Is sold as seen legal in the UK?

Between two private individuals, yes. Consumer protection law applies to traders. A private seller must still describe the car honestly and must have the right to sell it.

Can a dealer sell a car sold as seen?

No. A business selling to a consumer cannot exclude the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Sold as seen on a dealer invoice to a private buyer has no effect.

Can the buyer still come back to me?

Only if you misdescribed the car, hid a known serious fault, or did not have the right to sell it. Faults that appear later on an honestly described used car are the buyer's problem.

Can you sell a car "sold as seen"?

Yes, if you are a private individual selling to another private individual. The phrase is misunderstood in both directions: buyers think it means the seller can say anything, sellers think it means they are untouchable. Neither is true.

What it means

"Sold as seen, tried and tested, without warranty" records that the buyer has looked at the car, driven it, and accepts it in the condition it is in on the day. No promise is made about how long anything will last. If the clutch goes a month later, that is the buyer's problem, not yours. That is the normal position for a used car between two people, and the wording just makes it explicit on paper.

Why it works for private sellers and not for dealers

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives buyers rights against traders: the car must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described, and a trader cannot contract out of that. A private seller is not a trader, so those rights do not arise. If you are a dealer, or you sell cars often enough to look like one, sold as seen does nothing for you. That is why the dealer version of this tool does not use the phrase.

What it does not cover

Misdescription. If you say it has full service history and it does not, or the mileage is not what you said, the buyer can still claim. The law on misrepresentation applies to everyone.
Known serious faults you hid. Knowing the car is a write-off, has outstanding finance, or has a fault that makes it unsafe, and saying nothing, is not protected by sold as seen.
Your right to sell. If the car is not yours to sell, for example because a finance company still owns it, the sale can be unwound regardless of what the receipt says.
Roadworthiness. It is an offence to sell an unroadworthy car for use on the road, private seller or not, unless you make clear it is being sold for spares or repair.

How to write it

Keep it plain. On the receipt, under the details of the car and the price:

This is a private sale between two individuals. The vehicle is sold as seen, tried and tested, without warranty. The seller confirms they are the registered keeper and legal owner, that there is no outstanding finance on the vehicle, and that the mileage shown is correct to the best of their knowledge. The buyer confirms they have inspected and test driven the vehicle and accept it in its current condition.

Both sign, both keep a copy. That last sentence, the buyer confirming they inspected and drove it, is the one that carries the weight. The online receipt includes this wording; so does the printable template.

Questions

Is sold as seen legal?Between private individuals, yes. You must still describe the car honestly and have the right to sell it.

Can a dealer use it?No. A business selling to a consumer cannot exclude the Consumer Rights Act, so the phrase has no effect on a dealer invoice.

Can the buyer still come back?Only for misdescription, a hidden known fault, or a sale you had no right to make. Faults that appear later on an honestly described car are theirs.

What about "spares or repair"?If the car is not roadworthy, say so in writing and sell it as spares or repair. Do not let the buyer drive it away.

Selling privately? The receipt with this wording takes two minutes on your phone. Both sign on the screen.

Make my receipt

This is general information for private sellers in the UK, not legal advice. Unusual sales, finance still owed, write-offs, sales by or to a business, may need advice.