Was your Suzuki Swift sold on a
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) or
Hire Purchase (HP) agreement during the period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024? If so, there's a chance that your finance agreement was affected by mis-selling practices under investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
## How the Suzuki Swift Was Typically Financed
The Suzuki Swift is a popular choice among compact car buyers, often purchased on PCP and HP agreements. During the period of interest, typical finance amounts for the Suzuki Swift ranged from £15,000 to £30,000 with terms spanning 36 to 48 months. Common lenders that provided financing for the Suzuki Swift included
Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance,
Close Brothers Motor Finance,
MotoNovo Finance, and
Santander Consumer Finance.
In PCP agreements, a balloon payment is often required at the end of the agreement if you choose to purchase the vehicle outright or enter into another finance agreement. Balloon payments are typically calculated based on the estimated value of the car at the end of the contract term.
## The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA investigation uncovered widespread mis-selling practices involving
discretionary commission arrangements (DCAs) between lenders and car dealerships during the period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. These DCAs allowed lenders to pay additional commissions to dealers for recommending certain finance products, such as PCP agreements.
The FCA estimates that 12.1 million eligible agreements were affected by these mis-selling practices (FCA estimate), with a total value of £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026). On average, customers who took out affected agreements paid an extra £829 on their loan (FCA estimate) due to the mis-selling.
## How to Check Your Agreement Look for any mention of discretionary commission arrangements or DCA in your contract. check that your agreement was signed between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024.
If you suspect that your finance agreement may have been affected by mis-selling practices, it is important to act quickly. Start by reviewing the dates and terms of your agreement against those specified in the FCA investigation.
## How to
Complain Directly to Your Lender for Free
You do not need a
claims management company to address any concerns you have about your Suzuki Swift finance agreement. Common lenders such as Black Horse, Barclays Partner Finance, Close Brothers Motor Finance, MotoNovo Finance, and Santander Consumer Finance all offer free complaint procedures.
To initiate a complaint directly with your lender:
1.
Gather Documentation: Collect copies of your finance agreement, any correspondence with the lender, and any relevant paperwork.
2.
Contact Your Lender: Reach out to your lender's customer service department or complaint handling team by phone or email.
3.
Follow Up: Keep detailed records of all communications and follow up regularly until you receive a resolution.
You can complain directly to your lender for free without the need for any third-party assistance.
## Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). (2024). Motor Finance Investigation. Retrieved from [FCA Website]
- Office for National Statistics (ONS) Census 2021
Based on 102,529 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Suzuki Swift has a pass rate of 80.3%. This is close to the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Swift performs about average in MOT testing.
The Swift pass rate is slightly below the overall Suzuki average of 83.6%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 66,370 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 80.3%
- MOT failure rate: 19.7%
- Tests analysed: 102,529 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 66,370 miles
- Suzuki average pass rate: 83.6%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.