Ford cars were commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) investigation period, which ran from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. The FCA discovered that many of these financing arrangements involved
discretionary commission payments made by lenders to car dealerships, potentially influencing how these financial products were sold to customers.
How Ford Cars Were Financed
Ford cars are frequently financed through various lenders, including
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance. These lenders commonly offered PCP and HP finance agreements for new and used vehicles. Under a typical PCP agreement, customers make monthly payments over an agreed period (usually 24 to 60 months) with the option to return the vehicle at the end of the contract or pay a final balloon payment to own it outright.
Hire Purchase agreements, on the other hand, require full repayment within a fixed term without any buy-back options. Both types of finance often included interest rates and additional fees such as arrangement fees and early settlement charges.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA's investigation into motor finance highlighted that many agreements were sold with discretionary commission arrangements between lenders and car dealerships. These commissions could have incentivised dealers to push certain financial products over others, potentially leading to inappropriate sales practices. As a result of this investigation, the FCA estimated that 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) across the UK automotive market may have been affected by such commission arrangements.
The total value of these potentially mis-sold finance agreements was approximately £7.5 billion (FCA estimate), with an FCA-estimated average of £829 per eligible agreement. This investigation underscored significant concerns over how finance products were marketed and sold to consumers, particularly for Ford cars and other brands.
How to Check Your Agreement The relevant period spans from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. scrutinise any documentation provided at the time of purchase for signs of discretionary commissions or improper sales practices by your dealership.
If you suspect that your agreement might have been influenced by such arrangements, it is advisable to gather all relevant paperwork and contact your lender directly to inquire about the terms and conditions under which your finance agreement was established. Lenders may be able to provide specific details about any commission payments made to dealerships during this period.
Common lenders for Ford cars include Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance. If you believe your finance agreement was mis-sold or affected by improper sales practices, you can complain directly to the lender without incurring any costs.
When contacting your lender, clearly outline your concerns and request a review of your case based on the FCA investigation findings. You do not need a
claims management company; lenders are required to handle such complaints internally at no cost to you. Ensure that all communications with the lender are documented, including emails, letters, and phone calls.
Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). "Motor Finance: Discretionary Commission Arrangements." [Accessed 2024].
- Office for National Statistics (ONS) Census 2021.
FCA Compensation: FCA Scheme Figures
The FCA confirmed on 30 March 2026 that 12.1 million motor finance agreements are covered by the FCA redress scheme. The FCA-estimated scheme average of £829 per eligible agreement per agreement, with a total of £7.5 billion set aside for consumers. The scheme covers PCP and HP agreements entered into between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024.
Two separate schemes apply: post-2014 agreements (implement by 30 June 2026) and pre-2014 agreements (implement by 31 August 2026). The final deadline to complain is 31 August 2027. You can complain to your lender directly for free. You do not need a claims management company.
Across 4,821,318 MOT tests in 2024, Ford vehicles have an overall pass rate of 78.3%. This is close to the national average of 79.6%. DVSA data covers 300 Ford models with sufficient test volume.
- Overall pass rate: 78.3%
- Total MOT tests (2024): 4,821,318
- Models with data: 300
- National average: 79.6%
Best Ford models for MOT pass rate
- Ford Kuga Titanium Frst Ed Phev Cvt: 96.1% pass rate (716 tests)
- Ford Puma Titanium First Ed Mhev: 95.7% pass rate (1,685 tests)
- Ford Kuga Titanium Edition: 95.7% pass rate (701 tests)
- Ford Benimar: 95.3% pass rate (680 tests)
- Ford Kuga St-Line X Edition Hev Cvt: 95.3% pass rate (638 tests)
Ford models with lowest MOT pass rate
- Ford Fusion: 73.3% pass rate (48,706 tests)
- Ford Puma: 73.3% pass rate (2,490 tests)
- Ford Cougar: 70.4% pass rate (550 tests)
- Ford Focus C-Max: 68.4% pass rate (12,926 tests)
- Ford Freda: 65.2% pass rate (982 tests)
Ford MOT Reliability Trend (2022-2024)
Ford pass rates have remained stable: 78.4% in 2022, 78.3% in 2023, and 78.3% in 2024.
- 2022: 78.4% pass rate (5,587,149 tests)
- 2023: 78.3% pass rate (5,599,788 tests)
- 2024: 78.3% pass rate (4,821,318 tests)
Based on 16,008,255 MOT tests across three years (DVSA open data).
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, Open Government Licence v3.0.