The Mercedes-Benz G-Class was commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) investigation period, which began on 6 April 2007 and concluded on 1 November 2024. This investigation revealed significant issues with
discretionary commission arrangements in motor finance contracts that affected millions of consumers across the UK.
How the Mercedes-Benz G-Class was Typically Financed
During the FCA's investigation period, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class was often financed through Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and Hire Purchase (HP) agreements. These financing options are typically structured to allow buyers to make monthly payments over a term of 36 to 48 months, with balloon payments at the end of the contract for PCP plans. For the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, the typical finance amount ranged from £15,000 to £30,000.
Common lenders who provided financing for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class during this period included
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance. These agreements often featured balloon payments at the end of the term, which are substantial lump-sum amounts that must be paid or financed separately to own the vehicle outright.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA's investigation into motor finance revealed that many consumers were affected by discretionary commission arrangements in their financing contracts. Discretionary commissions were additional fees paid to dealers by lenders for each finance agreement they arranged, which could incentivise dealers to recommend more expensive or less suitable finance options.
12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) by these practices during the investigation period (FCA estimate), representing a total of £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026) across various finance products (FCA estimate). On average, consumers who entered into these agreements paid an additional £829 per contract due to discretionary commission arrangements (FCA estimate).
How to Check Your Agreement Look for references to "discretionary commissions" or "DCA," which stands for Discretionary Commission Arrangement. If these terms are present in your agreement, there is a chance that you were overcharged due to such practices.
The relevant dates to consider when assessing whether your agreement was affected by the FCA's investigation are from 6 April 2007 through 1 November 2024. If your financing contract falls within this period and contains indicators of discretionary commission arrangements, it may be worth investigating further.
If you believe that your Mercedes-Benz G-Class finance agreement was affected by the FCA's findings on discretionary commissions, you can start by complaining directly to your lender. Common lenders for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class include Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance.
When contacting your lender, gather evidence such as copies of your finance agreement, any correspondence with the dealership, and details about your monthly payments and balloon payment amounts. Providing this information will help substantiate your complaint and increase the likelihood of a successful resolution.
You do not need to use the services of a
claims management company; you can handle the process directly for free by contacting your lender’s customer service department or using their online complaint forms.
Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), 2024
- FOS (Financial Ombudsman Service)
- Office for National Statistics Census 2021
Based on 375,769 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Mercedes-Benz C has a pass rate of 81.1%. This is close to the national average of 79.6%, meaning the C performs about average in MOT testing.
The C pass rate is in line with the overall Mercedes-Benz average of 82.3%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 86,936 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 81.1%
- MOT failure rate: 18.9%
- Tests analysed: 375,769 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 86,936 miles
- Mercedes-Benz average pass rate: 82.3%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.