The role of an auto lender is growing as affordability concerns continue to loom as a top concern for potential car buyers.

According to JD Power’s 2026 Canada Dealer Financing Satisfaction Study, dealers now expect lenders to have a more active role in closing deals in what the research firm called “an increasingly complex financing environment.”

The study, based on 6,953 dealer evaluations of finance providers during the first quarter of 2026, found dealers gave higher ratings to lenders that act as collaborative partners rather than transactional executors, which JD Power said is “closely associated with higher loyalty and stronger business growth intent.”

No lenders did that better than Ford Credit and TD Auto Finance, which should come as no surprise. Ford Credit led the study’s ranking in the captive segment for the third consecutive year with a score of 890 on a 1,000-point scale, while TD earned its third straight No. 1 ranking among non-captive prime lenders — its eighth in nine years — at 832 and topped the subprime segment for the ninth year in a row, scoring 840.

In a news release, TD Auto Finance said it was rated highest in the story for finance provider offerings, funding process, credit staff relationships and sales representative relationships.

“Throughout our network of more than 3,700 retail dealerships across Canada, TDAF is committed to offering flexible financing solutions and specialized support for our clients,” senior vice president and head of TD Auto Finance Canada Michael McGhee said. “We’re thrilled to receive award recognition from JD Power for the ninth year in a row, and we thank our dealers for their continued trust.”

JD Power said its data showed 64% of dealers who work with the Ford Credit and 56% of dealers working with TDAF said they “definitely will” increase business with those lenders during the next 12 months, compared with 54% and 45% 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,” JD Power senior director of auto finance lending intelligence Patrick Roosenberg said. “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 center following a script, are the rewarded with loyalty and business volume.”

Speed has also become a “baseline expectation” for dealers, the study found, with 65% of dealers saying they expect funding staff to respond to questions or issues in 30 minutes or less, while 70% expect that same response time from credit staff.

JD Power will be represented during Canada’s Used Car Week, which begins on June 16 in Toronto. Managing director of auto finance Mike Buckingham will be hosting a workshop, covering the latest data and trends.

The complete conference agenda and a path to register can be found at https://canada.usedcarweek.biz/home.