The Nissan Pulsar 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. The FCA found that many of these financing arrangements were potentially mis-sold due to
discretionary commission practices, affecting a significant number of consumers.
## How the Nissan Pulsar was Typically Financed
The Nissan Pulsar is often financed through Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) or Hire Purchase (HP) agreements. These finance plans typically involve loan amounts ranging from £15,000 to £30,000 for a three- to four-year term. Common lenders providing finance for the Nissan Pulsar include
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance.
In PCP agreements, consumers pay monthly instalments over an agreed period with a final balloon payment required at the end of the agreement to own the car outright. If the consumer chooses not to buy or replace the vehicle, they can return it to the finance company after the term ends. This option is often marketed as a convenient way for customers to manage their finances and avoid long-term commitments.
## The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched an investigation into discretionary commission arrangements used by motor finance lenders between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024. These commissions were paid by lenders to dealerships for each loan agreement, which could incentivize them to push customers towards higher-cost finance options.
The FCA found that this practice led to an estimated 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) being potentially mis-sold (FCA estimate). The total value of these agreements amounts to £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026) (FCA, March 2026).
## How to Information about agreements covered by the FCA schemewas affected by the FCA investigation, you should review several key aspects of your agreement:
-
Discretionary Commission Arrangements: Look for any mention of discretionary commissions or similar terms in your agreement. These are often referred to as “DCA” (Discretionary
Commission Arrangement).
-
Relevant Dates: Ensure that the date of your finance agreement falls within the FCA investigation period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024.
If you find any suspicious terms or dates, it is advisable to consult with a legal professional for further guidance. However, you can also
complain directly to your lender for free without needing a
claims management company.
##
How to Complain Directly to Your Lender for Free
You do not need a claims management company to address issues related to potentially mis-sold motor finance agreements. Common lenders providing finance for the Nissan Pulsar include Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance.
To make a complaint:
1.
Review Your Agreement: Carefully review your finance agreement and note any discrepancies or suspicious terms.
2.
Contact Your Lender: Reach out to the finance company directly via phone or email. Provide them with relevant details from your agreement and explain why you believe it may have been mis-sold.
3.
Follow Up: Keep track of all communications and follow up if necessary. Many lenders will provide a response within 8 weeks.
You can also escalate unresolved complaints to the
Financial Ombudsman Service (
FOS) for further review.
## Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). "Discretionary Commission Arrangements in Motor Finance". FCA, 2024.
- Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Complaint Resolution Guidelines. FOS, 2024.
Based on 22,997 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Nissan Pulsar has a pass rate of 80.4%. This is close to the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Pulsar performs about average in MOT testing.
The Pulsar pass rate is better than the overall Nissan average of 77.7%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 59,109 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 80.4%
- MOT failure rate: 19.6%
- Tests analysed: 22,997 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 59,109 miles
- Nissan average pass rate: 77.7%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.