Car finance complaints deadline extended

Car finance firms have been handed an extension to deal with complaints about the way car loans were sold to customers.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said lenders now have until 4 December 2025 to deal with complaints about commission arrangements.

The extension comes after the court of appeal ruled it unlawful for car dealers to accept commission from lenders without telling customers and getting their consent.

What is the mis-sold car finance scandal?

The mis-sold finance scandal is expected to be the biggest since the £50bn payment protection insurance (PPI) saga in the 2010s.

The FCA launched a review in January this year investigating mis-sold discretionary commission arrangements (DCAs) – when dealers had an agreement with lenders to adjust the interest rates offered to customers.

This led to dealers receiving more commission for higher interest rates without telling buyers.

Firms had already been given until 4 December 2025 to deal with any DCA complaints.

Other commission complaints

The complaints deadline has now been extended to cover other types of commission arrangements (non-DCAs), including motor leasing.

The FCA says that even though the court’s ruling didn’t include leasing, it’s important “similar products for similar purposes are treated in the same way”.

The extension has been granted because the FCA expects finance providers to receive lots of complaints after the court of appeal ruling.

What else should I know?

In short: if you’re concerned you might have paid too much for your car finance because you weren’t told about commission, you can complain.

Drivers can refer a non-DCA complaint to the financial ombudsman by the later date of:

• 29 July 2026
• 15 months after the date on their final response letter to (instead of the usual six months)

How to complain

Follow these steps to complain about your car finance; it’s free to do and you might get some money back.

1. Reach out to your lender or broker

Explain why you’re complaining about the commission on your car finance.

Provide as much detail as possible to help them locate your loan, such as:

• your name
• policy number
• date of the agreement
• vehicle registration number
• address when you signed the agreement

If you can’t remember who your provider was, check your credit file. You might find them listed there.

2. Wait for a reply

You should get an acknowledgement of your complaint after sending it. However, you probably won’t get a final response until after 4 December 2025.

3. Go to the financial ombudsman service

Contact the financial ombudsman by the date in your provider's final response letter. If you miss this date, they may not be able to help.

If you received a final response during these periods:

• for a DCA complaint: between 12 July 2023 and 20 June 2024
• for any motor finance commission complaint: between 21 June 2024 and 29 January 2026

You have until the later date of 29 July 2026 or 15 months from when the final response letter was sent to escalate your complaint to the financial ombudsman.

If you have a new timeframe to take your complaint further, your provider will inform you.

If you’ve already complained about a DCA

If you received a final response but are not satisfied, you can take your complaint to the financial ombudsman.

If you’ve already approached the ombudsman, get in touch with them for guidance on what to do next.