Quick answer: If you buy an e-scooter from a UK seller, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires the goods to be of satisfactory quality, which includes safety and durability. Online buyers can usually cancel within 14 days of delivery, and the right to reject a faulty scooter for a full refund generally runs for 30 days. These rights apply to the scooter as goods; they say nothing about where a scooter can lawfully be ridden.
Before looking at the rights, one point of context. Privately owned e-scooters cannot legally be used on public roads, pavements or cycle lanes in any UK nation, as the site’s guide to electric scooter laws in the UK explains. Consumer law protects the purchase, but it does not make riding in public lawful. This article is general information, not legal advice.
Which law applies, and where
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies across the United Kingdom. Section 9 treats every contract to supply goods as including a term that the quality of the goods is satisfactory. The Act defines satisfactory as the standard a reasonable person would consider satisfactory, taking account of any description, the price and all other relevant circumstances. It lists aspects of quality that include fitness for the purposes for which goods of that kind are usually supplied, appearance and finish, freedom from minor defects, safety and durability.
The Act also says public statements about the specific characteristics of the goods, including in advertising or labelling, can count among the relevant circumstances, unless the trader shows it could not reasonably have known of the statement, that it had been withdrawn or corrected, or that it could not have influenced the buyer’s decision.
Cancelling an online or phone order: 14 days
GOV.UK explains that customers who buy online, by mail or by phone have the right to cancel for a limited time even if the item is not faulty. The key points are:
- The buyer must tell the seller within 14 days of receiving the item that they want to cancel.
- The buyer then has a further 14 days to return it.
- The seller must refund within 14 days of receiving the item back, and no reason has to be given.
- Fees cannot be deducted from the refund unless the item has been used or damaged.
- Standard delivery costs must also be refunded if the buyer paid for them.
GOV.UK adds that customers may handle the item as they would in a shop. That is a reason to avoid riding a scooter before deciding, because a used item can lead to deductions. The 14-day right does not apply to items bought in person, where a refund for a change of mind is not a legal requirement unless the seller offers one.
A faulty scooter: the 30-day right to reject
Under the Consumer Rights Act, a consumer whose goods do not conform to the contract has the short-term right to reject them. Section 22 sets the time limit as the end of 30 days beginning with the first day after ownership has transferred, the goods have been delivered and, where the contract requires the trader to install the goods, the trader has said that has been done. If the buyer asks for or agrees to a repair or replacement, the clock stops for the waiting period.
Beyond the short-term right, the Act provides a right to repair or replacement and a right to a price reduction or the final right to reject, in the circumstances it sets out.
Repairs, replacements and time limits
GOV.UK states that a seller must repair or replace an item if a customer returns it within 6 months, unless the seller can prove it was not faulty when it was bought. After 6 months, the seller can ask the customer to prove the item was faulty at purchase. GOV.UK also says customers have up to 6 years to make a claim for an item they bought (5 years in Scotland).
A warranty or guarantee does not reduce these rights. GOV.UK says a customer has the same right to free repair or replacement whether or not they have a warranty, so a seller may still need to repair or replace even after a warranty has run out.
Two exceptions are worth knowing. A seller does not have to refund if the customer knew about the fault when they bought, or if the customer damaged the item while trying to repair it themselves or having someone else do so, although a repair, replacement or partial refund may still be available in the second case.
Practical steps when something goes wrong
- Keep proof of purchase. GOV.UK lists a receipt, a bank statement or packaging as acceptable evidence.
- Report the fault to the seller promptly, in writing, and keep a copy.
- Avoid attempting repairs yourself while a claim is open, given the exception above, and be cautious about battery issues in particular. The site’s guide to e-scooter battery fire safety sets out warning signs and safe charging.
- Ask for the seller’s response in writing, and note any deadlines.
Where to get help in each nation
GOV.UK lists the following consumer advice contacts:
- England and Wales: Citizens Advice, which can refer complaints to local Trading Standards.
- Scotland: Advice Direct Scotland.
- Northern Ireland: Consumerline.
- Buying from an EU country: the UK International Consumer Centre.
An ombudsman may also be able to help resolve a complaint with some organisations, and the Ombudsman Association can help find the right one.
The bottom line
A UK buyer has meaningful protections when an e-scooter arrives faulty or not as described: 14 days to cancel an online order, 30 days to reject faulty goods, and a presumption in the buyer’s favour for repairs and replacements within the first 6 months. A warranty adds to these rights rather than replacing them. Keep the paperwork, act quickly and use the consumer advice service for the relevant nation. Consumer law covers the purchase only, so a scooter bought lawfully still cannot be ridden on public roads.
Sources
- Accepting returns and giving refunds: the law (gov.uk)
- Consumer rights (gov.uk)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9: goods to be of satisfactory quality (legislation.gov.uk)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22: time limit for short-term right to reject (legislation.gov.uk)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 19: consumer’s rights to enforce terms about goods (legislation.gov.uk)