The Fiat Tipo Cross was commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) investigation period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. During this time, millions of car buyers across the UK may have been affected by motor finance mis-selling practices.
How the Fiat Tipo Cross was Typically Financed
The Fiat Tipo Cross was often financed through PCP agreements with terms ranging from £15,000 to £30,000 over periods of 36 to 48 months. Common lenders who provided financing for this model included
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance.
In a typical PCP agreement for the Fiat Tipo Cross, borrowers would make monthly payments while retaining ownership of the car until the end of the contract. At the conclusion of the term, customers had three options: return the vehicle, purchase it at its estimated residual value (also known as the balloon payment), or extend their financing period.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA's investigation into motor finance practices revealed significant issues with
discretionary commission arrangements between lenders and car dealerships. These arrangements allowed dealers to receive additional commissions based on the type of finance agreement chosen by customers, often leading to an overemphasis on more expensive options like PCP rather than potentially cheaper alternatives such as HP.
According to the FCA, 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) during the investigation period (FCA estimate). The total value of these mis-sold agreements amounted to £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026), with the average customer losing out by around £829 (FCA estimate).
How to Check Your Agreement Review the Date: Ensure that your finance agreement falls within the FCA investigation period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024.
2.
Identify DCA (Discretionary Commission Arrangement): Look for any mention of a discretionary commission arrangement in your contract documentation. This term is often abbreviated as "DCA" and indicates that the dealer may have received additional commissions based on the type of finance agreement you selected.
3.
Compare with Other Options: Assess whether your chosen financing option was more expensive than other available alternatives at the time, such as HP or cash purchase.
If you suspect that your Fiat Tipo Cross finance agreement was mis-sold due to a DCA arrangement, you can complain directly to your lender without needing to involve a
claims management company. Common lenders for this model include:
- Black Horse
- Barclays Partner Finance
- Close Brothers Motor Finance
- MotoNovo Finance
- Santander Consumer Finance
When contacting these lenders, provide them with the relevant details from your finance agreement and any evidence that supports your claim. Remember to check if they have a specific procedure for handling complaints related to DCA arrangements.
You do not need a claims management company to handle your complaint; you can deal directly with your lender at no cost.
Sources and References
- FCA estimate: 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) (FCA, 2024)
- Total value of affected agreements: £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026) (FCA, 2024)
- Average customer loss: £829 (FCA, 2024)
Based on 12,889 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Fiat Tipo has a pass rate of 80.7%. This is close to the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Tipo performs about average in MOT testing.
The Tipo pass rate is better than the overall Fiat average of 77.2%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 53,458 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 80.7%
- MOT failure rate: 19.3%
- Tests analysed: 12,889 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 53,458 miles
- Fiat average pass rate: 77.2%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.