Frequently Asked Questions
What methods of finance do Custom Vehicle Contracts offer?
We can offer Outright Purchase, Hire Purchase, Personal or Business Contract Hire, Lease Purchase or Finance Lease and we are able to source vehicles from any manufacturer.
What is the process of obtaining a vehicle?
We will consult with you throughout the process to make sure you are getting a car or van which meets your needs and is the best value and if you require finance, most importantly is funded on a finance product that is most suitable to your situation. The process is very streamlined and natural but a rough overview is below:
- Choose a Vehicle – this part might be easy if you know exactly what you want but if not our advisors have many years experience in helping customers into the right vehicle. Even if you know what you want we may be able to offer incredible deals on vehicles you might not have considered or imagined to be within budget. This is a key reason we like to talk rather than let you spend hours looking through a website!
- Tailor your Finance – Make any finance required suit you by changing the vehicle options, term, mileage and initial payment to suit you. Take the contract with or without a Maintenance Contract depending on your preference.
- Place your Order – Clarifying your requirements for the first two stages will allow us to draft your order and let you sign off on the proposal that we send to the finance company if it is required.
- Finance Checks – The finance company will carry out a credit search on the individual or business named on the agreement. At this stage the application can be Approved as Propsed, Referred for further information or Declined.
- Vehicle Order – Subject to Finance Approval where required the vehicle will be ordered from our supplier who will be a UK Manufacturer Approved Dealership. We can order stock vehicles which are ready to go or specific vehicles to your requirements which may need to be built at the factory taking longer. Upon placing the order we will take the agreed Vehicle Order Processing Fee of £180.00 (including VAT) from a credit or debit card.
- Contract is Signed – The finance documentation is sent to you via email or post. You need to sign and return this to us. Often this process is electronic to save time.
- Vehicle is delivered – If the vehicle is in stock the delivery can be arranged quickly, if not we need to wait on the vehicle being built and arrange the delivery when it is ready.
What criteria does a Finance or lease applicant need to meet to get a car?
To enter into a finance or lease agreement a personal applicant needs to be over 18 years of age and hold a valid driving license. As part of the credit checks the finance company will look for evidence of your credit history, 5 years address history and 3 years employment history to consider your application. We do have options for people who have minimal history so if you have any questions or are worried that you may not meet the criteria please call or enquire for further information. Business applicate criteria can vary.
For Business Lease and Personal Lease Contracts the criteria for each finance company can vary. We have the facility to offer contracts to companies in most circumstances, including those that are a new start company, going through a change of entity type or change of ownership.
Do I need to put down an initial payment?
We can quote options with varying initial payments to suit you. Specify more than one initial payment for quotes if it helps with your decision. We can also offer options without any money down at the start of the contract.
How long can I lease a car or van for?
We have finance companies that allow lease terms over 24, 36, 48 and 60 months as well as any specific term in between. On occassion some of our contract hire funders also allow 12 and 18 months.
There are pro’s and con’s to each term. Please contact us and we would be happy to explain further the benefits and pitfalls of the longer and shorter terms.
Do I have a mileage restriction with every contract?
No, we have finance companies that offer contracts that are not tied to an annual mileage and whereby the costs of the contract are not influenced by the mileage that you complete. In many cases it is very worthwhile considering options with and without mileage restrictions, we can help with that.
What happens if I go over my mileage allowance?
Some contracts have specified mileage allowances. This is mostly in the case of Contract Hire, Lease or Contract Purchase Agreements. If you have exceeded your agreed contracted mileage come the end of the contract there will be an excess mileage charge to pay for each mile above this (this is set by the finance company and generally between 1.5-14 pence per mile). The rate varies for different vehicles and between finance companies). An advisor will be able to discuss this with you when selecting your vehicle and the costs will be set at the start of your agreement.
Its important to know that the mileage allowance for your contract is not necessarily fixed from the start. With most finance companies you can increase or decrease the contracted mileage after the first year and before the last 6 months of the contract. Amending the mileage will result in a higher or lower payment as you can imagine but it does mean that you can account for changes of circumstances without paying for too many miles on the contract or paying a bill at the end. The mileage excess charge is levied by the finance company in order to account for such things as extra depreciation on higher mileage vehicles.
What is a maintenance package?
An optional Maintenance package can be added to a Personal Contract Hire, Business Contract Hire and some other agreements. This package involves paying an increased monthly amount to cover routine maintenance that needs to be carried out during the contract. Its important to point out that this is not a type of insurance but a way of spreading the cost of the items of maintenance that the vehicle will require during the time that you have it. Larger items such as Servicing, Tyres, Brake Pads, Batteries and Exhausts are covered as well as smaller items like Bulbs and Wiper Blades.
Is Road Tax or Road Fund Licence Included?
Road Tax is normally included for the full term of the contract of a Personal or Business Contract Hire and one year with Finance Lease, Personal Contract Purchase(PCP) and Lease Purchase.
We do also offer some Business and Personal Operating Lease contracts which only include Road Tax for the first year though. We will ensure that you are fully informed about how much road tax is provided with your vehicle at the point of order.
Do customers need their own insurance?
Yes , the vehicle contracts that we provide do not incude insurance. This will have to be arranged by the individual or business who is leasing the car or van. This should be a comprehensive insurance policy and should cover anyone who needs to drive the vehicle.
Most major insurance companies insure vehicles on the types of contracts that we provide. It is always best to point out to them the type of contract that you have taken the vehicle on and who the vehicle will be registered to.
Can I terminate my lease contract early?
When taking out a Personal Contract Hire or Business Contract Hire agreement you should expect to have the vehicle for the full agreed duration. We do however undestand that circumstances can change.
As with any finance agreement, if you wish to end the contract early this will have to be negotiated with the finance company who own the vehicle. You can apply for a cost to settle at any point and generally you can expect this to be around half of the value of your remaining payments but this does vary from one provider to another.
Can you explain the payment schedules on your lease contracts?
This can be best explained using an example.
3+35 – this is a 3 year agreement with 36 monthly payments in the schedule. The first monthly payment is 3 times the agreed monthly rental payment, followed by 35 monthly payments of the agreed amount.
If you enter into a 3 year agreement with a 3 + 35 schedule with an agreed monthly payment of £200 the initial payment would be £600(payable in the first month) followed by 35 regular monthly payments of £200. After these payment are made the contract ends.
If you enter into a 4 year agreement with a 6 + 47 schedule with an agreed monthly payment of £250 the initial payment would be £1500(payable in the first month) followed by 35 regular monthly payments of £250. After these payment are made the contract ends.
These contracts can also be tailored to account for a specific initial deposit such as £500 + 35 or £1000 + 47 where the end user prefers to put down an amount not tied to a multiple of the monthly payment.
What happens at the end of a lease contract?
Near the end of your lease agreement, we will contact you to find out your preferences moving forward. Do you want to replace the vehicle, extend the contract or send it back without replacement and walk away? Either way we are happy to help.
A collection date will be agreed and on that date a representative from the finance company will arrange to meet you for an inspection of the vehicle. This will involve the assessor checking the vehicle to ensure it meets the standards set out in the fair wear and tear guide mentioned below and on completion any damage will be noted along with the mileage. You will be asked to sign this off and retain a copy.
Any damage beyond fair wear and tear will be charged within a few weeks of the vehicle being returned. These charges will be fair and consistent with the actual cost to repair said damage. Likewise, any excess mileage will be billed at the charges explained at the start of the contract.
What about the condition of my vehicle at the end of a lease contract?
We are sure that it is your intention to take very good care of your vehicle throughout the contract but understand it will be so many years old and have completed thousands of miles so the finance companies do not expect it to be in the same condition that it arrived in at the start of the contract hire.
What is Fair Wear and Tear? – This can be considered as acceptable deterioration to a vehicle following normal usage.
The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) provides a comprehensive “Fair Wear and Tear” guide offering an industry standard for all aspects of a vehicles expected condition after normal use after a given number of years and mileage. It is advisable to have some understanding of this at the beginning of the contract to ensure you are aware of what is expected on return of the vehicle. The guide also provides advice for best practice for maintenance of vehicles that should help prevent what would be deemed unacceptable wear and tear.
In order to avoid incurring penalties at the end of your lease agreement you should watch for the damage listed (but not limited to) that below:
- Interior Damage – Are there any rips, burns, stains etc on seats, roof lining or carpets?
- Paintwork Damage – Are there any deep scratches or scuffs?
- Bodywork Damage – Are there any chips that have pierced the paint or dents that exceed 25mm?
- Alloy Wheel/Tyre Damage – Are there any scrapes or scuffs over 25mm in length. Do the tyres have more tread than the legal limit or any sidewall damage?
- Spare Keys – all keys should be returned along with the vehicle
- Service Book – Has the vehicle been serviced to the manufacturer’s schedule and is that documented in the Service Book, by receipts left with the vehicle or on the vehicle’s electronic system.