someone you named to receive it.
- Reason: you do not need one. Change of mind is enough.
- How: tell the dealer clearly, by email or using the cancellation form they provide. Keep a copy.
- If the dealer never told you about the right: the period is extended, by up to 12 months.
If you ordered online and then collected the car from the forecourt, the contract was still agreed at a distance, so the right usually applies. If you visited, test drove and signed at the showroom, it is not a distance contract and the 14-day right does not apply. Your Consumer Rights Act rights still do.
The right does not apply to a car bought at a public auction that you could attend in person.
Refunds and who pays to return the car
| Item | The rule |
|---|---|
| Price of the car | Refunded in full, subject to any deduction for excessive handling |
| Standard delivery charge | Refunded. If you paid extra for a premium delivery option, only the cost of the standard option is refunded |
| Return cost | Yours, if the dealer told you so before the sale. The dealer pays if it offered to collect or did not tell you |
| Refund deadline | 14 days after the dealer gets the car back, or after you show you sent it back, whichever is first. If the dealer offered to collect, 14 days after you told it you were cancelling |
| Payment method | The same one you used, with no fee |
You must hand the car back or send it within 14 days of telling the dealer you are cancelling.
The handling deduction
The dealer can recover any drop in the car's value caused by handling it beyond what is needed to establish its nature, characteristics and functioning. The test in the Regulations is the kind of handling you might reasonably be allowed in a shop. For a car, a short drive to check it works is reasonable. Hundreds of miles, a scrape or a smoky interior are not. Many online dealers set a mileage limit for returns. Read it before you drive.
How the 14 days fit with the Consumer Rights Act
The two rights run side by side. Use the one that fits.
| Situation | Right to use |
|---|---|
| The car is fine but you changed your mind | 14-day cancellation, you may pay to return it |
| The car is faulty or not as described, within 30 days | 30-day short-term right to reject, the dealer pays reasonable return costs |
| A fault appears after 30 days | Repair, then price reduction or final right to reject |
If the car is faulty, say so. Rejecting it under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 means the dealer must bear reasonable return costs, and there is no handling deduction under the 30-day right. Our guides to the Consumer Rights Act and used cars and to rejecting a faulty used car cover the steps.
A "money-back guarantee" or "7-day return" offer from a dealer is extra. It cannot cut the 14 days the law gives you, or your Consumer Rights Act rights.
Checks to make before delivery day
You cannot see the car first, so check what you can at a distance.
- Who the seller is. Get the dealer's full trading name and a geographic address. Check that the address exists and that the company is real.
- What the car is. Compare the advert with the vehicle details on the GOV.UK services: make, colour, fuel, the MOT expiry date and tax status.
- The MOT history. Read every test on the GOV.UK MOT history service. Look for advisories that keep coming back and for mileage that drops between tests. Our guide to reading MOT history explains what to look for, and the MOT advisory lookup explains the wording.
- Recalls. Check for outstanding safety recalls on the GOV.UK recall service.
- Finance and write-offs. A vehicle history check shows whether there is outstanding finance or an insurance write-off record.
- The paperwork list. Ask what will arrive with the car: the V5C, the service history, both keys and the invoice for any preparation work.
On delivery day
Before you sign the delivery note, walk round the car with the driver. Check the VIN on the car against the V5C and the invoice, as our guide to the VIN shows. Note any damage on the delivery paperwork, with photos. Signing "received in good condition" does not take away your rights, but a note of damage on the day avoids an argument later.
Remote-viewing scams
Most fraud around online car buying follows one pattern: you are asked to pay before you or a trusted business has seen the car.
Warning signs:
- The price is well below similar cars, and the seller says they need a quick sale.
- The car is "abroad", "in storage" or "with a delivery company", so you cannot view it.
- You are asked for a deposit or full payment by bank transfer to hold the car.
- A payment or escrow website you have never heard of is suggested by the seller.
- The seller will not take a phone call, or the V5C photo shows different details from the advert.
Do not pay a private seller you cannot meet. With a dealer, check the business independently, not through links the seller sends. If you have paid and think it was a scam, call your bank straight away.
Frequently asked questions
Can I return a used car I bought online?
Yes, if you bought it from a dealer at a distance. You have 14 days from delivery to cancel for any reason. If the car is faulty, you also have 30 days to reject it under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Who pays to return a car bought online?
If you cancel for a change of mind, you pay the direct cost of returning it, provided the dealer told you that before the sale. If the dealer offered to collect, or the car is faulty, the dealer pays.
Does the 14-day right apply if I collect the car?
Usually yes, if the deal was agreed online or by phone before you arrived. It does not apply if you saw the car, negotiated and signed in person at the dealer's premises.
Can the dealer deduct money if I return the car?
Only for a loss in value caused by handling beyond what you needed to check the car, for example high mileage or damage. A short test drive should not lead to a deduction.