Five years of The Motor Ombudsman’s Knowledge Base

• The Motor Ombudsman’s online Knowledge Base launched in January 2019 to help consumers find answers to frequently-asked questions in relation to buying and owning a car
• More than 200 bite-sized and informative Q&A-style articles are available across 11 different categories, which cover a wide spectrum of topics, spanning electric vehicles, distance sales and repairs, to deposits and warranties
• As a ‘go-to’ resource for motorists, the Knowledge Base has recorded over 1.8 million views during the last five years, equating to a daily average of more than 1,000
• The Knowledge Base can be accessed via the ‘Find an answer’ button at the top of any page of TheMotorOmbudsman.org, providing quick and easy navigation to the comprehensive library of articles

London, 17 January 2024: The Motor Ombudsman is celebrating five years of its online Knowledge Base. The popular motoring resource, which is accessible on every page of the Ombudsman’s website (TheMotorOmbudsman.org), was launched in January 2019 to help consumers find answers to frequently- asked questions, and information in relation to buying and owning a car, prior to raising a dispute with The Motor Ombudsman’s free-of-charge dispute resolution service.

Cementing its place as a valuable and authoritative point of reference for consumers during the past half- decade, the Knowledge Base has grown to 11 different categories addressing key stages of the vehicle purchase and ownership journey. Hosting a comprehensive library of over 200 bite-sized and easy-to- digest Q&A-style articles, they have received over 1.8 million views, equating to in excess of 1,000 every day since the tool was unveiled.

In line with The Motor Ombudsman’s four Codes of Practice, the Knowledge Base explores issues that could arise when buying a new or used car, with specific categories on warranties, electric vehicles, and distance sales, where the latter includes an overview of the legislation that governs this type of transaction when a consumer does not visit a retailer’s premises at any point when buying a car.

In addition, a dedicated area of the Knowledge Base looks at the implications of paying a deposit during the purchase of a vehicle, whilst a specific set of car ownership Q&As touches on matters, such as what to do in the event of receiving a safety recall notification, and bodywork corrosion occurring. In fact, some of the most read subjects to have emerged in the past five years relate to if a consumer is able to return a car within two weeks of buying it, accumulating over 182,000 reads, with an article about the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and how it oversees vehicle purchases, consulted over 107,000 times since 2019.

Similarly, the service and repair area explores queries around routine and ad hoc maintenance of a vehicle, and actions a consumer can take if the quality of work falls below the required standard, or if a garage is unable to diagnose an intermittent fault. Retaining parts removed from a vehicle during maintenance, whether courtesy cars need to be made available by a business, and the importance of having a car serviced according to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended servicing schedule, are also discussed.

In the event that a complaint arises with a business, whether this is a garage, warranty provider, or vehicle manufacturer, the Knowledge Base enables readers to explore the fundamentals of dispute resolution, which is complemented by a standalone section on mediation – outlining what it is, how it works, and some of the primary benefits of this confidential complaint resolution mechanism. Furthermore, a separate category gives readers the opportunity to delve deeper into the key roles of The Motor Ombudsman, and how the body remains fully independent and impartial in its work.

As part of an ongoing programme of content updates, existing articles across the Knowledge are regularly reviewed by The Motor Ombudsman, whilst new ones are also published in line with some of the most common queries raised by consumers when bringing their motoring-related disputes to its service.

Bill Fennell, Chief Ombudsman and Managing Director of The Motor Ombudsman, said: “Since its inception five years ago, the Knowledge Base has been a cornerstone of our service that we provide to motorists. Its success and overriding popularity has been driven primarily by having a wealth of relevant and readily-available information at the click of a button that best responds to the needs of those consumers coming to us for assistance. We will be continuing to evolve the resource based on the direction and key developments in the automotive sector, so that it continues to address some of the most talked about subjects.”

To view The Motor Ombudsman’s online Knowledge Base, visit www.TheMotorOmbudsman.org/knowledge-base