The Ford Explorer was commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the period under investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. This vehicle, a versatile SUV known for its spaciousness and off-road capability, was often financed through various lenders who offered these popular financing options.
How the Ford Explorer Was Typically Financed
The Ford Explorer was typically financed using PCP agreements with terms ranging from 36 to 48 months, allowing buyers to make monthly payments while reserving a final balloon payment at the end of the term. The typical finance amount for the Ford Explorer ranged between £15,000 and £30,000 (FCA estimate), depending on model specifications and optional extras.
Common lenders who provided financing for the Ford Explorer included
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance. These agreements often involved a significant balloon payment at the end of the term, which buyers would need to either finance further or pay in full if they wished to own the vehicle outright.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched an investigation into motor finance agreements involving
discretionary commission arrangements during the period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. The investigation uncovered widespread mis-selling practices where lenders paid brokers and dealers extra commissions for steering customers towards higher-cost PCP and HP deals.
The FCA found that 12.1 million eligible agreements were affected by these discretionary commission arrangements (FCA estimate), resulting in an estimated total overcharge of £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026) across the industry (FCA estimate). On average, each customer was overcharged by around £829 (FCA estimate) due to the misleading and unfair practices employed during sales processes.
How to Check Your Agreement Look for any mention of discretionary commissions or additional fees paid to brokers or dealers beyond standard rates. Another telltale sign is the term "DCA" (Discretionary Commission Arrangement) in the documentation.
You should also check if your agreement was signed between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024, as this period aligns with the FCA investigation timeline. If you notice any of these indicators or are unsure about the terms of your finance deal, it is advisable to contact your lender directly for clarification.
If you suspect that your Ford Explorer finance agreement was mis-sold due to discretionary commission arrangements, you can complain directly to your lender without incurring any costs. Common lenders for the Ford Explorer include Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance.
When contacting these companies, provide them with a clear and detailed explanation of why you believe there were issues with your finance agreement. Be sure to reference any relevant dates or terms from your contract that suggest misleading practices or overcharges. You do not need a
claims management company for this process; the lender is required by law to handle complaints transparently and fairly.
Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). "Motor Finance: Discretionary Commission Arrangements." 2024.
- Office for National Statistics (ONS) Census. 2021.
Based on 462 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Ford Explorer has a pass rate of 79.2%. This is close to the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Explorer performs about average in MOT testing.
The Explorer pass rate is in line with the overall Ford average of 78.3%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 93,823 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 79.2%
- MOT failure rate: 20.8%
- Tests analysed: 462 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 93,823 miles
- Ford average pass rate: 78.3%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.