10:52 am, July 27, 2026
Car dealers say a growing number of customers are expecting used cars to perform like brand-new vehicles, leading to more disputes over faults and vehicle rejections.
That’s according to a new survey by Warranty Solutions Group (WSG), which found 90% of dealers believe customers do not fully understand how a vehicle’s age, mileage and normal wear and tear should influence expectations after purchase.
The research, which questioned more than 100 UK motor retailers, also found that 85% believe buyers increasingly expect older used cars to meet the same standards as new vehicles, despite advances in vehicle technology making modern cars more complex.
Strikingly, 55% of dealers said customers frequently or occasionally attempt to reject vehicles as soon as a fault is reported, rather than allowing the retailer time to diagnose or repair the problem.
The findings highlight what many in the industry believe is a widening gap between consumer expectations and the practical realities of today’s used car market.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they had dealt with between one and five Consumer Rights Act rejection cases over the past year, while others reported handling significantly more.
Dealers responding to the survey described cases ranging from customers trying to reject cars over dirty parking sensors and ambient lighting colours to disputes over mechanical failures after thousands of miles of driving.
One car dealer said a customer commissioned multiple independent inspections on an 11-year-old BMW M4 despite the dealership having spent thousands preparing the car for sale.
Although further repairs were carried out and BMW itself could not establish whether an alleged oil leak had existed at the point of sale, the dispute dragged on for months, said the dealer.
Another described refunding an eight-month-old Mercedes Citan after the customer rejected it over a rear parking sensor issue understood to be a manufacturer design fault, leaving the retailer to absorb the financial cost while pursuing support from Mercedes-Benz.
Elsewhere, one business reported carrying out a £3,000 injector repair under the Consumer Rights Act despite no fault codes, drivability issues or confirmed diagnosis beyond a brief uneven cold start.
John Colinswood, chief executive of Warranty Solutions Group, said the findings did not suggest dealers wanted weaker consumer protection.
He said: ‘The Consumer Rights Act remains an essential piece of legislation and consumers absolutely deserve robust protection when purchasing a vehicle.
‘What our research highlights is a growing mismatch between customer expectations and the realities of owning a used vehicle.
‘Increasingly, dealers are telling us they encounter situations where customers assume that any issue developing after purchase automatically entitles them to reject the vehicle or receive a full refund.
‘In many cases, the dealer simply wants the opportunity to diagnose the fault properly and, where appropriate, carry out a repair before relationships break down.’
Professor Jim Saker, president of the Institute of the Motor Industry, said the issue reflected the rapid pace of change in vehicle technology since the Consumer Rights Act was introduced.
He said: ‘Modern vehicles are increasingly software-driven, highly connected and significantly more complex to diagnose than their predecessors.
‘That inevitably changes how faults present themselves and how quickly they can be identified and resolved.
‘There is value in helping consumers better understand both their rights and their responsibilities, because better-informed customers and better-prepared retailers ultimately lead to better outcomes for everyone.’
WSG said the industry was not seeking to dilute consumer rights, but wanted clearer guidance to help buyers understand what can reasonably be expected from a used vehicle based on its age, mileage and condition, while also giving dealers the opportunity to investigate and repair faults before disputes escalate.