The Mercedes-Benz V-Class was commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) investigation period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. The FCA found widespread mis-selling issues in these agreements, affecting millions of consumers across the UK.
How the Mercedes-Benz V-Class was Typically Financed
Mercedes-Benz V-Class owners typically financed their vehicles through Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and Hire Purchase (HP) arrangements with finance amounts ranging from £15,000 to £30,000. Common lenders for financing a V-Class included
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance.
For PCP agreements, the typical term ranged between 36 and 48 months, with a final balloon payment often required at the end of the agreement to own the vehicle outright. This structure allowed consumers to drive away with a new V-Class while spreading the cost over several years.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA investigation uncovered significant issues related to
discretionary commission arrangements in motor finance agreements. These practices involved lenders providing incentives to dealers for selling specific products, which may have led to mis-selling and unfair terms for consumers. According to the FCA estimates, 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) by these practices (FCA estimate), resulting in a total of £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026) in potential overcharges (FCA estimate). On average, each consumer could be owed around £829 (FCA estimate) due to mis-selling.
How to Check Your Agreement Look for specific dates within the period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024 and check if your lender falls under any of the common providers listed above (Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, Santander Consumer Finance). be on the lookout for references to "Discretionary Commission Arrangements" or DCA in your agreement.
If you find that your contract was arranged during this period and includes any of these terms, it is likely that you are eligible to make a complaint about mis-selling.
You do not need a
claims management company to complain. Instead, you can contact the relevant lender directly for free. Common lenders such as Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance have complaint processes in place that allow consumers to challenge unfair practices without additional fees.
To initiate your complaint, gather all relevant documentation including copies of your finance agreement, payment records, and any correspondence with the lender. Submit your complaint via email or post, clearly stating why you believe there was mis-selling involved and requesting a full review of your case. The
Financial Ombudsman Service (
FOS) is available to help if you are unsatisfied with the response from your lender.
Sources and References
- FCA estimates on affected agreements: 12.1 million (FCA estimate)
- Total overcharges estimated by FCA: £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026)
- Average consumer overcharge: £829 (FCA estimate)
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.