What can I claim back when rejecting my car?

Scott1_2

I ordered a car back in July 2021. The car was delivered in the middle of January and I identified 9 faults within 24 hours, including a safety issue that resulted in the cruise control resetting itself to 45mph on a motorway. The dealer took the car back to fix the issues and have been waiting for the factory to provide a suitable update to the software without success. My last discussion with the dealer has resulted in them saying that I need to either take the car back and wait for a resolution or reject the vehicle.

The deal I had was 0% finance and the car - a hybrid estate - cost just under £40k so I didn't have the increased road tax for the first 5 years of ownership. An exact replacement is now on a 12 month lead time so the dealer are not willing to explore this option. If they were open to this a similar spec car would now cost £1.5k more to purchase and would cost around £1.7k in extra road tax for the first 5 years. I would have issues with this as a solution as I need a car for work and cannot wait until 2023.

I have looked at alternative new cars but the car market as it is means that a similar spec car would not be available immediately, the cars are coming in at a higher list price pushing it over £40k and to add to the cost, there are no 0% deals available pushing the loan costs up. Those cars that are available seem to be the exec cars, like the local Volvo dealer that had an unregistered V90 in the showroom would cost me another £250 a month for the loan plus the road tax and insurance costs. 

Similarly, I have looked at used cars less than 2 years old and the options that match my spec are limited, I looked at one car on Autotrader to find that the next day it cost £1.5k more and when I spoke to the dealer it was due to the market conditions changing. All of the used cars hat seem to match my spec are coming in over £40k unless I go older and end up with  higher mileage car which I would issues getting warranty cover for the duration of the ownership. Additionally the interest rates seem to be 8.9% or higher and there are no deposit contributions which means that the loans are coming in at least £100 a month more expensive and that is before I get the 5 year warranty cover, alloy wheel protection and 2 years servicing that I had with the original car I purchased. I am thinking that for the 5 years I would keep the car it would cost me near £10k more to run a used vehicle.

Adding to the complication in my decision making and making me want to stick with a EV car, I am due a power point to be installed on Tuesday and it is too late to cancel. If I don't go with a hybrid replacement I have wasted a load of money on this.

So getting to the point, I am aware that I should get all the money I paid plus and loan payments I have made back from the dealer. I am trying to understand if the consumer rights act 2015 entitles me to

1. compensation for any of the additional costs associated with purchasing another similar spec vehicle or 
2. compensation for installing the power point so that I can look at none EV cars or
3. a method of pushing them to allow me to keep the courtesy car for longer while they look for a resolution to fix the current car

thanks for your time reading and hopefully clarifying what I can do

The_Fat_Controller

If you reject the car you get put back into the position before you had it.

You do not get 1 and 2 

You could try to negotiate 3, but if it is now safe to drive except for the known cruise control issue you may just have to take it back and wait for the update.

Under those circumstances I would be asking the manufacturer for a goodwill gesture of some sort.

Grumpy_chap

The OP has two choices, either wait for the resolution (and, presumably use the courtesy car in the meantime) or reject the vehicle for a full refund.

If the OP chooses the reject option, then they get nothing more than the full refund unless (extremely unusually) the contract for the sale included a consequential loss clause.

Scott1_2

Grumpy_chap said:

The OP has two choices, either wait for the resolution (and, presumably use the courtesy car in the meantime) or reject the vehicle for a full refund.

If the OP chooses the reject option, then they get nothing more than the full refund unless (extremely unusually) the contract for the sale included a consequential loss clause.

I am being told to hand the courtesy car back. Looking at it I have been screwed over - I have been to 5 dealers in the last 24 hours and nothing is available unless I pay substantially more money

Grumpy_chap

Have you escalated your complaint to the Dealer Principal?  And then to the manufacturer?  I assume this was a brand new car.

The_Fat_Controller

Are all the 8 other faults fixed ?

Is there anything actually stopping you using the vehicle apart from waiting for the software update ?

Whilst it is unfortunate you have a faulty vehicle you are not being "screwed over" as they have said you can reject the vehicle.

If you buy an older Toyota for example you get a warranty for 10 years under their RELAX scheme as long as it is dealer serviced according to the schedule.

GrumpyDil

What faults are outstanding as unless they make the car unsafe to drive I'd be inclined to take the car back and use it whilst waiting for the solution. 

If you don't think there will be a solution then reject and get put back into the position of not having purchased the car. 

born_again

If the only safety fault is the cruise control. Then it is something you do not need to use, till a fix is found. Maybe try bartering a discount on the point.

Ibrahim5

Waiting for a software update seems to be the current way of saying we don't know how to fix it. Go away.

[Deleted User]

What car is it, out of interest?