FCA publishes motor finance consumer redress schemes

On 30 March 2026, at around 4:45pm, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (the FCA) published a press release, updated its webpage and published Policy Statement 26/3: Motor Finance Consumer Redress Scheme (PS26/3) (covering 584 pages).

But that was not all. The FCA also published (in addition to PS26/3):

Technical Annex 1 (covering 181 pages);

Technical Annex 2 (covering 45 pages);

consumer research survey (covering 46 pages) and a technical report analysing the awareness of the relationship between vehicle dealerships and motor finance companies (covering 41 pages);

– an updated diagnostic report (covering 101 pages);

motor finance redress scheme firm-led communications (covering 42 pages) and a supporting annex (covering 89 pages);

– two factsheets: one for customers invited to join the scheme and another for customers who have complained (each being 2 pages);

analyst briefing slides (covering 25 slides); and

– a transcript of the analyst briefing call (covering 20 pages).

To try and avoid the need to read 1,178 pages, we’ve prepared a handy one-page summary of the key features of the consumer redress schemes (if you click the imagine you should get a bigger version). But the devil is, of course, always in the detail.

If you have any questions, please contact me, Jeanette, Leanna, or Paula, or any of your other usual Walker Morris contacts.

FCA publishes press release on proposed motor finance consumer redress scheme

Earlier today, on 4 March 2026, the UK Financial Conduct Authority published a press release on its proposals to introduce a motor finance consumer redress scheme.

Some key messages are:

– The FCA says that “if we proceed with a scheme, we are likely to make several changes“.

– If a scheme is made, the FCA expects “to publish final rules in late March” and the timing “will be outside market hours and we’ll confirm the date in advance“.  

– The FCA has not yet made any final decisions on any scheme.

– But the FCA proposes to “streamline the consumer journey to make it smoother for firms to operate“. These changes will include:

(a) removing the need to ask customers who have already complained if they want to opt out: instead consumers will be told within 3 months of the end of the implementation period if they’re owed compensation and how much.

(b) consumers receiving redress offers will be able to accept it straight-away; and

(c) firms will not need to communicate by recorded delivery: instead a range of channels will be acceptable to best meet a consumer’s needs while preventing fraud.

– The FCA is likely to introduce “an implementation period of 3 months, with up to 5 months for older agreements“.

– The FCA reminds consumers that there “is no need to use a claims management company (CMC) or law firm“.