Annual percentage rate (APR) is the standardised yearly cost of consumer credit, expressed as a percentage of the amount borrowed and including interest and most compulsory charges. It is used in lending and consumer credit documentation to allow borrowers and advisers to compare the overall cost of different credit products, such as personal loans, credit cards, hire purchase and regulated mortgages.In England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, APR is defined and calculated in accordance with the Consumer Credit Act 1974, the Consumer Credit (Total Charge for Credit) Regulations 2010 and associated FCA rules, with a parallel regime for mortgages (e.g. the APRC under the Mortgage Credit Directive). In Ireland, APR is governed principally by the Consumer Credit Act 1995 and Central Bank regulations.The APR must be disclosed in pre-contract information and credit agreements for regulated consumer credit, using prescribed assumptions and formulae. Not all charges are included (for example, some contingent or optional fees), so practitioners should review the underlying “total charge for credit” calculations and consider whether APR figures are fair, not misleading and compliant with advertising and information disclosure rules.