Cancellation & Refund Policy

Last updated: June 2026

1. Introduction

This Cancellation & Refund Policy forms part of Car Audit's Terms and Conditions and should be read alongside them. It sets out when cancellations, rescheduling, and refunds apply, so that there is no ambiguity for either side. By booking an inspection or any other service with Car Audit, you agree to this policy in full. If there is any inconsistency between this policy and our Terms and Conditions, the Terms and Conditions prevail.

This policy operates alongside your statutory rights, including those under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, and nothing in it removes or limits those rights where they apply.

2. The Nature of Our Service

Car Audit provides independent, non-invasive, on-site vehicle inspections. Our reports reflect the condition of the vehicle as observed at the time of inspection only. As set out in our Terms and Conditions, the service does not include any guarantee, warranty, or assurance about the vehicle's future condition or performance.

Because much of the value of the service lies in the inspector's time, expertise, and travel, refund eligibility necessarily reduces once that work has been committed or carried out.

3. Your Statutory Right to Cancel

Where you book as a consumer at a distance (for example, through our website), you have a statutory right to cancel within 14 days of booking under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. Because inspections are usually scheduled at short notice, by booking an inspection that is due to take place within that 14-day period you expressly request that we begin the service within the cancellation period. You acknowledge that:

If you cancel before we have begun performing the service, you are entitled to a full refund
If you cancel after performance has begun but before it is complete, you may be charged a proportionate amount reflecting the work already carried out, including history checks completed and travel undertaken
Once the inspection has been fully performed, the statutory right to cancel is lost

The notice-based refund tiers in section 4 will often be more generous than the statutory minimum, and where they are, we apply whichever outcome is better for you.

4. When You Can Cancel or Reschedule

You can cancel or reschedule your booking by contacting us. The refund you receive depends on how much notice you give:

More than 24 hours before the scheduled inspection time: full refund, or free reschedule
Within 24 hours of the scheduled inspection time, but before the inspector has set out: 50% refund, reflecting preparatory work and reserved time, or free reschedule
Once the inspector has set out for the vehicle, or in the event of a no-show: no refund, as the time and travel have already been committed

Rescheduling is subject to availability. One free reschedule is included with each booking; we may treat repeated rescheduling of the same booking as a cancellation under the tiers above.

5. If We Cannot Carry Out the Inspection

If the inspection cannot go ahead through no fault of yours, for example because our inspector cannot attend, we need to cancel, or an event outside everyone's control (such as severe weather or road closure) prevents attendance, you will receive a full refund or a rescheduled inspection at no additional charge, whichever you prefer.

No refund is due where the inspection could not be carried out, or was materially prevented, because of circumstances within your control or the seller's, including where:

The vehicle was unavailable, sold, moved, or inaccessible at the agreed time
Incorrect or incomplete vehicle, location, or access details were provided at booking
The seller refused or withdrew access to the vehicle, its keys, or its documents
We were unable to reach you and access could not be confirmed
The vehicle presented was materially different from the vehicle booked

In these situations we will, where practical, offer a rescheduled inspection at a reduced rate reflecting the costs already incurred.

Where a road test cannot be carried out for reasons outside our control (for example, the vehicle has no valid MOT or the seller withholds consent), the remainder of the inspection proceeds, the report notes the omission, and no refund or reduction is payable on that ground alone.

6. Problems With Your Report

If your report is incomplete, corrupted, or omits checklist items that were accessible to the inspector, contact us as soon as possible, and ideally within 48 hours of receiving it, quoting your booking reference. We will review the matter and, where the issue is upheld, we will correct the report, arrange a corrective re-inspection, or issue a partial or full refund, as appropriate to the issue.

The 48-hour window helps us investigate while the inspection is fresh and the vehicle is likely still available, but it does not limit your statutory rights. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, if a service has not been performed with reasonable care and skill you are entitled to require repeat performance or, where that is not possible or cannot be done in a reasonable time, an appropriate price reduction.

7. When Refunds Are Not Available

To be clear and fair to everyone, refunds will not be issued simply because:

You disagree with the inspector's professional opinion, rating, or recommendation
The inspection found faults, or its findings led you to decide not to buy the vehicle
You changed your mind after the inspection was carried out
You were not present at the inspection and wish to dispute the findings without supporting evidence
The report is complete and accurate but the outcome is not what you hoped for
A fault later emerged that was hidden, sealed, dormant, intermittent, or only detectable by dismantling the vehicle, as set out in our Terms and Conditions and the scope notes on our What We Check page
The vehicle's condition changed after the date of the inspection

An inspection that uncovers problems and prevents a poor purchase has done exactly its job, even, and especially, when the news is not what you hoped for.

8. Re-Inspection or Credit

In some situations we may offer, as an alternative to a refund, either a free corrective re-inspection or a Car Audit credit to the value of your booking. These alternatives are offered at our discretion, are not a substitute for any refund you are legally entitled to, and accepting one does not imply any admission of fault or liability on our part. Credits are valid for 12 months from issue and are not transferable or redeemable for cash.

9. How Refunds Are Paid

Approved refunds are returned to your original payment method, normally within 5 working days of approval and in any event within the timescales required by law. We will confirm in writing once a refund has been processed. We are not responsible for onward delays caused by your bank or payment provider, which can add several working days before the funds appear in your account.

10. How to Request a Refund

Refund requests should be made in writing via our Contact page or by email, quoting your booking reference, the reason for your request, and any supporting evidence. Requests relating to the content of a report should be made within the window set out in section 6 where possible. We will acknowledge your request promptly and respond with a decision, or a request for further information, within 14 days.

11. Chargebacks and Misuse of This Policy

We take fairness seriously on both sides. If you have a dispute, please raise it with us first through the process above; most issues are resolved quickly and directly. Initiating a chargeback against a legitimate payment without first following this process may result in us providing full documentation, including the booking record, correspondence, and the delivered report, to the payment provider to contest it, and in us recovering any sums properly owed. We reserve the right to decline future bookings from anyone who repeatedly or unreasonably misuses this policy. Nothing in this section prevents you from pursuing a chargeback or any other remedy you are legally entitled to.

12. Governing Law

This policy is governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute arising from it falls under the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, save that nothing in this section prevents a consumer from bringing proceedings in the courts of their place of residence within the United Kingdom where the law requires.

13. Contact

If you have any questions about this policy before booking, please get in touch via our Contact page. We are happy to explain anything that is not clear.