Mis-Sold Car Finance Agreement

Legal advice and assistance for mis-sold car finance agreements
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A mis-sold car finance agreement is one that was not arranged fairly, usually because the commission paid to the dealer was hidden from you when you signed the agreement, the interest rate was quietly inflated, or the finance was never suitable in the first place.

If you are looking at your existing car finance agreement and have reason to believe it was mis-sold, or are unsure as to whether you’ve been unfairly treated, the experts at Stormcatcher are here to help. This page will help you work through your current agreement and understand the options available to you. For a broader overview, our guide to mis-sold car finance explores the current controversy in more detail.

Mis-sold car finance agreements at a glance

What to checkWhether the commission was disclosed, how your interest rate was set and whether your affordability was checked
Key datesAgreements taken out between 6th April 2007 and 1st November 2024 may qualify for compensation
Finance typesPCP and hire purchase (HP) qualify, PCH does not
Where to find itYour lender, the dealer, your credit file or old bank statements
Next stepConfirm whether you are eligible for compensation, then decide whether to get help from an automotive lawyer or complain yourself
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What makes a car finance agreement mis-sold?

A car finance agreement is mis-sold when you were not given the information you needed to make a fair decision when you signed it. The most common cause is undisclosed commission. This is where the dealer earned a payment from the lender for arranging your finance and never told you. In some cases, DCAs (Discretionary Commission Arrangements) were used. This is where the dealer could increase your interest rate to secure higher commissions. This then means that you pay more than you really should. Fortunately, DCAs were banned by the FCA in 2021.

Mis-selling can also involve an undisclosed tie between the dealer and lender, a lack of an affordability check and pressure from the dealer to sign the agreement. Where commission was deliberately concealed, a case can overlap with car finance fraud.

What should I look for in my car finance agreement?

Reviewing your car finance agreement carefully is the best way to identify anything that could indicate mis-selling. You can do this yourself, or if you prefer, ask for help from an experienced car finance lawyer like Stormcatcher.

You should look for the following when checking through your agreement:

  • Any mention of commission, or, just as telling, no mention of commission at all
  • The interest rate (APR). If the rate is unusually high or doesn’t match what you remember, it might be an indication that a DCA was helping to raise it.
  • Who arranged the finance, and whether the dealer had any influence in pushing you towards one lender over another.
  • Any record that your income, outgoings or ability to afford the loan were assessed properly.
  • The date the agreement started and whether it was HP or PCP.

If any of these have you scratching your head or asking questions, it is certainly worth further investigation. Our guide to understanding your rights helps to explain what each of these points means in practice.

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How do I find an old car finance agreement?

If you can no longer locate your car finance agreement, you can still trace it. You are entitled to request a copy from your lender and the dealer who arranged the finance. Your credit file is also available for free, and should show finance arrangements you have held dating back several years. Your bank statements are also useful as they will show your monthly payments from when the agreement started until the most recent payment.

Am I eligible for car finance mis-selling compensation?

You may be eligible for car finance mis-selling compensation if your agreement meets the current FCA criteria.

  • The agreement was taken out between 6th April 2007 and 1st November 2024.
  • Commission was payable to the dealer or broker who arranged it.
  • It was a credit agreement, such as HP or PCP.
  • The finance was for personal use. Business agreements are generally excluded.

Meeting these conditions does not guarantee compensation, but it does mean your agreement is worth reviewing properly. To understand how the redress scheme works and where it currently stands, our earlier-mentioned mis-sold car finance page explores it in more detail.

What Our Customers Are Saying

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Lorraine Ballantine
September 8, 2026
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Exceptional Support During the Most Stressful Consumer Dispute I Have Ever Faced There are very few occasions in life when you genuinely feel that someone has stood beside you through a difficult situation and helped you achieve the right outcome. My experience with Philip Harmer and Antonia at Stormcatcher Law was one of those occasions. I approached Stormcatcher after what had already become an exhausting and highly stressful dispute involving a faulty £82,850 motorhome with a Dealer based in Cannock. By that point, I had spent months dealing with repeated faults, unsuccessful repair attempts, cancelled trips, endless correspondence and increasing frustration. What should have been an exciting purchase had turned into one of the most draining experiences I have ever faced as a consumer. From ourfirst conversation, Philip gave me something I had been missing for a very long time: confidence that somebody was actually listening, understood the situation and had a clear plan for how to deal with it. Throughout the dispute, Philip and Antonia were professional, patient, supportive and wonderfully persistent. No matter how many setbacks occurred, they remained calm and focused. When I felt frustrated, they remained measured. When deadlines were missed and arrangements failed, they kept moving the matter forward. When the process became emotionally draining, they gave me confidence that I was not fighting the battle alone. What impressed me most was the balance they struck between legal expertise and genuine human support. I was never made to feel like just another file. The advice was always clear, practical and honest. Expectations were managed properly and communication was excellent throughout. By the time Stormcatcher became involved, the dispute had generated a huge amount of evidence, correspondence and history. Philip took the time to understand every aspect of it and never lost sight of the key objective: achieving the right outcome. After months of resistance, delays, missed commitments and legal arguments, Stormcatcher ultimately secured repayment of the full £82,850 purchase price and brought a dispute that had lasted almost a year to a successful conclusion. The financial result was obviously important, but what meant even more to me was the sense of relief that came from finally bringing the matter to an end. After living with the stress of the dispute for so long, I cannot adequately describe how grateful I was to have someone in my corner who was prepared to keep going until it was resolved. I would like to personally thank Philip Harmer and Antonia at Stormcatcher Law for their hard work, professionalism, patience and determination. If you are facing a difficult consumer dispute and need solicitors who genuinely care about achieving the right outcome for their client, I would recommend Stormcatcher Law without hesitation. I am incredibly grateful for everything they did for me. They helped me bring a very difficult chapter to a close, and that is something I will never forget. Thank you, Philip and Antonia.
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Dale Tierney
September 6, 2026
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I first spoke to Phil when I was a couple days out from submitting to court, and thankfully I did. Although I possibly could have still won he pointed out a few issues and told me to take the case forward in a different direction a stronger direction (alot stronger) than it originally was. With his and Antonia's advice along the way the case seemed to grow from strength to strength. After months had gone by, I won my case and I am fully paid up. your reassurance and guidance helped me get to this position so thank you. Highly recommend.
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Emma Nott-Macaire
August 26, 2026
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I’ve been dealing with a very stressful and complicated situation with my car and Antonia has been incredibly helpful today. She has been completely transparent, honest and incredibly knowledgeable. She has taken the time to understand the situation, clearly explain my options and give me practical guidance on the next steps, without making me feel pressured or trying to sell me anything. Antonia has been so generous with her time and advice and when you’re already dealing with a stressful and expensive situation, having someone who is genuinely willing to help and give straightforward, impartial advice makes such a difference. Thank you so much, Antonia, for all your help and support so far. It has made a difficult situation feel much more manageable. I would absolutely recommend Stormcatcher Law to anyone who needs honest, knowledgeable and genuinely helpful advice.
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Susan
August 14, 2026
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If your vehicle is not as described or not fit for purpose then I highly recommend you contact Stormcatcher Law. Fees are transparent from the outset (not high) and the service is professional. The initial video call with Philip for a fixed fee was worth its weight in gold to us. For some people I can see that this is all they need. The no-win no-fee alternative company would have cost us thousands more in fees and they don’t have the motivation to get anything more than a basic settlement. Philip must be one of the most experienced people in the field of automotive consumer law. If he thinks you have a case, he uses his clearly extensive knowledge to produce an argument that a dealer will ultimately find impossible to ignore. In our case (against a large motorhome dealer in Newark), Philip wrote numerous letters to the dealer detailing the legal precedents supporting the rejection of our motorhome. We bought our motorhome new in 2025 and the engine failed (oil pump failure) at more than the 6 month window meaning the burden of proof that the fault was existing at time of sale lay with us. As Fiat had agreed the fault was covered by the warranty AND that the repair had not been carried out in ‘a timely manner and without significant inconvenience’ Philip was able to construct a solid legal argument as to why we were entitled to reject the motorhome under the consumer rights act and receive a refund. The motorhome dealer refused to accept our legal grounds for rejection for a number of months but Philip pursued them confidently and consistently ultimately winning for us without the need to actually go before a judge. Even when the initial offer came in, Philip was confident we could achieve more for pecuniary losses and compensation - He doesn’t give up easily. However he respected and supported our decision to take the money and run! Philip was clear to us at the outset that he cannot represent clients in court but I get the impression most of his cases are resolved outside of court. We initially thought our only hope was the Motor Industry Ombudsman but now think they gave us lazy advice and this process would likely take months/years longer to resolve. The legal cover with our motorhome insurance policy couldn’t work out if we had a case or not! This situation had been incredibly stressful for us and had gone on for months before Philip quite literally took the load off us - we cannot thank Philip and Antonia enough. Prior to us engaging Stormcatcher, there was no hope of achieving any resolution. In desperation we had even written a begging letter to ask the dealer to make us an offer to take the broken motorhome off our hands but they declined. Of course the sum we ultimately got was far in excess of what we would have accepted at that point had it been offered. At point of settlement we were towards one year after breakdown and the vehicle is still not repaired due to lack of parts. Our vehicle was based on a Fiat Ducato. It is difficult to convey the gratitude we feel towards Stormcatcher Law. They genuinely seemed to care and wanted us to win. They are absolutely not a faceless legal firm.
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G9
August 7, 2026
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After watching some of Phil's videos on youtube I started the frustrating and downright pisstake that is trying to get a finance unwound on a faulty car. Whilst I have not yet solved this issue, the advice given in the videos was very helpful in getting the process started. I then called in to stormcatcher to get some further advice as I had hit a brick wall with the finance company. Phil took time out to speak with me personally and was very sympathetic, assuring and gave very helpful succinct advice for going forward. Such a kind hearted person. Its not often you find a company with such kind and helpful staff that actually know what they're talking about too! If you need help with car finance issues don't hesitate to contact them. Thanks again Phil, what a godsend.
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Emily White (Emily Lily)
July 30, 2026
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I had to call for some advice regarding the Consumer Rights Act, and I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I had the pleasure of speaking with Antonia, who was incredibly kind, patient, and understanding. As a new mum with a serious case of “baby brain,” I wasn’t explaining everything as clearly as I would have liked, but she never made me feel rushed or silly. She took the time to listen, understood my situation completely, and explained everything in a way that was easy to understand. It’s rare to come across someone who is not only knowledgeable but also genuinely compassionate. Antonia was an absolute credit to the firm, and her warmth made what was a stressful situation so much easier to navigate. I would highly recommend this firm to anyone looking for professional legal advice with a truly human touch. Thank you again, Antonia!
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Hawton House
July 26, 2026
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Antonia and Philip were amazing in helping me deal with my legal issues. I came to them with quite a complex situation regarding Car Finance and my Consumer rights and dealing with my insurance company. They went above and beyond to help me and Philip took the time to explain to me what was happening and why, explaining the process and making sure I understood what needed to be done. I feel like they took the time to understand me and my situation and genuinely wanted to help. My experience was filled with humility, understanding and every thing I was told would be done, was done in a timely manner, I was kept updated throughout the process. I could not recommend Stormcatcher enough!
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Lorna Starr
July 20, 2026
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My son and I are having a nightmare with a second hand dealer in the Uxbridge area. After less than a month and following an inspection it turns out that the Audi A3 we brought need either an engine rebuild or a new engine. We decided to reject the car only to be told that the dealer was not going to accept our rejection for various reasons not least because they believe we tampered with the engine! Apparently Service is tampering as is having the car inspected to work out why it burning oil at a rate of knots! Spoke to Antonia who was very reassuring and offered advice without any hard sell. Hoping the dealer will see sense before we have to go via small claims
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What are my next steps?

If your car finance agreement looks like it might have been mis-sold, you have options. You can go to your lender directly and complain for free. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can escalate your concerns to the Financial Ombudsman Service at no cost. Alternatively, if legal jargon, negotiations, stress and workload are holding you back, speaking to a professional automotive law specialist like Stormcatcher can help. We can review the paperwork ourselves and then lead the negotiations on your behalf.

Our team of specialist car finance experts have genuine motor trade experience and uses this to help settle your claim. Whilst no guarantee of compensation is possible, we work with your best interests at heart, making the entire process as stress-free as possible.

If you have already decided to pursue compensation, our handy guide helps walk you through how to make a mis-sold car finance claim.

For your free, no-obligation chat about your mis-sold car finance agreement, call Stormcatcher today on 0333 7007676 or complete an online enquiry form, and one of our team will be in touch.

Contact Stormcatcher Law for Expert Legal Advice

Mis-sold car finance agreement FAQs

No. Your lender or dealer should hold records of your agreement. Your credit file and bank statements can also help confirm your payments and how long the agreement lasted.

That is a separate question from the potential mis-selling of an agreement. Depending on the agreement, you may be able to exit early, settle the finance or hand the car back through voluntary termination once you have paid enough. These rights exist whether the agreement was mis-sold or not. You can explore car consumer finance in more detail for further help.

Not yet. It has been paused while legal challenges are heard. At this time (mid 2026), you can still register your complaint, but you may not have a resolution until 2027. Our mis-sold car finance page is updated with the current status of the scheme regularly.

Philip Harmer

About Philip Harmer

Philip studied consumer finance during his master’s degree and led the Finance and Insurance division for Mercedes-Benz Retail Group. His deep understanding of compliance processes, combined with Stormcatcher’s FCA authorisation, allows him to advise on HP, PCP, and insurance mis-selling with authority. He has acted against most major finance providers and is known for securing strong outcomes in complex finance disputes.

He regularly advises on car finance complaints, finance-related vehicle defects, and ombudsman referrals.

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