The Ford S-MAX, a popular mid-size MPV known for its spacious interior and versatile design, was commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the period covered by the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) investigation from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. Many owners of the Ford S-MAX were likely affected by mis-selling practices in motor finance, particularly through
discretionary commission arrangements that led to inflated interest rates and higher overall costs for consumers.
How the Ford S-MAX was Typically Financed
The Ford S-MAX is often financed through Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) agreements, with typical finance amounts ranging from £15,000 to £30,000 over a term of 36 to 48 months. Common lenders for the Ford S-MAX include
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance.
In PCP agreements, there is often a significant balloon payment at the end of the contract, which can be challenging if you decide not to buy or extend the agreement. This structure means that many Ford S-MAX owners may have been affected by mis-selling practices without even realising it.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) conducted a full investigation into discretionary commission arrangements in motor finance agreements from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. This investigation uncovered widespread mis-selling, affecting an estimated 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) and resulting in an FCA-estimated scheme average of £829 per eligible agreement per agreement, totalling £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026) across the UK.
Discretionary commission arrangements allowed dealers to receive additional payments from finance companies based on the interest rate they charged customers. This practice often led to higher interest rates for consumers, increasing their overall cost and potentially leading to overpayment in many cases.
How to Check Your Agreement Look for any mention of "discretionary commission" or "DCA," which stands for Discretionary Commission Arrangement.
check if the agreement was made between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024. If your agreement matches these criteria and includes DCA terms, it is likely that you were affected by mis-selling practices.
If you suspect that your Ford S-MAX finance agreement was mis-sold, you can complain directly to the lender without needing a
claims management company. The common lenders for the Ford S-MAX include Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance.
Here are the steps you should follow:
1.
Gather Documentation: Collect all relevant documents related to your finance agreement.
2.
Contact Your Lender: Reach out to your lender’s customer service department or complaint handling team.
3.
Provide Details: Explain your concerns clearly in writing and provide any supporting evidence.
4.
Follow Up: Keep a record of your communication and follow up if you do not receive a response within the expected timeframe.
You can complain directly to your lender for free, without needing to use a claims management company. This allows you to handle the process independently and potentially recover any overpayment made due to mis-selling practices.
Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) estimates on motor finance agreements affected by discretionary commission arrangements.
- FCA investigation period: 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024.
Based on 83,173 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Ford S-Max has a pass rate of 75.6%. This is below the national average of 79.6%, meaning the S-Max has a higher-than-average failure rate in MOT testing.
The S-Max pass rate is slightly below the overall Ford average of 78.3%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 104,255 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 75.6%
- MOT failure rate: 24.4%
- Tests analysed: 83,173 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 104,255 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.