Suzuki cars were commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) investigation period, which spanned from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. The FCA’s probe into motor finance highlighted issues with
discretionary commission arrangements that affected millions of consumers across the UK.
## How Suzuki Cars Were Financed
Suzuki cars were often financed through major lenders such as
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance. These lenders offered both PCP and HP finance agreements to customers purchasing new or used vehicles from authorised Suzuki dealerships. Common terms for PCP agreements included a deposit of around 10% of the vehicle's value, followed by monthly payments over a period typically ranging from 24 to 60 months, with an option to buy, return, or pay off the balloon payment at the end of the term.
HP finance agreements generally required larger initial deposits and higher monthly payments compared to PCP deals. HP terms often ranged between 18 to 60 months, during which the full cost of the vehicle was paid off in installments with no option for early settlement or return.
## The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA’s investigation into motor finance uncovered widespread issues involving discretionary commission arrangements. Lenders commonly offered incentives to brokers and dealers based on sales volumes rather than individual customer needs, leading to potential mis-selling of financial products. This practice affected an estimated 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026) across the UK (FCA estimate) between 2007 and 2024, resulting in a total loss of £7.5 billion to consumers (FCA estimate), with an FCA-estimated average of £829 per eligible agreement.
## How to Check Your Agreement1 million eligible agreements, you should review the terms and conditions of your contract. Key indicators include high-pressure sales tactics, misleading information about vehicle depreciation, or excessive fees that were not clearly explained at the time of purchase.
The FCA’s investigation specifically targeted agreements made between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024. If you suspect your agreement falls within this timeframe and was arranged through a broker with potential conflicts of interest, the FCA scheme covers eligible agreements.
## How to
Complain Directly to Your Lender for Free
If you believe your Suzuki finance agreement was mis-sold, you can complain directly to the relevant lender without needing to engage a
claims management company. Common lenders such as Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance all have dedicated complaint handling procedures in place.
You do not need a claims management company; instead, you can contact your lender directly via their customer service line or website to initiate the complaints process. Providing detailed evidence of mis-selling, such as sales documents or communication logs, will strengthen your case.
## Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). (2024). Motor Finance Investigation Report.
- Office for National Statistics (ONS) Census 2021.
FCA Compensation: FCA Scheme Figures
The FCA confirmed on 30 March 2026 that 12.1 million motor finance agreements are covered by the FCA redress scheme. The FCA-estimated scheme average of £829 per eligible agreement per agreement, with a total of £7.5 billion set aside for consumers. The scheme covers PCP and HP agreements entered into between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024.
Two separate schemes apply: post-2014 agreements (implement by 30 June 2026) and pre-2014 agreements (implement by 31 August 2026). The final deadline to complain is 31 August 2027. You can complain to your lender directly for free. You do not need a claims management company.
Across 500,756 MOT tests in 2024, Suzuki vehicles have an overall pass rate of 83.6%. This is above the national average of 79.6%. DVSA data covers 322 Suzuki models with sufficient test volume.
- Overall pass rate: 83.6%
- Total MOT tests (2024): 500,756
- Models with data: 322
- National average: 79.6%
Best Suzuki models for MOT pass rate
- Suzuki Ignis Sz3 Dualjet Mhev: 97.8% pass rate (1,044 tests)
- Suzuki Ignis Sz5 Dualjet Mhev Allgrip: 96.8% pass rate (720 tests)
- Suzuki Ignis Sz-T Dualjet Mhev Cvt: 96.7% pass rate (910 tests)
- Suzuki Ignis Sz5 Dualjet Mhev Cvt: 96.6% pass rate (621 tests)
- Suzuki Vitara Sz-T Boosterjet Mhev A: 96.5% pass rate (1,213 tests)
Suzuki models with lowest MOT pass rate
- Suzuki Splash: 74.7% pass rate (15,436 tests)
- Suzuki Grand Vitara: 73.7% pass rate (22,888 tests)
- Suzuki Carry: 69.8% pass rate (4,099 tests)
- Suzuki Wagon-R+: 69.2% pass rate (8,671 tests)
- Suzuki Liana: 66.7% pass rate (1,444 tests)
Suzuki MOT Reliability Trend (2022-2024)
Suzuki pass rates have remained stable: 83.5% in 2022, 83.4% in 2023, and 83.6% in 2024.
- 2022: 83.5% pass rate (588,340 tests)
- 2023: 83.4% pass rate (589,891 tests)
- 2024: 83.6% pass rate (500,756 tests)
Based on 1,678,987 MOT tests across three years (DVSA open data).
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, Open Government Licence v3.0.