The Audi A4 was commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024, which falls under the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) motor finance mis-selling investigation. This investigation has revealed significant issues with
discretionary commission arrangements that affected millions of car owners across the UK.
How the Audi A4 was Typically Financed
The Audi A4 is a popular mid-size luxury car that was often purchased through PCP and HP agreements during the FCA's investigation period. Typical finance amounts for an Audi A4 ranged from £15,000 to £30,000, with loan terms usually spanning 36 to 48 months. Common lenders who provided financing for the Audi A4 included
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance.
For PCP agreements, a balloon payment is typically required at the end of the finance term if the customer wishes to own the car outright. This final payment can often be quite substantial, ranging from £3,000 to £6,000 for an Audi A4 with a typical 36-month agreement.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA's investigation into motor finance mis-selling uncovered widespread issues related to discretionary commission arrangements. These commissions were paid by car manufacturers and dealerships to lenders based on the volume of loans they originated, rather than on the quality or suitability of those loans for customers. As a result, many consumers entered into finance agreements that did not meet their financial needs, leading to overpayment and potential difficulties in meeting monthly obligations.
The FCA estimates that 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) by these practices (FCA estimate), with total mis-sold amounts estimated at £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026). On average, each affected agreement involved an overcharge of approximately £829 (FCA estimate).
How to Check Your Agreement First, review your loan documentation to see if it includes terms indicating that it may have been influenced by discretionary commission arrangements. Look for phrases like "DCA" (Discretionary Commission Arrangement) or similar language.
check the date of your finance agreement. If it was signed between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024, there is a possibility that it may have been affected by these practices. You should also look for any evidence suggesting that the lender received commissions from car manufacturers or dealerships based on loan volume rather than customer benefit.
If you believe your Audi A4 finance agreement was mis-sold, you can complain directly to your lender without needing a
claims management company. Common lenders who provided financing for the Audi A4 include Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance.
When contacting your lender, provide them with all relevant documentation and clearly explain why you believe your finance agreement was mis-sold. You do not need a claims management company to handle this process for you; many lenders have dedicated teams ready to address customer complaints related to motor finance mis-selling issues.
You can complain directly to your lender for free by following their specific complaint procedures, which are typically available on their websites or through customer service contacts. If your lender does not resolve the issue satisfactorily, you may escalate your complaint to the
Financial Ombudsman Service (
FOS) for further review and resolution.
Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). "Motor Finance Mis-selling Investigation." FCA, 2024.
- Office for National Statistics (ONS). Census Data. 2021.
Based on 238,269 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Audi A4 has a pass rate of 80.1%. This is close to the national average of 79.6%, meaning the A4 performs about average in MOT testing.
The A4 pass rate is slightly below the overall Audi average of 83.9%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 107,486 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 80.1%
- MOT failure rate: 19.9%
- Tests analysed: 238,269 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 107,486 miles
- Audi average pass rate: 83.9%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.