The Renault Twizy, an innovative electric vehicle (EV) introduced in 2011, 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 investigation uncovered significant issues with
discretionary commission arrangements in motor finance that affected millions of consumers.
How the Renault Twizy was Typically Financed
The Renault Twizy, a compact and environmentally-friendly vehicle, was often purchased using PCP or HP finance agreements. Common terms for these agreements typically ranged from £15,000 to £30,000 over a period of 36 to 48 months. The most frequent lenders providing finance for the Twizy included
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance.
In PCP agreements, buyers often had to make an initial deposit or pay monthly installments followed by a final balloon payment at the end of the contract term. This balloon payment represented the residual value of the vehicle and was usually significantly higher than the remaining monthly payments.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA’s investigation revealed that discretionary commission arrangements in motor finance had led to significant consumer detriment. These arrangements allowed lenders to pay commissions to dealers based on whether a customer took out a finance agreement, potentially leading to sales practices prioritising profit over transparency and fairness for the customer. According to the FCA estimates, 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) during the investigation period (FCA estimate) (FCA, March 2026).2 billion (FCA estimate).
The FCA identified that many customers might have been steered towards more expensive finance options than necessary, leading to higher monthly payments and overall costs.
If you suspect that your Renault Twizy’s finance agreement was affected by the FCA investigation, you can complain directly to your lender for free. Common lenders associated with the Renault Twizy include Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance. These companies should have procedures in place to handle complaints regarding motor finance mis-selling.
You do not need a
claims management company to file a complaint; you can manage this process yourself by contacting your lender’s customer service department or visiting their website for more information on how to proceed with a complaint. The
Financial Ombudsman Service (
FOS) also offers guidance and support in resolving disputes between consumers and financial services providers.
Sources and References
- FCA estimates: 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026), £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026) total detriment, £829 average per eligible agreement loss per consumer (FCA estimate)
- Renault Twizy finance lenders: Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, Santander Consumer Finance
- Relevant dates for FCA investigation period: 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024
- Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)
Based on 375 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Renault Twizy has a pass rate of 79.7%. This is close to the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Twizy performs about average in MOT testing.
The Twizy pass rate is better than the overall Renault average of 74.3%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 9,605 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 79.7%
- MOT failure rate: 20.3%
- Tests analysed: 375 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 9,605 miles
- Renault average pass rate: 74.3%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.