You Have Up to Six Years. Most People Think They Have One
When something breaks a month after the manufacturer's warranty runs out, most people sigh and buy a new one. In the UK, that's often money thrown away.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 says goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. Those aren't warranty terms. They're legal rights against the retailer that exist whether or not you bought any warranty at all, and you can bring a claim for up to six years after purchase in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or five years from discovering the fault in Scotland.
Key facts most people don't know: • Your claim is against the retailer, not the manufacturer. The shop that took your money is the one legally on the hook • The manufacturer's warranty is an extra on top of these rights, never a replacement for them • A £600 washing machine that dies at year three can be a valid claim even though the warranty was 12 months • If you paid by credit card, your card company is jointly liable too (more below)
None of this is small print. It's the core of UK consumer law, and retailers' own staff often don't know it.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015: The Rules That Matter
The Act sets three standards every product sold to a UK consumer must meet:
Satisfactory quality. What a reasonable person would consider acceptable given the price and description. Durability is explicitly part of quality: a premium appliance is expected to last longer than a bargain one.
Fit for purpose. Including any specific purpose you told the seller about before buying.
As described. Matching the description, model and specs you were sold.
If goods fail any of these, the fault is treated as a breach by the retailer, and the remedies escalate in tiers:
- First 30 days: the short-term right to reject. Full refund, no repair attempts required. The retailer can't fob you off with a credit note.
- After 30 days: repair or replacement. The retailer gets one attempt to fix or replace. One, not several.
- If that attempt fails: the final right to reject. Refund (within the first six months, no deduction for the use you've had, except vehicles) or a price reduction if you keep the item.
One more rule that does a lot of work: for the first six months, any fault is legally presumed to have been present at purchase unless the retailer proves otherwise. They have to show it wasn't faulty. Not you.
Sources: Consumer Rights Act 2015, Which? consumer rights guidance.
The Clock: 30 Days, 6 Months, 6 Years
The timeline determines who has to prove what:
Days 0-30: Reject for a full refund. Strongest position you'll ever have.
Day 31 to month 6: One repair or replacement attempt, then refund. The fault is presumed present from purchase; the burden of proof is on the retailer.
Month 6 to year 6 (year 5 in Scotland): You can still claim, but the burden flips: now you need to show the product failed because of a fault or insufficient durability, not because of wear, misuse or accident. For a product that died far short of a reasonable lifespan, that argument often makes itself. An independent repair shop's diagnosis (a failed compressor at year 3, a known board fault) is usually enough evidence.
To be clear about what the six years is: it's a deadline for bringing a claim, not a six-year guarantee. A £15 kettle giving out at year five isn't a breach. A £900 fridge freezer dying at year four very likely is. "Reasonable durability" scales with price and product type, which is exactly the question our repair data answers: check what [devices at that age actually do](/decide) before assuming yours just reached the end.
Paid by Credit Card? Section 75 Is Your Backup
If the retailer stonewalls you, disappears, or goes bust, UK law gives you a second target.
Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, when you buy something costing more than £100 and up to £30,000 on a credit card, the card company is jointly and severally liable with the retailer for breach of contract, including faulty goods. That means you can claim against your card issuer directly, with the same rights you had against the shop.
Details worth knowing: - It's the price of the item that matters, not the amount on the card. Pay a £1 deposit on the card and the whole purchase is covered - Credit cards only. Debit cards aren't covered by Section 75, though the voluntary "chargeback" scheme can still help within its time limits - Claims go through your card company's disputes process, and the Financial Ombudsman Service if they refuse unfairly
For expensive electronics and appliances, this is a genuinely good reason to put at least part of the purchase on a credit card. Source: Which? Section 75 guide.
In the EU: The 2-Year Legal Guarantee
Reading from Ireland or elsewhere in the EU? Your version of these rights comes from the EU Sale of Goods rules, and since June 2025 phones and tablets get 7 years of parts and 5 years of updates on top:
- The seller is liable for any lack of conformity that appears within at least two years of delivery. This is law, not a warranty the shop chooses to offer
- For the first year, the fault is presumed to have existed at delivery unless the seller proves otherwise (some countries extend this presumption to the full two years)
- The claim is against the seller, and repair, replacement, price reduction or refund are the remedies
- Some countries go further than the two-year floor. The Netherlands ties the guarantee to the product's reasonably expected lifespan, so a fridge can be covered well beyond two years
Manufacturer warranties in the EU work the same way as in the UK: a bonus on top of the legal guarantee, never a substitute for it. A seller who says "the guarantee is over, talk to the manufacturer" inside the legal period is wrong.
How to Make a Claim That Gets Taken Seriously
Step 1: Diagnose before you argue. Know what actually failed. An independent repair shop's written diagnosis costs little and turns "it stopped working" into "the inverter board failed at 3 years, which is a durability defect."
Step 2: Put it to the retailer in writing. Email or letter, not just a phone call. Name the law: "Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, these goods were not of satisfactory quality. I am claiming a repair/replacement/partial refund." Include proof of purchase (a bank statement works if the receipt is gone), the fault description, and your evidence.
Step 3: Give them a deadline. 14 days is standard. Keep every reply.
Step 4: Escalate. - If you paid by credit card, open a Section 75 claim with your card company in parallel - Use the retailer's ADR (alternative dispute resolution) scheme if they have one. Citizens Advice can point you at the right one - Small claims: Money Claim Online in England and Wales handles claims up to £10,000 without a solicitor. Scotland's Simple Procedure covers up to £5,000 - Retailers frequently settle when the court paperwork arrives. Filing costs a modest fee, recovered if you win
What kills claims: waiting months to report the fault, accepting repeated repair attempts without objection, and losing the paper trail. Report early, in writing, every time.
Extended Warranties and Manufacturer Guarantees: Extras, Not Replacements
Everything a shop sells you at the till ("would you like protection with that?") sits on top of the rights above, and much of it duplicates them.
Before paying for an extended warranty in the UK, notice what you'd be buying twice: - Years 1-6 breach-of-quality claims against the retailer: already yours, free, under the Consumer Rights Act - Section 75 backup on credit card purchases over £100: already yours, free - The manufacturer's own guarantee (often 1-2 years, sometimes 5-10 on appliances after registration): already included
What an extended warranty genuinely adds is convenience: no burden of proof, accidental damage cover, a phone number that says yes faster. Whether that's worth 10-20% of the purchase price depends on the product's actual failure rate, which is what our brand reliability rankings exist to tell you. A brand whose machines average 10+ years old at their first repair is a brand you probably don't need to insure.
And when something does break, run it through the repair-or-replace check before assuming it's dead. A fault that costs £40 at an independent shop isn't worth a legal claim or a landfill trip.