As affordability pressure continues to challenge Canadian new-vehicle buyers, dealers are expecting lenders to play a more active role in helping close deals in  an increasingly complex financing environment, according to the new JD Power 2026 Canada Dealer Financing Satisfaction Study.

The study finds that dealers place greater value on lenders that act as collaborative partners rather than transactional executors, an approach closely associated with higher loyalty and stronger business growth intent. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of dealers working with the top-ranked captive lender and more than half (56%) of dealers working with the top-ranked non-captive prime lender say they “definitely will” increase business with those lenders in the next 12 months, compared with 54% and 45%, respectively, for average-performing lenders in the captive and non-captive prime segments.

“In a market where affordability pressure, negative equity and customer fragility are on the rise, dealers are expecting lenders to work the deal with them, not necessarily to take more risk blindly,” said Patrick Roosenberg, senior director of auto finance lending intelligence at JD Power. “We see that across all segments, speed, clarity and human partnership play a bigger role than competitive rate. Lenders that truly act collaboratively rather than like an algorithm or call centre following a script, are the rewarded with loyalty and business volume.”

Speed has also become a baseline expectation across the dealer experience, with little tolerance for delays that can create friction or put a sale at risk. The study finds that nearly two-thirds (65%) of dealers expect funding staff to respond to questions or issues within half an hour or less, while seven-in-ten (70%) expect the same response time from credit staff.

Study Ranking

In the captive segment, Ford Credit ranks highest for the third consecutive year, with a score of 859 (based on a 1,000-point scale). Hyundai Motor Finance (851) ranks second followed by Kia Finance in third place (813).

In the non-captive prime segment, TD Auto Finance ranks highest for a third consecutive year, with a score of 832. Scotiabank ranks second (810).

In the non-captive non-prime segment, TD Auto Finance ranks highest for a ninth consecutive year, with a score of 840. iA Auto Finance ranks second with a score of 836.

To view the official release and complete visual rank charts, visit: http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2026037.

The Canada Dealer Financing Satisfaction Study, now in its 28th year, measures new-vehicle dealer satisfaction with their finance providers and sheds light on the key role that lenders’ representatives play in securing new business growth. This year’s study included 6,953 evaluations of finance providers across three segments, all from new-vehicle dealerships in Canada. The study was redesigned this year to include deeper actionable feedback from dealers and was fielded between January and March 2026.

For more information about the Canada Dealer Finance Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/dealer-financing-satisfaction-study.