Bought a Lemon Car in Queensland? How to Get a Refund Through QCAT

If a car you bought from a dealer in Queensland has a major fault, the Australian Consumer Law lets you reject it and choose a refund or a replacement. Start with a written demand to the dealer; if the dealer refuses, the claim goes to QCAT, which hears motor vehicle disputes against licensed motor dealers up to $100,000. Fees change each 1 July; check the current fee on the tribunal’s or court’s website before you file.

For the forms, fees and each step, see our guide to making an QCAT application.

This guide covers your consumer guarantee rights, the steps before you apply, and where and how to make the claim in Queensland.

What does the Australian Consumer Law guarantee when you buy from a dealer?

A car bought from a business comes with automatic consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law. The main ones for a car are that it must:

• Be of acceptable quality: safe, durable and free from defects, allowing for its age, price and condition (s 54)
• Be fit for any purpose you told the dealer about, such as towing (s 55)
• Match its description, for example “one owner” or “full service history” (s 56)

A dealer cannot contract out of these guarantees with a “sold as is” or “no warranty” term. They are in addition to any manufacturer’s or statutory warranty. The guarantees do not generally cover private sales.

When can you ask for a refund instead of a repair?

If the failure is major, you can reject the car and choose a refund or a replacement. A failure is major where, for example:

• you would not have bought the car if you had known about the problem
• the car is unsafe
• the car is significantly different from its description
• the car is substantially unfit for its normal purpose, or for a purpose you told the dealer about, and cannot easily be fixed within a reasonable time

If the failure is not major, the dealer can choose to repair it within a reasonable time. If it refuses or takes too long, you can have it repaired elsewhere and claim the reasonable cost, or in some cases reject the car. Act promptly: the right to reject can be lost if you wait too long.

Step 1: Get an independent inspection

Have an independent mechanic, not the dealer’s, inspect the car and write down each fault, its likely cause and whether it was probably present when you bought it. This report is usually your most important evidence.

Step 2: Put your demand in writing

Write to the dealer asking for a refund, replacement or repair, citing the consumer guarantees, attaching the mechanic’s report and giving a clear deadline, such as 14 days. Keep a copy and proof of when it was sent. A letter of demand often resolves the dispute, and if it does not, it shows the tribunal or court that you gave the dealer a fair chance.

Step 3: Complain to the Office of Fair Trading Queensland

The Office of Fair Trading Queensland takes complaints about car dealers in Queensland and may be able to help resolve the dispute without a hearing.

Queensland also has a statutory warranty for used cars sold by licensed dealers. QCAT describes two classes: a Class A vehicle (under 160,000 km and not more than 10 years old on the day of sale) is covered until it has travelled 5,000 km or 3 months have passed, whichever comes first; a Class B vehicle is covered for 1,000 km or 1 month. If you notify the dealer of a defect in writing within the warranty period and the dealer refuses it or fails to repair it within 14 days, you can apply to QCAT.

Step 4: Where do you make a claim in Queensland?

QCAT hears motor vehicle disputes against a licensed motor dealer up to $100,000, where the dealer has failed to comply with a consumer guarantee or has failed to repair a defect covered by the statutory warranty. QCAT cannot hear disputes about private sales between two people (QCAT: motor vehicle disputes, last updated 4 August 2026).

The application fee depends on the amount claimed. Fees change each 1 July; check the current fee on the tribunal’s or court’s website before you file. (QCAT: fees and allowances)

QCAT may also appoint a motor vehicle assessor. QCAT says the cost of the assessment is divided between the parties at QCAT’s discretion.

Bring the purchase contract, the advertisement, the mechanic’s report, your letter of demand and proof it was sent, and all messages with the dealer, organised in date order.

Do you need a lawyer?

QCAT expects parties to represent themselves; a lawyer needs QCAT’s permission, which it gives only if that is in the interests of justice.

What if you bought the car privately?

The consumer guarantees generally do not apply to a private sale. If a private seller told you something about the car that was untrue, a letter of demand setting out what was said and what was wrong is the usual first step.

How Claim Done helps

Claim Done’s Letter of Demand ($49) is drafted from your answers about the car, the faults and the dealer, and cites the Australian Consumer Law. You approve it before it is sent.

If the dealer does not put things right, the Tribunal Application ($97) drafts your QCAT claim from your answers and documents, ready for you to review and lodge yourself. Claim Done is not a law firm and does not lodge, file or serve documents for you.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I take a lemon car claim in Queensland?

To QCAT, which hears motor vehicle disputes against licensed motor dealers up to $100,000. Send the dealer a written demand first.

How much does it cost to apply?

The application fee rises with the amount claimed. Fees change each 1 July; check the current fee on the tribunal’s or court’s website before you file.

Can the dealer insist on repairing a major fault?

No. For a major failure you choose between a refund and a replacement. For a failure that is not major, the dealer can choose to repair it within a reasonable time.

Does “sold as is” mean I have no rights?

Not when you buy from a dealer. The consumer guarantees apply by law and cannot be excluded by the contract.

Dealer still refusing? Start your claim — $97.

Forum facts checked against QCAT’s motor vehicle disputes page on 27 September 2026. Consumer guarantee sections refer to the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010). Claim Done is not a law firm and does not lodge, file or serve documents for you.