Find Yourself a Reputable Dealership
An average of 8 Million pre-loved cars are sold in the UK every year. That’s a lot of sheet steel and rubber!
But if you’re after a used car and you’re dipping your toe in the second hand market, how can you be sure that the dealership you’re buying from is reputable and trustworthy?
The good news is that our expert team does a lot of the leg work for you. We do our own comprehensive review of all the car dealerships and lenders on our site so we know you’ll get a good, honest deal.
If you want to shop around before you get finance from our lenders, however, here’s a handy guide to securing a car dealer you can trust:
FCA Accreditation
We work with dealerships and sellers who have an Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) licence or work under an Approved Representative scheme. This keeps you safe when dealing with lenders and chunky financial arrangements.
- Does your chosen Dealer have an FCA License or are they part of an Approved Representative scheme? They should be able give you evidence of this.
- Check https://register.fca.org.uk/s/ for their details.
Website
An established dealership will have a detailed, up-to-date online presence with new cars posted frequently.
- Do they have a website with a picture of their showroom?
- Do they have detailed descriptions and photographs of their cars?
- Has their content changed recently?
- Do they have reliable contact details – including a phone number and email address?
- Are their official company details listed on their site?
Reputation
There are more places than ever before to check the reputation of a car dealership. If you don’t know a dealer, look them up! And if you can’t find and reviews or details, stay clear.
Do They have:
- Google Reviews
- Trust Pilot Reviews
- A listing on Car Buying Advisor
Know Your Rights
Wherever your chosen dealership is, you have rights that will protect you. A reputable dealership should make these rights clear throughout the process and be honest with you about fees.
For example:
- A sale conducted over the phone or online is protected by a right to cancel after 14 days. You don’t need to tell them why and you should get a full refund on any deposit.
- You don’t have to pay any fees or charges for this refund.
- If they don’t inform you of these rights by or at the time of delivery, you then have a right to a cancellation and refund at any point in 12 months.
- The 14 day cancellation period only applies to distance sales. The moment you step into a physical dealership, your right change: Learn your rights before putting money down.
If you find a dealership you love and a car that you really want, come back to us and see whether we can give you a better deal on that car with one of our car finance specialists: you could save yourself a fortune.