Can a dealer keep my deposit if finance is declined?

That depends on the written terms and any finance or distance-selling rights that apply. Do not assume either outcome; check what the dealer agreed before paying.

In relation to “Can a dealer keep my deposit if finance is declined?”, a used-car purchase is safest when identity, paperwork, history, condition and seller credibility all agree with each other.

For “Can a dealer keep my deposit if finance is declined?”, write down the amount, what it reserves, the agreed price, any conditions and whether it is refundable. Screenshots of an advert are not a substitute for clear deposit terms.

For “Can a dealer keep my deposit if finance is declined?”, this answer is written for a Northern Ireland user, but some vehicle-registration, consumer-credit and insurance functions operate on a UK-wide basis. The attached sources — GOV.UK - Buy a vehicle: step by step, GOV.UK - Vehicle registration: new and used vehicles, and nidirect - Contact Consumerline — are therefore deliberately mixed where the responsible authority is UK-wide. That is more accurate than forcing every point into an NI-only source.

Practical next step for “Can a dealer keep my deposit if finance is declined?”: do not pay until this point has been independently checked. Save the advert, seller messages and any official or commercial check so you can show exactly what information you relied on.