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Claim to a dealer for a faulty used car (Ireland)
Ireland · in English · for consumers
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For a consumer in Ireland who bought a used car from a dealer and found a fault. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the car must conform to the contract, taking its age, mileage and price into account. The letter describes the fault and asks for the remedy you choose: ending the contract for a refund within 30 days of delivery, a repair or replacement, or, after a failed repair, a refund or a price reduction. It gives the dealer 14 days to reply, then the Small Claims procedure (claims up to €2,000). The CCPC explains these rights free. Not for a private sale. Send it by registered post (An Post).
- Made for use in Ireland
- Last updated November 3, 2026
- Document in English
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- The used car you bought from a dealer in Ireland broke down within weeks.
- The garage that sold you the car says the fault is wear and tear and will not fix it.
- The dealer has already tried to repair the car and the same fault keeps coming back.
- You want to put your claim about a faulty second-hand car to the dealer in writing.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Town and county (e.g. Ennis, Co. Clare; or Dublin 8)
- Sender's Eircode
- Date
- Trader
- Trader's postal address
- Registration number
- Date of purchase
- Price
- Date the goods were received
- Make and model
- Odometer reading
- Order number
- Defect
- Repairs or replacements so far, with dates and results (blank if none)
- What you ask for: refund, repair, replacement or price reduction
- Total owed, gross (in euros, the figure only)
- Attachments
Common questions
- Can I still reject a faulty used car from an Irish dealer after 30 days?
- After 30 days you first ask the dealer to repair or replace the car (section 25 of the Consumer Rights Act 2022). If the repair fails, is refused or takes too long, you can end the contract for a refund or keep the car with a price reduction (sections 26 and 27), unless the fault is minor. On that final termination, the dealer may reduce the refund only for any loss in value beyond what normal use of the car would cause, and must prove it (section 30).
- Who has to prove the fault in a used car bought from a dealer in Ireland?
- A fault that shows up within a year of delivery is presumed to have been there at delivery, unless the dealer proves otherwise or the presumption does not fit the car or the fault. After that, you show it, often with an independent inspection report. Normal wear for the car's age and mileage is not a fault. You can seek a remedy for up to six years from delivery.
- Where can I turn in Ireland if the car dealer ignores my claim?
- The CCPC explains your rights free (ccpc.ie, or its helpline); cars are the subject people contact it about most, though it does not take up individual cases. The Small Claims procedure of the District Court takes claims up to €2,000, and the District Court claims up to €15,000. If you bought on hire purchase, the finance company owns the car until the last payment, so send it a copy; a complaint it does not resolve can go to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO), free.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
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