The Audi Q7 was commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the FCA investigation period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. These agreements were often facilitated by
discretionary commission arrangements between dealerships and lenders, which have since been scrutinised for potential mis-selling practices.
How the Audi Q7 was Typically Financed
Audi Q7 buyers frequently financed their purchases through PCP or HP agreements ranging from £15,000 to £30,000. Common finance providers included
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance. Under these arrangements, customers typically paid monthly instalments over a term of 36 to 48 months with a balloon payment or option to purchase the vehicle at the end of the contract.
Balloon payments, which are large final payments due at the end of a PCP agreement, can be significant and may require buyers to take out another finance deal if they want to keep the car. These agreements were often structured in such a way that dealers received commissions from lenders for each financed sale, leading to potential conflicts of interest.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched an investigation into motor finance practices during the period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. The inquiry focused on discretionary commission arrangements, which were found to have affected 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026). These agreements involved a total of £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026) in mis-sold motor finance products (FCA estimate), with the average mis-selling cost per agreement estimated at £829 (FCA estimate).
The investigation uncovered that dealers often prioritised sales over customer needs, leading to buyers being sold inappropriate or unnecessary financial products. This resulted in many consumers paying more than they should have for their Audi Q7s and facing difficulties in managing their finances.
How to Check Your Agreement Look for phrases such as "DCA" (Discretionary Commission Arrangement) or similar terminology that indicates a commission was paid to the dealership based on the type of financing chosen.
Relevant dates are crucial; agreements made between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024 fall within the scope of the investigation. If your agreement fits these criteria, it is possible that you were sold an inappropriate finance product under a DCA arrangement.
If you suspect that your Audi Q7 was financed through a mis-sold agreement, you can complain directly to your lender without needing to involve a
claims management company. Common lenders for Audi Q7s include Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance.
When making a complaint, ensure that you provide detailed information about the issue, including any evidence of mis-selling such as emails or letters from your lender. Your lender is required to investigate your complaint thoroughly and respond within a reasonable timeframe, often 8 weeks for complex cases.
You do not need a claims management company to file a complaint; contacting the lender directly can be more straightforward and less costly. If you are unsatisfied with their response, you have the right to escalate your case to the
Financial Ombudsman Service (
FOS) free of charge.
Sources and References
- FCA, 2024
- Financial Conduct Authority investigation into motor finance practices, 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024
Based on 45,799 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Audi Q7 has a pass rate of 85.3%. This is above the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Q7 performs well in MOT testing.
The Q7 pass rate is in line with the overall Audi average of 83.9%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 90,974 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 85.3%
- MOT failure rate: 14.7%
- Tests analysed: 45,799 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 90,974 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.