The final right to reject, the price reduction and the six-month deduction rule: what section 24 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says about faulty cars in the UK

For most buyers, a car is an expensive purchase, and when one bought from a dealer proves faulty the law offers a sequence of remedies rather than a single switch to flip. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 in the UK, a car bought from a garage dealer or trader must be as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for any stated purpose, and rights against the trader are protected in law. The last stage of that sequence is section 24, the right to a price reduction or the final right to reject.

Section 24 itself is a short provision, but its wording matters, especially for cars, because subsection (10) removes the no-deduction protection in the first six months where the goods consist of a motor vehicle or are of a description specified by order. What follows is a read of the statute text and the consumer-advice framing around it.

The price reduction, in the statute's own words

Section 24(1) defines the remedy: the consumer can require the trader to reduce by an appropriate amount the price payable under the contract, and to receive a refund of anything already paid above the reduced amount. Subsection (2) allows the reduction, where appropriate, to be the full amount. The statute also sets limits in subsection (4): the right does not apply if what the consumer must transfer cannot be divided up so the trader receives only the reduced amount, or if something covered by section 20(12) cannot be given back in its original state.

When the final right to reject arises

The final right to reject is not available from day one on demand. Subsection (5) says a consumer who holds both the price reduction and the final right may exercise only one, and only in one of three situations:

• after one repair or one replacement, the goods do not conform to the contract;
• because of section 23(3) the consumer can require neither repair nor replacement of the goods; or
• the consumer required the trader to repair or replace the goods, but the trader is in breach of the requirement of section 23(2)(a) to do so within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to the consumer.

Subsection (6) defines what counts as a repair or replacement: the consumer has requested or agreed to one (for one fault or more than one) and the trader has delivered or made available the goods in response. Where a car is repaired at the consumer's premises, subsection (7) says the goods are made available when the trader indicates that the repairs are finished.

The deduction for use — and the car carve-out

If the final right to reject is exercised, subsection (8) allows any refund to be reduced by a deduction for the use the consumer has had of the goods since delivery. Two protections follow. Subsection (9) bars a deduction for any period the consumer had the goods only because the trader failed to collect them at an agreed time. And subsection (10) says no deduction may be made if the final right to reject is exercised in the first six months — with exceptions that land squarely on car buyers:

• the goods consist of a motor vehicle; or
• the goods are of a description specified by order made by the Secretary of State by statutory instrument.

In other words, a car buyer in the first six months does not get that no-deduction protection: a dealer may deduct for the use the buyer has had of the vehicle since delivery, subject to subsection (9). The statute defines "motor vehicle" for Great Britain by reference to the Road Traffic Act 1988 (sections 185 to 194) and for Northern Ireland by reference to the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1995. Subsection (13) excludes a vehicle constructed or adapted for use by a person with a physical defect or disability, so that only one such person may use it at a time.

Subsection (11), which defines the six-month window, requires three things to have all happened: ownership or — in the case of a contract for the hire of goods, a hire-purchase agreement or a conditional sales contract — possession of the goods transferred to the consumer, delivery of the goods, and, where the contract requires installation or other action, the trader's notification that this was done. The six months run from the first day after all three.

Where the sale came from matters

The statutory remedies sit against a buyer from a garage dealer or trader. The Northern Ireland government consumer advice service, nidirect, notes the limits elsewhere: at an auction, cars sold 'sold as seen' carry fewer rights, and the auction's conditions of sale should be checked before buying. From a private seller, legal rights are fewer, and nidirect advises inspecting the car, bringing a mechanic and checking the history; a buyer unable to claim where there are faults with the car may still claim against the previous owner if they misrepresented the car's age or mileage.

If the dispute is not settled with the seller

Where the seller will not resolve the complaint, nidirect sets out the routes for Northern Ireland: first complain to the seller; then, for a garage or trader in a trade association, write to the Retail Motor Industry Federation, or to the Motor Ombudsman for cars still under a manufacturer's warranty. Arbitration under trade-association codes is binding on both sides, and nidirect says you will not get your fee back if you lose; if it is not used, a claim of no more than £5,000 can go to the Small Claims Court without a solicitor, and larger amounts warrant consulting a solicitor.

To check any of this yourself, read section 24 directly on legislation.gov.uk — the revised text states it is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 14 October 2026 — and confirm on the page which version you are viewing. For consumer-facing advice and complaint routes, consult the nidirect buying a new or used car page, noting that its guidance is addressed to Northern Ireland, and that the small-claims figure quoted there (£5,000) applies in that market.