The Volkswagen Sharan was commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) investigation period, which ran from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. The FCA found that many car dealerships used
discretionary commission arrangements in these finance deals, leading to potential mis-selling of motor finance agreements.
How the Volkswagen Sharan was Typically Financed
The Volkswagen Sharan, a versatile and spacious MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), was often financed through PCP or HP agreements with typical loan amounts ranging from £15,000 to £30,000. Common lenders for Volkswagen Sharan finance included
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance.
In a Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) agreement, customers would make monthly payments over 36 to 48 months while building up equity in the vehicle. At the end of the term, they had three options: return the car, pay off or refinance the remaining balloon payment, which is a lump sum typically due at the end of the contract.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA investigation uncovered significant issues related to discretionary commission arrangements used by dealerships. These practices potentially led to unfair sales and overcharging for finance products. According to the FCA’s findings, 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026), with a total of £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026) in mis-sold finance (FCA estimate). The average amount lost per customer was estimated at £829 (FCA estimate).
How to Check Your Agreement Look for evidence of discretionary commission arrangements or any indication that you may not have received a fair deal on your finance agreement.
Key factors to look out for include:
- The date range: agreements signed between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024.
- Any mention of "discretionary commission" (DCA) in the paperwork. DCA refers to payments made by lenders to dealers based on sales performance, which could have influenced pricing.
If you suspect that your Volkswagen Sharan finance agreement was mis-sold or unfairly arranged due to discretionary commission practices, you can complain directly to the lender without needing a
claims management company. Common lenders for Volkswagen Sharan finance include Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance.
When making your complaint, provide detailed information about any discrepancies or unfair terms in your agreement. Document all correspondence with your lender and keep records of any phone calls or meetings. Your lender is required to respond within a set timeframe (typically 8 weeks) as per the
Financial Ombudsman Service (
FOS) guidelines.
You do not need a claims management company; you can handle the process directly for free. If you are unsatisfied with your lender’s response, you may escalate your complaint to the FOS for further review.
Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (2024)
- Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) guidelines
Based on 32,835 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Volkswagen Sharan has a pass rate of 83.0%. This is above the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Sharan performs well in MOT testing.
The Sharan pass rate is better than the overall Volkswagen average of 80.1%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 103,664 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 83.0%
- MOT failure rate: 17.0%
- Tests analysed: 32,835 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 103,664 miles
- Volkswagen average pass rate: 80.1%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.