The Subaru Forester 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 significant issues in how car finance, particularly PCP deals, were marketed and sold by lenders and dealerships across the UK.
How the Subaru Forester was Typically Financed
The Subaru Forester is a popular choice among those looking for reliable family cars or compact SUVs. During the period of interest, it was commonly financed through Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) plans with typical finance amounts ranging from £15,000 to £30,000. The most common PCP term was 36 months, although some customers opted for a 48-month term.
Common lenders who provided finance for the Subaru Forester included
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance. These agreements often came with balloon payments at the end of the contract, which would be due if the customer chose to return the vehicle or needed to pay off the remaining balance to purchase it outright.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA investigation into motor finance highlighted a widespread issue involving
discretionary commission arrangements (DCAs) between lenders and dealerships. DCAs allowed lenders to pay discretionary commissions to dealers, which were not based on the customer's best interest but rather on factors like how quickly loans were approved or how many deals were made.
This practice affected an estimated 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) across the UK during the investigation period (FCA estimate). The total amount involved was around £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026), with each agreement potentially losing customers up to £829 on average due to unfair practices (FCA estimate).
How to Check Your Agreement Look for any mention of discretionary commission arrangements or DCA. These agreements typically had an end date no later than 1 November 2024.
If your agreement was signed during or before this period and involves PCP finance from one of the common lenders (Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, Santander Consumer Finance), it could be affected. If you find any suspicious terms or if the dates match up with those specified by the FCA investigation, there is a possibility that your agreement was unfairly structured.
If you suspect that your Subaru Forester finance agreement may have been mis-sold due to unfair practices under DCAs, you can complain directly to your lender without needing a
claims management company. Common lenders such as Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance all offer free complaint resolution processes.
You do not need a claims management company; the process is straightforward and should be initiated through your lender's customer service department or dedicated complaints team. They will provide you with guidance on how to proceed with your concerns and investigate whether there were any unfair practices involved in your finance agreement.
Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). "Motor Finance Investigation." (2024)
- Office for National Statistics (ONS) Census 2021
Based on 14,215 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Subaru Forester has a pass rate of 77.7%. This is close to the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Forester performs about average in MOT testing.
The Forester pass rate is slightly below the overall Subaru average of 81.1%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 95,580 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 77.7%
- MOT failure rate: 22.3%
- Tests analysed: 14,215 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 95,580 miles
- Subaru average pass rate: 81.1%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.