Government to Introduce New Minimum Standards to Protect Used Car Buyers

The government is working to ensure used car buyers get a better deal, Automotive Management (AM Online) reports.

Complaints about second-hand cars represent one of the biggest issues that the Citizens Advice consumer service has to deal with. The organisation dealt with 69,342 enquiries relating to second hand cars between April 2013 and March this year – equating to 2.48 complaints nationally for every 1,000 cars registered.
More than three quarters (78.1%) of complaints related to independent used car dealers, the Citizens Advice data revealed.

Now the government’s Used Car Commission will work to resolve the issue. It is currently developing a set of minimum requirements for used car dealers operating under approval schemes.

The commission will implement a number of proposals, which include minimum requirements for used car codes and trader approval schemes. The proposals aim to better protect consumers as well as improve customer service in the sector, which is valued at £38 billion, with 7.1 million used cars sold annually.

The move will also ensure closer cooperation between police and Trading Standards in order to target organised criminals; and there will be a focus on gathering information about used cars so that any current or emerging issues can be identified and acted on by police and Trading Standards quickly.

Consumer Affairs Minister Jo Swinson said: “The recommendations are an excellent starting point and it is good to see the sector working together to get the best possible outcomes for consumers.”