The Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa (MIOSA) resolves disputes between consumers and the motor industry, free of charge to the consumer. The contact details below were read from miosa.co.za on 2 September 2026.
Official contact channels
- Telephone: 010 590 8378
- Email: [email protected]
- Complaints: the Submit a Complaint facility on miosa.co.za
- Office hours: Monday to Thursday 08:30 to 16:30, Friday 08:30 to 16:00
Friday closes half an hour earlier – a small thing that catches people who leave a call to the end of the week.
MIOSA publishes no physical or postal address on its contact page. Complaints are lodged through its online facility rather than by post, and it also runs a Register Your Company route for businesses in the industry.
What this regulator handles
MIOSA deals with disputes between consumers and the motor industry – vehicle sales, repairs, servicing and warranties among them. It covers dealers, workshops and other motor industry businesses.
It is an ombud, not a regulator with enforcement powers over your car. It resolves disputes and makes recommendations; it does not license dealers or prosecute. Its service is free to consumers, and using it does not stop you going to court afterwards – but read the terms of any settlement it brokers before accepting.
Take the complaint to the dealer or workshop first. An ombud expects you to have tried to resolve it directly and been unable to – a complaint lodged before that is usually referred back.
Complaints and escalation process
Lodge through the Submit a Complaint facility with the vehicle details, the dealer or workshop name, dates, job card or invoice numbers, and a record of what you have already asked them to do. The paper trail is what an ombud decides on.
Much of what people bring to MIOSA belongs with a different ombud, and it publishes the others on its own contact page:
- Credit Ombud – 0861 662 837, [email protected]. For credit bureau listings, or a dispute with a credit provider, debt counsellor or payment distribution agent
- Consumer Goods and Services Ombud – 086 00 00 272, [email protected]. The compulsory industry scheme under the Consumer Protection Act
- National Financial Ombud Scheme – 0860 800 900, [email protected]. For insurance and banking disputes, including a vehicle insurance claim
One caution when using MIOSA’s page: the ombud email it displays as [email protected] is linked to an older address at osti.co.za, the former short-term insurance ombud that has since been folded into the National Financial Ombud Scheme. Type [email protected] rather than clicking the link.
Sorting the finance from the vehicle decides who helps you. A faulty gearbox is MIOSA. The credit agreement that paid for the car is the National Credit Regulator or the Credit Ombud. A declined insurance claim on the same car is the National Financial Ombud Scheme.
Address and operating information
MIOSA operates by phone, email and its online complaint facility, and publishes no walk-in address. It also publishes case studies, its policies and the relevant law on its site – worth reading before lodging, since the case studies show what it has actually been able to resolve.
Wider consumer complaints outside any ombud scheme go to the National Consumer Commission.
Sources
- miosa.co.za contact us page, read 2 September 2026