The Alfa Romeo MiTo was a popular car model that many consumers chose to finance through
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) or
Hire Purchase (HP) agreements. During the period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024, it became evident that some dealerships were selling these vehicles under potentially misleading financial terms, leading to a widespread investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). How can you determine if your Alfa Romeo MiTo finance agreement is one of those affected?
How the Alfa Romeo MiTo was Typically Financed
The Alfa Romeo MiTo was commonly financed through PCP and HP agreements with typical amounts ranging from £15,000 to £30,000. Many lenders such as
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance offered financing options for this model. Under a typical PCP agreement, the borrower would make monthly payments over 36 to 48 months with an optional balloon payment at the end of the term.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA launched an investigation into motor finance sales practices from 2017 onwards due to concerns about
discretionary commission arrangements. These arrangements often led to lenders paying higher commissions for customers who chose PCP deals, potentially incentivising dealers to push these products even when they might not be the best financial option for consumers.
During this period, 12.1 million eligible agreements were affected by such practices (FCA estimate), resulting in an estimated £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026) in mis-selling costs across the UK market (FCA estimate). The average customer overpaid by about £829 on their finance agreement due to these issues (FCA estimate).
How to Check Your Agreement First, check the date when you signed the contract. The FCA investigation covered agreements made between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024. if your agreement contains a clause mentioning "Discretionary Commission Arrangements" (DCA), it may have been influenced by the practices under scrutiny.
If you suspect that your Alfa Romeo MiTo finance agreement was mis-sold due to DCA, you can complain directly to your lender without needing a
claims management company. Common lenders like Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance all have dedicated customer service teams or complaint handling processes.
Here’s how to proceed step-by-step:
1.
Gather Your Documents: Collect any relevant paperwork related to your finance agreement, including your contract, payment receipts, and correspondence with the lender.
2.
Contact Your Lender: Reach out to your lender's customer service department via phone or email. Provide them with your concerns and request a review of your case based on the FCA investigation findings.
3.
Follow Up: If you do not receive a response within 8 weeks, escalate your complaint by writing to their complaints handling team.
You can complain directly to your lender for free without any need to involve claims management companies (FCA estimate).
Sources and References
Based on 21,326 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Alfa Romeo Mito has a pass rate of 73.4%. This is below the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Mito has a higher-than-average failure rate in MOT testing.
The Mito pass rate is slightly below the overall Alfa Romeo average of 76.9%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 76,821 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 73.4%
- MOT failure rate: 26.6%
- Tests analysed: 21,326 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 76,821 miles
- Alfa Romeo average pass rate: 76.9%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.