Motor Trade Legal Articles

“We are considering hosting a Christmas party for our staff, is there anything we should be mindful of?” Providing or hosting work Christmas parties represents a good way to increase staff morale, make employees feel appreciated, and to celebrate the end of the calendar year. Christmas parties are often a flagship event of the year […]

The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 marks the UK’s leap into the future of transport.  While fully autonomous vehicles are not yet ready to hit the showrooms, they’ll be here sooner than some think.  Current estimates are that by early 2026 the first AVs will arrive on British roads.  That gives dealers and industry constituents a fairly cozy window […]

“Nothing doesn’t ever change, but nothing changes much.”  That’s a great line from a great song, White Knuckles, by the OK Go back in 2010.  It’s a fitting sentiment as we head into 2025, a year poised to bring notable compliance shifts for motor dealers and repairers.   Two recent forces driving these changes are the Digital Markets, […]

“I have recently supplied a car to a Consumer, they have come back to me and stated it will not pull their caravan and are claiming it is in breach of the contract and not fit for purpose. Am I liable.” There are 2 aspects of The Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) that may apply […]

“When I receive a Subject Access Request do I have to provide everything with a person’s name on?” The Short answer is no. Whilst a person’s name will be personal data, this does not mean the whole content of any document becomes their personal data. There is no need to disclose the whole of an […]

Offering loan vehicles to customers during repairs has become a common practice to enhance convenience and maintain goodwill. In recent months, though, we’ve seen several incidents involving our members that highlight the importance of implementing comprehensive legal and practical strategies to safeguard your business interests when engaging in this practice. Scenario One: The Like-for-Like Loan […]

“I have an aging technician (Alan) who has started to make quite a few mistakes.  He seems to be forgetting things and is getting a bit long in the tooth so I wondered whether I should just suggest it might be time for him to retire?  I wouldn’t mind offering him a small sum of […]

Most members will have a good understanding of the so-called “emissions scandal,” but a quick recap never hurts.  In 2015, Volkswagen admitted to using “defeat devices” to manipulate emissions levels during testing. The scandal initially erupted when it was discovered that Volkswagen had installed such devices in millions of diesel vehicles in order to pass […]

“We have recently found evidence of a technician undertaking MOTs at our premises during work hours, but not logging the job in our system and pocketing the cash for himself. He has never been allowed to do this and has used company equipment and time to do the MOT. What is our legal position and […]

“I run a small body repair MOT workshop. I sometimes have to leave my technician working on his own when I am out of the business, is that okay? Is there any law in this area?” Employers who have employees who are likely to be working on their own need to carry out a risk […]