A guaranteed floor under your car's value
Before you drive away we agree the minimum we'll pay to buy your car back, and it goes in your paperwork. Bring it back any time in the next 5 years and that money is yours.
Nobody knows what a used car will be worth in three years. That's the part that makes buying one feel like a gamble.
So we take it off the table. On the day you buy, we write down the least we'll pay to take the car back off you, and we stand by it for 5 years. If prices drop, your number stays where it is.
If prices go the other way, nothing stops you selling the car for what it's actually worth. The guaranteed minimum is there as a safety net, and you only use it if you want to.
The word that does the work is minimum
If it's worth more, that's yours
Your guaranteed minimum sets the bottom of the range. It doesn't set the top. If the car is worth more than that when you're ready to move on, sell it privately or trade it wherever you get the best price for it. We're not holding you to the lower number.
If it's worth less, you're covered
A new model comes out, the market cools off, something shifts. Your number was agreed on day one and written into your paperwork, so none of that moves it.
You're not locked into anything
Bringing the car back is entirely up to you. You haven't signed up to sell it to us and you never have to. Keep it for ten years if that's what suits. The guarantee just sits there until you use it or until it runs out.
So there's no confusion: what we guarantee is a minimum amount of money. It isn't a valuation of your car and it isn't a prediction of what your car will be worth. What the car is worth on any given day is whatever the market says it is. On the day, you take whichever number suits you better.
How it works
Buy your car
We agree the guaranteed minimum before you sign anything and it goes into your paperwork. You know the number before you drive away.
Drive it
It's your car, so use it. Keep it under 15,000 km a year, get it serviced on time and look after it.
Decide later
Any time in the next 5 years you can bring it back for the guaranteed minimum. Or take a better offer if one is going. Or just keep driving it.
The guaranteed minimum, year by year
It's a share of what you paid for the car and it depends on how long you've had it. The dollar figures are worked out on a $30,000 car.
| Bring it back in | You get at least | On a $30,000 car |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1Within 12 months | 65.63% | $19,689 |
| Year 212 to 24 months | 56.25% | $16,875 |
| Year 324 to 36 months | 46.88% | $14,064 |
| Year 436 to 48 months | 37.50% | $11,250 |
| Year 548 to 60 months | 28.13% | $8,439 |
| After 5 years60 months+ | The guarantee is finished. We'll still happily make you an offer, it's just at market value like any other trade-in. | |
Percentages apply to the purchase price of the car only. On-road costs aren't included, meaning registration, transfer fees, stamp duty, insurance, finance costs and other government or third-party charges. The ladder assumes no more than 15,000 km a year, and extra kilometres are charged at 25c each. The model follows Australian Taxation Office depreciation guidelines.
What you need to do
Six things, and none of them should surprise you. They're there so the car that comes back is the car we guaranteed.
Come back within 5 years
The guarantee runs 60 months from the day you bought the car. After that it's finished. We'll still make you an offer on the car, it just won't be a guaranteed one.
Keep it under 15,000 km a year
Go over and the guarantee still stands, you just pay 25c for every extra kilometre. Three years in that's 45,000 km to play with.
Service it on time
Stick to the manufacturer's schedule, use approved parts and fluids, and keep the logbook and receipts with the car.
Keep it in good nick
Normal wear from normal driving is fine and we expect to see it. Damage from neglect, crashes or bad repairs is a different thing.
Own it outright when you hand it back
Any finance owing has to be paid off. The buyback money goes towards that first, and whatever's left is yours.
It's yours, and only yours
The guarantee is tied to you and that car's VIN. Sell the car to someone else and the buyback doesn't go with it.
What counts as normal wear and tear
Cars get used, and we expect one to come back looking like it has been. This is roughly where the line sits between a car that's been driven and one that's been neglected. Your car's age and kilometres get taken into account either way.
Paint & body
- All good
- Small stone chips
- Light scratches up to 25 mm that haven't gone through to bare metal
- Small dents where the paint is still intact
- Minor touch-ups
- Needs sorting
- Dents over 20 mm, or several dents on one panel
- Scratches over 25 mm, or deep gouges
- Rust, hail damage, or panels bent out of shape
- Bad repairs or paint that doesn't match
- Damage from bird or tree droppings left to eat into the paint
Bumpers, mouldings & trim
- All good
- Everyday scuffs and light score marks, where nothing is cracked or bent
- Needs sorting
- Cracks, holes or gouges
- Big dents or anything bent out of shape
- Missing bumpers, grilles, mouldings or mudflaps
Glass & lights
- All good
- One or two small chips outside your line of sight
- Light marks around the edge of the windscreen
- Chips that have been professionally repaired and are still roadworthy
- Needs sorting
- Cracks or large chips
- Any damage in the driver's line of sight
- Headlights or lenses that are broken or don't work
Inside the car
- All good
- Normal wear and light dirt from everyday use
- Light scuffs on doors, sills and the boot
- Repairs done properly that you can't really notice
- Needs sorting
- Burns, tears, holes, cuts or stains that won't come out
- Split or torn trim, carpet or roof lining
- Damaged seats, controls, seals or fittings
- Missing controls, or holes left behind after taking accessories out
Wheels & tyres
- All good
- All wheel trims there and in one piece, with light scuffing from normal use
- Needs sorting
- Bent or damaged wheels and rims
- Tyres that wouldn't pass a roadworthy
- Kerb damage to the sidewall or tread
- Mismatched tyres or wheel trims
- Missing or damaged spare, jack or mudflaps, if the car came with them
Underneath
- All good
- Small stone dents with no serious corrosion
- Exhaust securely mounted and working properly
- A light film of oil around a seal, with nothing actually dripping
- Needs sorting
- A bent chassis or major impact damage
- Oil that's actively leaking
- A damaged exhaust
- Poor-quality repairs
Badges & stickers
- All good
- Factory badges and labels still on the car
- Needs sorting
- Missing badges
- Painted-on advertising
- Fading, damage or holes left by stickers and accessories
Servicing, keys & gear
- All good
- Serviced to the manufacturer's schedule with approved parts and fluids
- Full set of keys and fobs, all working
- Service history, warranty info and manuals with the car
- Needs sorting
- Missed services or obvious neglect
- Serious brake, engine, clutch or gearbox damage from misuse
- Missing keys, or a factory security system that's been tampered with
If something lands on the wrong side of the line we'll point it out, and you can get it repaired properly before we finish the assessment. If it doesn't get fixed, the guaranteed minimum can be adjusted to cover it.
Before you bring it back
Run through this and the handover takes minutes.
- It's clean enough for us to inspect properly
- Servicing is up to date and you've got the records
- All keys and security fobs are there and working
- Original gear, tools, spare wheel and jack, if it came with them
- Tyres are roadworthy and the wheels aren't damaged
- Glass and lights are all intact and working
- No burns, tears, permanent stains or missing controls inside
- No major scratches, dents, hail damage, rust or bad repairs
- Nothing underneath showing neglect, leaks or big impact damage
- Stickers and non-standard accessories removed, and any damage properly repaired
- Your personal info wiped from the nav and infotainment
Want the guaranteed minimum on your next car?
Tell us what you're after and we'll run you through the numbers on it.
Questions we get asked
What if my car ends up worth more than the guaranteed minimum?
Then you're in front. Sell it privately, trade it in wherever you get the best price, or bring it to us and we'll talk about what it's worth on the day. The guarantee only sets the bottom of the range. It doesn't tie you to selling it back to us.
So what exactly is guaranteed?
The minimum amount, and that's it. If the car meets the conditions and comes back inside the window, you get at least that figure no matter what the market has done in the meantime. It isn't a valuation of your car and it isn't a prediction of what your car will be worth.
What if I still owe money on the car?
That's fine, it just gets sorted at the same time. The buyback money pays off your finance first and anything left over comes to you. If you owe more than the buyback is worth, you cover the difference so the car can be handed over with clear title.
Is the minimum based on what I actually paid?
It's based on the price of the car itself. On-road costs sit outside it, so rego, transfer fees, stamp duty, insurance and finance costs don't count towards the figure.
I want to add wheels and a sound system. Can I?
It's your car, so go for it. Just know that extras never add anything to the guaranteed minimum, whatever they cost you. We may also ask you to take them off and put the car back to standard before we buy it back, and we can decline a heavily modified car.
What happens if I go over 15,000 km a year?
Nothing dramatic. The guarantee still stands, you just pay 25c for each kilometre over. If you've done 20,000 km more than your allowance, that's $5,000.
Can I pass it on to whoever buys the car off me?
No. The guarantee is attached to you as the owner and to that specific VIN. If the car is transferred to someone else, the buyback ends.
What if you reckon the car isn't up to standard?
We'll tell you exactly what needs doing and you get the chance to have it repaired properly before the assessment is finalised. If it doesn't get fixed, the guaranteed minimum can be adjusted to cover it.
Does this replace my normal consumer rights?
No. The Guaranteed Minimum Buyback sits on top of them. Your rights under Australian Consumer Law apply exactly as they always would.
Know your number before you buy
Have a look through the range, then talk to us about putting a guaranteed minimum on whichever car you like.
This page is a plain-English summary. The Guaranteed Minimum Buyback applies only to eligible vehicles and is governed by the full Guaranteed Minimum Buyback Terms & Conditions and the buyback details recorded on your vehicle purchase documentation. Where this summary and those terms differ, the terms apply. The guaranteed minimum is a minimum buyback amount only. It is not a valuation, a guarantee of resale value, or an offer to purchase at market value. The Guaranteed Minimum Buyback is an additional benefit and does not limit your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.