Car Finance Claim Checker

This car finance claim checker is five yes-or-no questions you answer from your own paperwork to see whether an agreement falls inside the FCA scheme.

Estimate my agreement

The free route: you can complain to your lender yourself, and the FCA says you do not need a claims company or a law firm to take part in its scheme. Find your lender on the FCA's list.

Your agreement

Results update automatically as you type

1About the agreement

Month and year is enough. It is on your agreement or your credit file. We use the 1st of the month and show that.

The title of your agreement says which type it is.

Any motor vehicle counts. Your answer does not change the figure.

Whose name was the agreement in? *

The scheme covers people, sole traders and small partnerships. It does not cover companies.

Did you live in the UK when you took out the finance? *

A complaint that is still open does not count.

Your answer does not change the figure. We use it to point you to that lender's free complaint route.

2The figures

£

Do not count your deposit. The FCA's rules call this the "total amount of credit".

%

The annual percentage rate on your agreement, for example 9.9. Tick "I do not know my APR" if you do not have it.

Count the monthly payments, for example 48. Leave it blank and we use 48 months, the default in the FCA's rules.

3Commission and extras

£

Most people do not know this, because your lender holds the figure. Leave it blank and we show a range.

Could the dealer choose your interest rate, and earn more commission for a higher rate?

This is a discretionary commission arrangement. We assume there was one when you are not sure. Your lender decides.

%

Only your lender knows this. Leave it blank if you do not know.

Did the dealer have to offer this lender's finance first, or only this lender's finance?

This is a tie. We do not assume one when you are not sure. A tie with a car maker's own finance company does not count where the dealer was a franchised dealer with the same branding.

  1. 1
    Did you take the finance out between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024?
  2. 2
    Was it PCP, HP or conditional sale on a motor vehicle, not a lease?
  3. 3
    Was the APR above 0%?
  4. 4
    Did a dealer or broker arrange the finance?
  5. 5
    Is it unresolved, with no compensation accepted and no Ombudsman or court decision?

Five yes answers mean the agreement passes the FCA scheme's main scope tests. Whether compensation is due turns on the commission, which only the lender's records show.

Scheme status as of 13 October 2026: the FCA scheme rules (PS26/3) are in force but partly suspended by the Upper Tribunal since 1 July 2026. The legal challenges are listed for 16 to 26 February 2027. Until the case ends, lenders do not have to calculate or pay compensation (redress), and no payments are expected before 2027.

Where to find your agreements

This page searches nothing. You find agreements yourself in four places:

  • old bank statements;
  • the dealer that sold you the vehicle;
  • your credit file: Equifax's Car Finance Checker app holds most car finance records back to 2007, and Experian and TransUnion show your file for free (FCA);
  • the lender's own records, through a subject access request (the ICO says organisations normally reply within one month).

A dealer or broker that receives a scheme complaint must forward it to the lender and tell you (CONRED 5.1.9R).

What the checklist cannot tell you

Three FCA size rules remove agreements: business-purpose loans over £25,000, any loan over £25,000 before 6 April 2008, and loans above the FCA's yearly high value limit. The checklist also cannot see the commission.

After the check

  • Five yes answers: run the figures through our car finance claim calculator, then complain to the lender.
  • An unsure answer: ask the lender, which holds the records.
  • A no to questions 1 to 3: the scheme pays nothing, though a normal complaint to the lender stays open.

Questions about checking a claim

Does this check touch my credit file?

No. The page runs no search and records nothing.

Do I need a claims company to check eligibility?

No. The FCA says no claims company is needed to find out whether you are eligible.

What does the calculator ask for?

Start date, loan amount, APR and length of the deal. Commission is usually unknown, so the result shows a range. HP borrowers can start at HP finance claim.

Estimate an agreement

Checking and complaining are both free, and the FCA scheme needs no claims company.

Written and checked by

Tirion Oman

Motor Finance Claims Specialist

Claims manager with 10+ years in UK car finance

Checked against PS26/3 and CONRED 5 and 6. About the author

Published:
Updated:
Rules version: PS26/3, 30 March 2026