Claim eligibility
What can actually be claimed
The first post-purchase question is not who feels responsible. It is whether the cost is eligible expenditure under the agreement in the first place.
Eligible expenditure
Only eligible expenditure can be claimed back
That rule sits at the centre of the arrangement. A buyer cannot recover every post-sale cost, and a seller does not become responsible for every bill that appears after completion.
What the claim must show
The expenditure must fit the contract definition and the claim must fall into one of the agreement's claim routes before any percentage or cap is applied.
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What the claim must show
The expenditure must fit the contract definition and the claim must fall into one of the agreement's claim routes before any percentage or cap is applied.
- Listed component claims use a fixed list of covered components such as drivetrain, braking, suspension, certain electrical systems, and specified safety or visibility items.
- Other component claims can still be made, but they need mechanic confirmation that leaving the issue unaddressed would likely cause an NCT failure or affect safety, operability, or driveability.
- If only part of a bill qualifies, only that apportioned eligible amount can be claimed.
Example calculation
If a garage quotes €1,000 where €800 is for an eligible transmission fault and €200 is for upgraded alloy wheels, only the €800 is considered Eligible Expenditure before applying the Coverage Percentage.
What the buyer cannot assume
The arrangement is narrower than a warranty and narrower than general buyer disappointment.
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What the buyer cannot assume
The arrangement is narrower than a warranty and narrower than general buyer disappointment.
- A later repair bill is not automatically claimable.
- Bodywork, paint, interior trim, cosmetic-only damage, number plates, collision costs, and expressly disclosed faults remain outside the arrangement.
- A claim cannot recover fitting costs above the relevant reference specification for the component in question.
- The buyer still carries any part of the loss that falls outside eligibility, outside the coverage percentage, or above the cap.
Example calculation
If Eligible Expenditure is €1,000, and Coverage is 70% with a €600 Reserve Cap, the claim value starts at €700 (70% of €1,000). But because the cap is €600, the final payment maxes out at €600. The buyer carries the remaining €400 of the bill.
Exclusions
What stays out even if the parties later disagree
The exclusions matter at the start of the sale and again when a claim is made. Transparency before completion usually makes later disputes narrower and easier to resolve.
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How fair pricing and explicit exclusions should be handled before the sale completes.
How known condition issues are recorded at the outset.
Known defects and disclosed condition
Where issues are already known, the best approach is to deal with them before completion rather than argue about them later.
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Known defects and disclosed condition
Where issues are already known, the best approach is to deal with them before completion rather than argue about them later.
- A doubtful condition can justify a fairer price for the buyer.
- Exact known defects can be excluded expressly from the arrangement.
- Good disclosure should narrow what later remains arguable.
- The vehicle's value cannot exceed 1.5 times the actual Purchase Price for the claim to remain fully in balance.
Example calculation
If the agreed Purchase Price is €5,000, 1.5x the price is €7,500. If the buyer claims a €2,000 repair on an engine but a mechanic asserts that specific model's working engine replacement value makes the whole functioning car worth €8,000 (exceeding €7,500), it breaks proportionality.
Other excluded categories
The agreement excludes whole types of expenditure altogether, even if the buyer has receipts for them.
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Other excluded categories
The agreement excludes whole types of expenditure altogether, even if the buyer has receipts for them.
- Collision-related expenditure stays outside.
- Cosmetic-only problems and cabin-trim issues do not become claims just because money was spent on them.
- The NCT fee has its own separate claim route when the vehicle actually fails an NCT during the protection window.