Welcome to The Motor Ombudsman’s online complaint form.

You can use this form to log a complaint with us about a business located in the United Kingdom or Channel Islands that is accredited to our service.

Please note that if the business isn’t accredited, you can still log the complaint with us, but we may be unable to help you further.

Initial Complaint to Business: It's vital that you have first addressed your dispute directly with the business and allowed them time to respond. We will confirm with the business whether they have interacted with you regarding the complaint. If this step hasn’t been taken, we may have to reject your case and refer you back to the business.

Evidence Submission: If your case proceeds, you’ll need to provide us with the business's final written response (email or letter) when requested. If your interactions were by phone, request a written summary. Absence of a written response after a reasonable waiting period doesn’t preclude you from proceeding with your complaint.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS FORM REQUIRES JAVASCRIPT TO BE ENABLED ON YOUR WEBSITE BROWSER TO FUNCTION CORRECTLY.

  • To complete this form, you’ll need to answer some questions and provide us with information, including your personal information. This is so we can fully assess your complaint, and whether we can help, and also to help us understand what’s going on in the motor industry. For more information on how we collect, store and process your information, you can have a look at our Privacy Policy here.

  • We’re not going to ask for copies of your evidence right now, so don’t worry if you’re not able to provide this yet. Once we’ve checked your complaint and made sure it’s something we can investigate, we’ll let you know what evidence and information we need from you to progress the case.

  • Just so you know, before we can take on your case, you must have complained directly to the accredited business and given them up to 8 weeks to resolve your problem.

If you’ve already contacted the accredited business, and either it’s been more than 8 weeks since you complained or you’ve received their final response, then let’s get started!
Progress 1
Getting Started

The Motor Ombudsman won’t be able to look into your complaint until the accredited business has been given up to 8 weeks to investigate and try and resolve things with you directly. If you’ve already received a final response from them, or it’s been more than 8 weeks, then please continue.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Please ensure that you fill in this form in good faith and truthfully. Any false information or misrepresentation may considered a breach of our Unacceptable Actions Policy. Adherence to this policy is essential to maintain the integrity and fairness of the dispute resolution process.

By submitting this form, you agree to abide by these standards.



KEY INFORMATION
Initial Complaint to Business: It's vital that you have first addressed your dispute directly with the business and allowed them time to respond. We will confirm with the business whether they have interacted with you regarding the complaint. If this step hasn’t been taken, we may have to reject your case and refer you back to the business.

Evidence Submission: If your case proceeds, you’ll need to provide us with the business's final written response (email or letter) when requested. If your interactions were by phone, request a written summary. Absence of a written response after a reasonable waiting period doesn’t preclude you from proceeding with your complaint.

(DD/MM/YYYY)




If court action is in progress, or you have already received a judgment from the court, we probably won’t be able to help you. However, you can continue to submit your complaint and we can assess this further.






As your complaint is already being handled by another service, we would be unable to assist you.

You will need to decide who you wish to progress your complaint with as you cannot have the same dispute with two different services, you will need to withdraw from the other service to continue your complaint with us.

Your Details (Important Information)

Progress 2
IMPORTANT: Please enter the registered keeper's/contract holder's information in this section.
In the next step, please provide the information of the registered keeper of the vehicle or the person who paid for the service or repair. This is essential for ensuring the correct individual is associated with the complaint.

Step-by-Step Process:

  • Your Details (Registered Keeper/Contract Holder)
Enter the details of the vehicle's registered keeper or the contract holder first. This is a crucial step to ensure the complaint is linked to the correct individual, as per the data protection legislation. This information will allow us to communicate efficiently with any nominated third parties if necessary.

  • The Third-Party Details (Friend / Family Member / Other Representative)

After entering the vehicle owner’s details, you will have the option to nominate a third party (such as a friend, family member, or relative) to act on your behalf. You can add their information in the next section.

By following these steps, your complaint submission will be processed efficiently, reducing any delays and ensuring a prompt review.


Progress 2
Your Details (Registered Keeper/Contract Holder Details)

So that we know we’re talking to the right person, we need you to provide the registered keeper’s details here, as we will log them as the person making the complaint. However, if you’d like someone to represent you – for example, a friend, family or a third party – then that’s not a problem, and you can provide their details at the bottom of this page. We can either contact your representative directly about your complaint, instead of you, or we can make a note that we’re able to discuss the complaint with you and another person.

We’ll contact you to ask for further information, or to provide updates, usually by email, text message or call. We won’t usually do things by post unless you ask us to do so.
Vehicle / Contract Holder Details
By providing the registered keeper's/contract holder's information here, we can efficiently reach out to any third-party representatives, as required by the relevant data legislation, to obtain their consent. Please ensure the registered keeper/owner of the vehicle details are entered first. Any third-party representative information can be added in the next section. This streamlined approach ensures a prompt and expedited review of your complaint submission, making the entire process faster and more efficient.






Format: +44 Do not include the first 0 in your number for example +44777777777

Format: +44 Do not include the first 0 in your number for example +44111222333










The Third-Party Details (Friend / Family Member / Other Representative)










If n/a, enter their mobile number.


Important Information
We will need permission from you, the registered keeper, to show you’re happy for us to speak with your representative and pass them information about your complaint. Therefore, we will need you to complete our third-party consent form which can be found at the following links.


Once you submit your case to us we will automatically respond via email providing you with your case number and case email id you can then simply reply back to this email using the case email id to send us the third-party consent document.
Progress 3

The Business








By selecting this option, you are confirming that your complaint is primarily about work carried out on your vehicle or a service by an accredited business.

Examples of disputes we deal with:

• Promise not kept
• Unauthorised work
• Vehicle damage while repairing

Examples of disputes we do not deal with:

• Service plans
• Insurance repairs

You will need to provide evidence to support your claim.

Examples given are not limited to reasons of why we can or cannot assist with your dispute, each dispute is dealt with on a case by case basis.

While these are not issues which fall within our Codes of Practice, If you wish to continue to submit your dispute we can review and determine if we might be able to assist you.

However, if you disagree about the outcome of an MOT, you need to report this to the DVSA. You can usually complain if your vehicle has failed its MOT and you think it should have passed or your vehicle passed its MOT, and you think it should have failed.

You should discuss the test result with the MOT test centre first before starting any repairs. If you remain unhappy, you can then appeal against the test result by completing the following form here on the government website.

If your vehicle has failed but you believe it should have passed, you must report this to the DVSA within 14 working days of the test. They will give you an appointment within 5 days to recheck your vehicle. You will need to pay another fee but if your appeal is successful, you will get some or your entire fee back.

If your vehicle has passed but you do not think it should have, you need to report this to the DVSA within 3 months of the test if the fault is a corrosion-related problem or within 28 days if the fault is for any other defects. Again, you will receive an appointment within 5 days to recheck your vehicle, and you do not have to pay. At the end of this appointment, you will get an inspection report listing any vehicle defects and advisory items.


By selecting this option, you are confirming that you are the first owner of the vehicle and your complaint is primarily about an issue you have with the sales process or quality of your new vehicle.

Examples of disputes we deal with:

• Faulty \ Unsuitable vehicle
• Misleading information
• Aftersales

Examples of disputes we do not deal with:

• Vehicles owned or mainly used for business purposes
• Service plans

You will need to provide evidence to support your claim.

Examples given are not limited to reasons of why we can or cannot assist with your dispute, each dispute is dealt with on a case by case basis.

By selecting this option, you are confirming that you are not the first owner of the vehicle and your complaint is primarily about an issue you have with the sales process or quality of your used vehicle.

Examples of disputes we deal with:

• Underlying issues with vehicle
• Misleading information
• Aftersales

Examples of disputes we do not deal with:

• Vehicles owned or mainly used for business purposes
• Service plans

You will need to provide evidence to support your claim.

Examples given are not limited to reasons of why we can or cannot assist with your dispute, each dispute is dealt with on a case by case basis.









IMPORTANT - Status
Please note the Business Status might mean we are unable to progress or assist with your complaint as we can only assist with businesses with an "Active" Accreditation.


While these are not issues which fall within our Codes of Practice, If you wish to continue to submit your dispute we can review and determine if we might be able to assist you.

The Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are the body responsible for safety recalls in the UK.

Recalls are overseen by the DVSA and you can contact their safety branch if you have a safety concern on 0117 954 3426.

If you think that the issue on your vehicle is safety-related, and there is currently no recall for it, you can log it with the DVSA here.

By selecting this option, you are confirming that you believe a fault is present with your vehicle, that is a result of a manufacturing defect.

Examples of disputes we deal with:

• Declined manufacturer's warranty claims
• Parts delay
• Misleading information

Examples of disputes we do not deal with:

• Recalls
• Sales
• Goodwill / Outside of Warranty

You will need to provide evidence to support your claim.

Examples given are not limited to reasons of why we can or cannot assist with your dispute, each dispute is dealt with on a case by case basis.


By selecting this option, you are confirming that your complaint is about an extended warranty you have purchased and not the manufacturer's new vehicle warranty.

Examples of disputes we deal with:

• Declined warranty claims
• Unclear warranty terms
• Mis-selling where policy was sold by the accredited warranty provider

Examples of disputes we do not deal with:

• Mis-selling where the policy was sold by a warranty provider that is not accredited
• Goodwill / Outside of Warranty

You will need to provide evidence to support your claim.

Examples given are not limited to reasons of why we can or cannot assist with your dispute, each dispute is dealt with on a case by case basis.

This information can usually be found in your warranty policy documentation.
Important
If we find that the business isn't accredited to The Motor Ombudsman, then, unfortunately, we may not be able to look into your complaint.

However, we will provide you with guidance on contacting the business and seeing if they would be willing to sign up and explain the next steps.


Please continue to complete our form as all information collected helps us monitor and improve the motor industry for the benefit of all.


For further information on how we process your personal information, please read our Privacy Policy here.

If the business does choose to become accredited, and we are able to investigate your complaint, we will share the details of your dispute, including your personal information, with the business.











Because you bought your car privately, the sale isn’t covered by our Code of Practice for Vehicle Sales, which means we probably won’t be able to help.

We’d rather be upfront and say that it’s unlikely we’re going to be in a position to investigate your case.

You’re welcome to continue filling out the form so we can send you some helpful information including confirmation that you tried to resolve your complaint with our service.

Please provide the contact information of the person you purchased your vehicle from in a private sale:

Because you bought your car at an auction, the sale isn’t covered by our Code of Practice for Vehicle Sales, which means we probably won’t be able to help.

We’d rather be upfront and say that it’s unlikely we’re going to be in a position to investigate your case.

You’re welcome to continue filling out the form so we can send you some helpful information including confirmation that you tried to resolve your complaint with our service.
Important: Please ensure that the business' trading address is correct. The Motor Ombudsman may automatically alert the business on submission of your complaint to ensure the preservation of evidence; it is important that this notice is served to the correct business for your case.

Please double check before proceeding.
Progress 4

Your Vehicle








Year of Registration / Age of Vehicle


Important Information
If you are NOT the Registered Keeper or Contract Owner:

We will need permission from you, the registered keeper, to show you’re happy for us to speak with your representative and pass them information about your complaint. Therefore, we will need you to complete our third-party consent form which can be found at the following links.


Once you submit your case to us we will automatically respond via email providing you with your case number and case email id you can then simply reply back to this email using the case email id to send us the third-party consent document.
Purchase Information

(DD/MM/YYYY)



If purchased from a business provide a name otherwise please put N/A.



A distance sale is defined as when a customer buys a product and the contract is not formed at the premises of the retailer. An example of this is when an order is placed and paid for online, or by telephone, and the product is delivered to the customer’s home without any face-to-face contact with the retailer.
Business Use
For accurate records and to ensure compliance, please indicate whether you are using your vehicle for business purposes more often than not.





Because your vehicle is mainly being used for business or commercial purposes, we’ll only be able to look into your complaint if it’s about a manufacturer’s warranty claim. 

Unfortunately, if it’s about anything else – for example, a vehicle purchase or a repair – we can’t investigate this any further and we’d recommend that you seek some advice on your legal rights.

You’re welcome to continue filling out the form so we can send you some helpful information including confirmation that you tried to resolve your complaint with our service.
Progress 5

Your Complaint


We’d like to get some more information about your complaint, including the issues you’ve experienced – or are currently experiencing – and what you’re looking for as a resolution. At this stage, please keep things brief.

If we’re able to take on your complaint, we’ll ask you to provide the evidence and information we need to be able to reach a fair and reasonable resolution.

Important: Please be mindful when completing the fields below. Avoid including personally identifiable information, such as names, or any information that is protected by law such as legal advice you've received, where possible. Ensure that the information provided is a short and factual summary of the issues, as it will be shared.

Avoid copying and pasting email chains, as there is a 2000-character limit.






Please be aware that we generally cannot award compensation for distress, inconvenience, or other non-demonstrable losses. Our decisions are based on demonstrable, quantifiable losses, such as repair costs, replacement expenses, or other direct financial losses, which can be supported by evidence like receipts and invoices.

£



The administrator for your warranty can usually be found in your warranty booklet.

Examples: Car Hire & Storage Costs
Business Relationship
Collecting information during dispute resolution is crucial for a fair resolution. By gathering data on the parties involved, their interactions, and the specific issue, we understand the factors causing the dispute. This helps us identify root causes, assess credibility, and find potential solutions. Analysing the information objectively, we develop a tailored strategy that addresses everyone's concerns, fostering transparency and effective negotiation. This increases the likelihood of reaching a mutually agreeable resolution, restoring trust and maintaining positive business relationships.
Yes No
From Very Poor to Very Good please rate the before and current status of the relationship between you and the business.
Very Poor Poor Neutral Good Very Good
Our Mediation Process
Mediation is a quick and voluntary process where a neutral mediator helps people in disputes reach a mutually acceptable resolution.

Please note that checking this box is not a commitment, and it will not exclude you from considering or using the adjudication process.

Mediation sessions will take place in virtual Zoom meetings, and representatives from the business will be present.

You'll have the opportunity to make a decision about proceeding after you've received more information.


Progress 6

Declaration


You’re almost done!

We’ve now got everything we need to assess whether we can help you and, if we can, the best way to progress your complaint.

We do have some terms for our service, which explain what we can and can’t investigate, as well as what we expect from you. You can find them here – please give them a read before submitting your case.

And finally, we just need you to read and understand our declaration:

  • I have read and understood, and will abide by, The Motor Ombudsman’s terms of use.
  • To the best of my knowledge, I confirm all of the details I’ve provided are accurate.
  • If I’m not the registered keeper of the vehicle, I have provided the registered keeper’s details as part of this complaint and I’ll ensure that I provide The Motor Ombudsman with written permission from the registered keeper to show I have the authority to represent them. I understand that if this isn’t provided, The Motor Ombudsman may not be able to continue with the case.
  • I understand that if The Motor Ombudsman agrees to resolve my complaint, they will need to collect, process and store personal information about me, and that they will do this in accordance with their privacy notice.
  • I understand that The Motor Ombudsman may automatically process my personal information in accordance with their privacy notice.
  • I understand that in order to resolve my complaint, The Motor Ombudsman will need to share details of the complaint, including my personal information, with the accredited business and occasionally, where relevant, a third party. I also understand that the accredited business and other third parties may also need to share my personal information with The Motor Ombudsman.
  • I acknowledge that The Motor Ombudsman may use information about my case to monitor for trends, to publish anonymised case studies on their website and for compliance purposes.
  • I understand if the business isn’t accredited, and I’ve not given my consent for my personal information to be shared with them, my complaint won’t be taken any further.
  • I know that The Motor Ombudsman may contact me from time to time to ask for feedback about their service, and that it’s optional for me to provide this.

By clicking Submit Complaint, you confirm that you’ve read and understood this declaration and would like The Motor Ombudsman to assess your complaint.