Ask an expert

I have just bought an 18 month old Toyota from a Toyota dealer but have now been told by a friend that we have been had because it only has 2 months registration left.

Is this true?

Briony

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 24 December 2009

No, you have not been had. There is no legal requirement from the dealer to update the registration and a vehicle can legally be sold with only one days registration left (which I'm sure a Toyota dealer would not do).

If you had noticed this at the time of sale you may have been able to negotiate a discounted price to allow for the cost of the re-registration buts that iwould be a goodwill gesture not a legal requirement on the dealers part.

Your friend may be getting mixed up with the Warrant of Fitness. By law, the WoF must be no more than one month old at the time of sale. Even then a car can be sold with a current or no warrant if the buyer agrees to accept a car in this condition.

Barring a genuine mistake you can be assured buying from a dealer like Toyota that everything will be totally legitimate and above board