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Can I reject a car which smells of cigarettes?

I have just bought a three year old Audi A1 which is Audi approved. It smelled of cleaning stuff when I drove it away but now, two days later, there is a strong cigarette smoke smell. Do I have any grounds to return the car to Audi since I wouldn’t have paid what I did for it if I'd known?

Asked on 17 February 2022 by Ann Williams

Answered by Dan Powell
If you bought the car from a physical dealership and inspected it prior to purchase in person then the answer will be no - as the dealer will argue that you should have picked up on this issue when you inspected the vehicle.

If you ordered the car online and had it delivered to your home, however, you may be covered by the distance selling regulations that will give you the right to return the car within 14 days for a full refund.

Either way, if you raise this issue with the dealer they may be willing to clean the car or address the problem at no cost. I would suggest speaking to the salesperson and raising your complaint with them and asking if you can find a solution.
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