Was your Audi Q3 sold on a
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) or
Hire Purchase (HP) agreement between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024? If so, you may be affected by the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) motor finance investigation. During this period, the Audi Q3 was commonly sold on PCP and HP finance agreements, which have now come under scrutiny due to potential mis-selling practices.
How the Audi Q3 Was Typically Financed
The Audi Q3 is a popular compact SUV that often comes with a price tag ranging from £15,000 to £30,000. When purchasing an Audi Q3 during the period of interest, many buyers opted for Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) or Hire Purchase (HP) agreements provided by lenders such as
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance. These finance arrangements often featured terms ranging from 36 to 48 months.
For PCP contracts, a balloon payment is typically required at the end of the agreement if you choose to buy or part-exchange your Audi Q3 rather than return it. This final payment can be a significant amount and is calculated based on an estimated future value (EV) of the car at the end of the finance term.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The Financial Conduct Authority's investigation into motor finance practices uncovered widespread issues related to
discretionary commission arrangements. These arrangements involved lenders providing incentives to dealers for selling certain types of finance products, which may have led to mis-selling and overcharging customers. As a result, an estimated 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) across various car brands were affected during this period, with total refunds amounting to £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026). The FCA-estimated average per eligible agreement of £829.
How to Check Your Agreement Look for a mention of "Discretionary Commission Arrangement" or "DCA." This term indicates that your lender may have received an additional commission from the dealer when setting up your finance plan. If your agreement was signed between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024, it is particularly important to check for these indicators.
If you suspect that your Audi Q3's finance agreement might have been mis-sold due to discretionary commission arrangements, you can complain directly to your lender without needing a
claims management company. Common lenders associated with the Audi Q3 include Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance.
By contacting these lenders directly, you can request a review of your agreement and seek compensation if appropriate. The
Financial Ombudsman Service (
FOS) is also available to help resolve disputes between you and your lender should negotiations fail. Remember, you do not need a claims management company to handle this process for you. Lenders are required by law to address complaints without charging an upfront fee.
Sources and References
- FCA estimates on the number of agreements affected: (FCA estimate)
- Total refund amounts: (FCA estimate)
- Average per eligible agreement: £829 (FCA, March 2026)
Based on 113,081 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Audi Q3 has a pass rate of 85.6%. This is above the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Q3 performs well in MOT testing.
The Q3 pass rate is in line with the overall Audi average of 83.9%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 67,804 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 85.6%
- MOT failure rate: 14.4%
- Tests analysed: 113,081 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 67,804 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.