The Skoda Karoq, a versatile compact SUV, 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. The FCA’s probe revealed significant issues with
discretionary commission arrangements in motor finance, affecting millions of consumers who financed their vehicles through these methods.
## How the Skoda Karoq was Typically Financed
The Skoda Karoq was often financed via PCP agreements for a term ranging from 36 to 48 months. Typical financing amounts ranged between £15,000 and £30,000, with some consumers opting for higher loan values depending on their needs and preferences. Common finance lenders that provided funding for Skoda Karoq purchases included
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance.
PCP agreements often featured a balloon payment or guaranteed future value (GFV) at the end of the term. This GFV represents an estimate of what the vehicle is expected to be worth when the agreement ends. If consumers chose not to purchase the car outright with their final payment, they would need to either return the vehicle or enter into another finance arrangement.
## The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA investigation uncovered that many motor finance agreements were sold using discretionary commission arrangements where lenders and dealers could earn additional payments based on how much a consumer financed. This practice led to consumers being pushed towards more expensive financing options, potentially increasing their costs significantly. According to the FCA's estimates, 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) by these practices across the UK (FCA estimate), resulting in an estimated total cost of £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026) to consumers, with an average impact of £829 per agreement (FCA estimate).
## How to Check Your Agreement Look for any mention of "Discretionary
Commission Arrangement" (DCA) or similar terms that indicate the presence of incentives based on financing amounts rather than just the sale price of the vehicle.
Relevant dates to consider include whether your agreement was signed between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024. check if the finance company included in your contract is one of those commonly associated with Skoda dealerships-such as Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, or Santander Consumer Finance.
## How to
Complain Directly to Your Lender for Free
If you believe that your Skoda Karoq finance agreement was mis-sold due to a discretionary commission arrangement, you have the right to complain directly to your lender without needing to use a
claims management company. Common lenders such as Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance all offer free complaint processes that allow consumers to seek redress independently.
You do not need a claims management company to handle your complaint; you can initiate the process yourself by contacting your lender's customer service department. They will guide you through the necessary steps to resolve any issues related to mis-selling or unfair practices in your finance agreement.
## Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) estimates for motor finance agreements affected, total cost impact, and average consumer costs.
- Office for National Statistics Census Data (ONS Census 2021)
- Various lender websites for common Skoda finance providers.
Based on 43,084 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Skoda Karoq has a pass rate of 92.1%. This is above the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Karoq performs well in MOT testing.
The Karoq pass rate is better than the overall Skoda average of 82.9%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 37,137 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 92.1%
- MOT failure rate: 7.9%
- Tests analysed: 43,084 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 37,137 miles
- Skoda average pass rate: 82.9%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.