The Mercedes-Benz CLA 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. This period saw millions of motor finance agreements affected by
discretionary commission arrangements that may have led to overcharging consumers.
How the Mercedes-Benz CLA was Typically Financed
The Mercedes-Benz CLA, a compact executive car known for its sleek design and high-quality features, was often financed through PCP or HP agreements during the FCA investigation period. For a typical Mercedes-Benz CLA model, finance amounts ranged from £15,000 to £30,000, with terms typically spanning 36 to 48 months. Common lenders for financing this vehicle included
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance.
PCP agreements often came with a balloon payment at the end of the term, which can be a significant financial burden if not planned for adequately. This type of agreement allows customers to make lower monthly payments by deferring part of the vehicle's cost until the end of the contract. However, this deferred amount, known as the Guaranteed Minimum Future Value (GMFV), must be met either through a lump sum payment or by returning the car.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA launched an investigation into discretionary commission arrangements in motor finance agreements after finding that some lenders had been overcharging customers. These arrangements allowed dealers to receive additional commissions for steering customers towards certain financing options, potentially at higher costs than necessary. As a result of this investigation, it was revealed that 12.1 million eligible agreements were affected (FCA estimate), with the total amount involved estimated at £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026). The FCA-estimated average per eligible agreement: £829.
These findings highlight the importance for consumers to carefully review their finance agreements and understand whether they might have been charged more than necessary due to these arrangements.
How to Check Your Agreement Look for any references to discretionary commissions or additional fees that were not clearly explained at the time of financing. Another key indicator is whether your agreement includes a Debit Card Account (DCA), which is a term used in some agreements to refer to the account through which payments are processed.
The relevant dates for this investigation are from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024, meaning any finance agreement made during this period could be impacted. If you suspect that your agreement may have been affected, it is advisable to review your documents carefully and consider reaching out directly to the lender for clarification.
If you believe your Mercedes-Benz CLA finance agreement was overcharged or mis-sold under the discretionary commission arrangements, you can complain directly to your lender at no cost. Common lenders for financing this vehicle 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 from your finance agreement and any supporting evidence of overcharges or mis-selling. Remember that you do not need a
claims management company to handle your complaint; the process can be managed directly with your lender for free.
Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) estimates on affected agreements: 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026)
- Total amount involved in overcharges: £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026)
- FCA-estimated average per eligible agreement: £829
Based on 375,769 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Mercedes-Benz C has a pass rate of 81.1%. This is close to the national average of 79.6%, meaning the C performs about average in MOT testing.
The C pass rate is in line with the overall Mercedes-Benz average of 82.3%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 86,936 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 81.1%
- MOT failure rate: 18.9%
- Tests analysed: 375,769 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 86,936 miles
- Mercedes-Benz average pass rate: 82.3%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.