Warranty worries

Warranty worries
I'm thinking of buying a pre-registered car. The price is really low, but I'm concerned that the warranty will be affected, since I won't technically be the first owner. Am I worrying about nothing?
Jessica Davies

The fact that the car is pre-registered won't invalidate the manufacturer's warranty, which usually lasts for three years or 60,000 miles.

However, the warranty will have started on the date the car was first registered, which means you'll get the balance of the cover. If the car was registered three months ago, for instance, you'll have two years and nine months of warranty remaining.

If the potential saving is big enough, we wouldn't worry about the loss of a few months' worth of warranty – especially if, like most pre-registered cars, it only has delivery mileage on the clock.