What will change?
For vehicle sales from 31 July 2026 onwards, the following is expected to apply:
If a consumer (private buyer) has a defect repaired by you as the selling dealer within the Legal Guarantee, the Legal Guarantee will be extended once by 12 months.
This means:
- New cars: instead of 2 years, the Legal Guarantee period for the entire vehicle will then be 3 years in total.
- Used cars (if you have entered into a separate agreement with the buyer regarding the reduction of the Legal Guarantee period to one year): instead of 1 year, the Legal Guarantee period for the entire vehicle will then be 2 years in total.
What does this mean for your partnership with Real Garant?
In principle, Legal Guarantee rights and Commercial Guarantees (the Real Garant Warranty) must be distinguished from one another, as they cover different types of damage.
As a result of the extension of the Legal Guarantee period, your customer may therefore be doubly protected during these additional 12 months:
On the one hand, through the Legal Guarantee extension resulting from a repair, and on the other hand, through a Commercial Warranty offered by you.
We are currently working on adapting our products accordingly and will inform you as soon as we have made the necessary adjustments.
However, as the selling dealer, you have the option of contractually excluding the extension of the Legal Guarantee period under certain conditions.
Protection Plus - our solution
With our Protection Plus, we already offer an insurance product that protects retailers against the costs of rectifying defects under the Legal Guarantee.
We are currently assessing whether extending this cover is sensible and feasible, and what changes this might entail for you.
As soon as concrete decisions have been made on this matter, we will inform you in good time.
This information does not constitute legal advice, but is intended solely for general guidance. It is based on the current understanding of the forthcoming EU regulations, makes no claim to completeness and is no substitute for individual legal advice. For binding information, please consult a qualified legal adviser.
