The Ford Fusion was commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) investigation period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. This investigation uncovered widespread mis-selling practices in the motor finance industry, affecting millions of consumers across various car models, including the Ford Fusion.
How the Ford Fusion Was Typically Financed
The Ford Fusion was often financed through PCP and HP agreements with loan amounts ranging from £15,000 to £30,000. These financing options were provided by common lenders such as
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance. Under a typical PCP agreement for the Ford Fusion, the term would be 36-48 months with a balloon payment due at the end of the contract if the customer decides to buy or lease the car again.
PCP agreements often included
discretionary commission arrangements (DCA) between lenders and dealerships, which incentivised sales staff to push customers towards more expensive finance deals. These practices led to higher interest rates, larger down payments, and greater overall costs for consumers.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA investigation revealed that millions of motor finance agreements were affected by mis-selling practices from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. It is estimated that 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) across the UK were impacted, with a total value of £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026). The average loss per customer was around £829 (FCA estimate).
The investigation found that discretionary commission arrangements were often used to push customers into less favourable finance deals. These practices resulted in higher costs for consumers and lower returns for lenders who did not engage in such schemes.
How to Check Your Agreement Look for any references to discretionary commission arrangements (DCA) or similar terms that suggest your dealer was incentivised to sell more expensive deals.
Relevant dates are crucial: if your agreement was made between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024, it may fall under the scope of the investigation. Common tell-tale signs include unusually high interest rates, larger down payments than necessary, or excessive fees.
If you suspect that your Ford Fusion finance agreement was mis-sold due to discretionary commission arrangements, you can complain directly to your lender at no cost. Common lenders providing finance for the Ford Fusion include Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance.
When making a complaint, provide all relevant documentation such as loan agreements, payment records, and any correspondence with your dealership or lender. Your lender is required to investigate your claim promptly and fairly without charging you any fees.
You do not need a
claims management company to handle your complaint; the process can be managed directly through your lender's customer service department.
Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). "Report on Motor Finance Mis-selling Investigation." FCA, 2024.
- Office for National Statistics (ONS) Census. "Population Estimates," 2021.
- Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), various reports and guidelines related to motor finance complaints.
Based on 48,706 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Ford Fusion has a pass rate of 73.3%. This is below the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Fusion has a higher-than-average failure rate in MOT testing.
The Fusion pass rate is slightly below the overall Ford average of 78.3%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 89,175 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 73.3%
- MOT failure rate: 26.7%
- Tests analysed: 48,706 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 89,175 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.