The Ford E-Transit was commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the period of the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) investigation into motor finance mis-selling, which ran from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. This investigation uncovered significant issues with
discretionary commission arrangements that affected millions of consumers across various car and van models, including the Ford E-Transit.
How the Ford E-Transit was Typically Financed
Ford E-Transit vehicles were often financed through PCP or HP agreements ranging from £20,000 to £45,000. These finance terms typically spanned 36 to 60 months, with some contracts including balloon payments at the end of the term. Common lenders for Ford E-Transits included
Black Horse,
Lombard,
Close Brothers Motor Finance, and Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions.
Under PCP agreements, consumers would make regular monthly payments during the contract period while retaining ownership until a final lump sum payment or "balloon" was made to take full ownership of the vehicle. HP agreements offered similar financing but with a commitment to pay off the entire loan amount at the end of the term without any balloon payment.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA investigation revealed that many motor finance agreements were sold on commission-based structures where lenders paid discretionary commissions to dealers and brokers, which could create incentives for selling high-cost or inappropriate products. This practice affected 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026), involving a total of £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026) in mis-sold loans (FCA estimate). The average compensation paid out per case was around £829 (FCA estimate).
The investigation focused on how these discretionary commission arrangements influenced the sales process, often leading to consumers being pushed into finance agreements that were not suitable for their financial circumstances or needs.
How to Check Your Agreement Look specifically for any mention of discretionary commissions paid by lenders and check if there are signs that these incentives influenced the sales process. Key indicators include:
1.
Relevant Dates: Ensure that your finance agreement was entered into between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024.
2.
Discretionary Commission Agreement (DCA): Look for any reference to a DCA within the documentation. If you see such an indication, it is likely your agreement was part of the investigation.
If you suspect that your finance agreement may have been mis-sold due to these practices, it's important to understand your rights and take appropriate action.
To address any concerns about a potentially mis-sold Ford E-Transit finance agreement, you can complain directly to the lender. Common lenders for Ford vehicles include Black Horse, Lombard, Close Brothers Motor Finance, and Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions. Each of these companies has established processes for handling complaints.
When lodging a complaint, provide detailed information about your concerns, referencing any relevant dates and documentation that indicate potential mis-selling practices. It is important to document all communication with the lender throughout this process.
You do not need a
claims management company; you can handle the entire process yourself at no cost. Should you receive an unsatisfactory response from the lender or require further assistance, consider submitting your case to the
Financial Ombudsman Service (
FOS) for independent review.
Sources and References
- Financial Conduct Authority (2024)
- Ford Motor Company
- Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions
- Close Brothers Motor Finance
- Lombard
- Black Horse
Based on 577,026 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Ford Transit has a pass rate of 73.3%. This is below the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Transit has a higher-than-average failure rate in MOT testing.
The Transit pass rate is slightly below the overall Ford average of 78.3%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 117,451 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 73.3%
- MOT failure rate: 26.7%
- Tests analysed: 577,026 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 117,451 miles
- Ford average pass rate: 78.3%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.