A Short Introduction to Personal Car Leasing

Personal car leasing is probably something you have heard a lot about from friends, colleagues, relatives, radio adverts or even online. However, like many new customers, actually understanding what this product is can be somewhat confusing.

Let’s start are the beginning ... as car leasing can a generic term for a number of financial products, it is important that you distinguish between the different financial products so that you choose the one which is correct for your circumstances.

If you are looking for a long-term rental style agreement, then personal contract hire may be right for you. However, if you require a purchase style agreement then a personal contract purchase might be more suitable for you.

How Does Personal Car Leasing Work?

Providing our customers with accurate and timely information is paramount. We understand the decision is an important one. Therefore in supplying information about the process and leasing life cycle, we hope to manage any queries or concerns which you have may have.

While contract hire and leasing may at first appear complicated, it is actually quite a simple process. In essence, this is a contractual agreement between an individual and a finance company, whereby an individual will use a vehicle for a fixed period of time i.e. 2, 3 or 4 years. The contract will be based upon a fixed amount of annual mileage. At the end of the contract, the car will be collected; there is no purchasing or ownership of the vehicle.

What Information do I need to Lease My Next Car?

For those of you who are now interested in car leasing, simply read the following below and get in touch with us by telephoning 01942 608606 or be emailing us at enquiries@carlease.uk.com:

• Choose your Car – take a look at our website, or visit a dealership, and decide which car or type of car you require;
• Choose your Mileage – work out your annual mileage and provide this with your enquiry;
• Choose your Term – work our how long you need a car for; the minimum term is 2 years and the maximum is 5 years. Choose carefully, as this contract is fixed and you will need to pay an early termination charge to end the contract;
• Choose your Maintenance – you don’t need to include a maintenance package i.e. to include the cost of servicing, maintenance and tyres. However, it is often much more cost effective to include this into the contract, as opposed to doing this yourself (please note that our advertised rates do not include this) ; and
• Check your credit – this is a credit based product. Please ensure you have reviewed your credit status before liaising with us.

Product Stages/Life Cycle:

1. Request a quotation from our team – this will be emailed or posted to you (subject to requirements).
2. Following receipt (and acceptance), make a finance application to one of our selected funders based on the agreed quotation - CarLease UK operate alongside a limited number of funders and they may make a payment to us if you elect to enter into an agreement with them.
3. Once accepted by the funder, proceed with your quotation to the order stage - you will be issued with a formal order from the team at CarLease UK which needs to be signed and returned.
4. Pay your deposit - this is held in a separate client account.
5. The vehicle is then ordered with one of our supplying dealers – you will receive confirmation either before or after this process as to when the vehicle is expected to arrive (subject to change if factory ordered).
6. Finance documentation is emailed to you via our administration team – as part of this you will receive comprehensive signing instructions. Please also note you may need to supply proof of identity and/or address as necessary.
7. You return the original documentation to us via post – hard copies will be required in most instances. Once we receive signed copies, our administration team will send details of the cooling-off period.
8. When the vehicle arrives with our supplier, you will be contacted to arrange delivery – while we can accommodate some requests, weekend and out of hours deliveries are generally not available.
9. When the vehicle arrives with you will be required to sign a vehicle acceptance note – you will need to return this together with a copy of your insurance certificate.
10. 12 Months into the contract you will be contacted to ensure that your vehicle meets you expectations – use this opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have.
11. 6 months before contract end date – your account manager will contact you again to ensure you aware that the vehicle is due to be returned and we can then discuss options moving forward.
12. Vehicle will be collected at the end of the contract – one of your administration team members will contact you to arrange this. While we can accommodate some requests, weekend and out of hours deliveries are generally not available.

Why Is Personal Car Leasing So Popular?

• Low initial rental options available – you control what you can afford to pay at the start of the lease;
• Fixed period of car userership ranging from 2 years to 5 years – you decide how long you need to use the car;
• Option to include a maintenance package to cover servicing, maintenance and tyres i.e. “fully-maintained” car lease – if you simply want to fuel and insure the car, let CarLease UK arrange it;
• An individual can benefit from ‘fleet’ discount levels – why pay more at the dealer; and
• Above all, no concerns – if it increases in value BUY IT, and if is depreciates, LEASE IT!

Our Selected Panel of Lenders

CarLease UK work alongside a limited number of lenders who may make payment to us if you elect to enter into agreement with them. As such, not only can we offer the best car lease deals but we can also deal with a variety of requests.

Lender	Address	FCA No.
ALD Automotive Ltd	Oakwood Park, Lodge Causeway, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 3JA
Arval UK Ltd	Arval Centre, Windmill Hill, Swindon, SN5 6PE	571068
Close Motor finance	Roman House, Roman Road, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN4 5EZ	660751
Leaseplan UK Ltd	165 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 4AA	102049
Lex Autolease Ltd	Blake House, 2 Hatchford Way, Birmingham, B26 3RZ	414465
Mercedes-Benz financial Services UK Ltd	Delaware Drive Tongwell, Milton Keynes, MK15 8BA	292819
Novuna Vehicle Solutions	Kiln House, 54a Kiln Road, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2NU	488110
Toyota Financial Services (UK) Plc	Great Burgh, Burgh Heath, Yew Tree Bottom Road, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 5UZ	509189
Volkswagen Financial Services (UK) Ltd	Brunswick Court, Yeomans Drive, Blakelands, Milton Keynes, MK14 5LR	311988

To learn more about car leasing please see our help and advice pages or read recent lease car customer reviews and news here in our blog.