Car And Van Leasing Just Got Easier!

A car leasing agreement is a long-term rental agreement with fixed monthly payments. They usually run from between two and four years. 

It is a popular option for businesses as it is cost effective, tax efficient and offers fixed monthly payments. 

With a car leasing deal, you are essentially paying the depreciation of the car over the life of the contract. This means at the end of the contract you don't have to worry about disposing of the vehicle, but as many high-spec or desirable vehicles hold their value well, you'll often find lower monthly payments on them when compared to other forms of finance. 

Up front payments with a lease are generally lower in comparison to other finance arrangements. 

At the end of the lease period, you simply hand the car back and are free to take on a deal on your next new car or van. 

Let us walk you through the steps of leasing a new car or van from Amber Car Leasing. 

1: Choose the vehicle you're interested in leasing. 

Amber Car Leasing has great relationships with all new car and van manufacturers and dealer groups up and down the country. Sometimes we'll have stock vehicles available but you can also build your car to the exact specification you're looking for, whether you're looking for a personal or business leasing deal.

2: Let's get your finance sorted

To lease a new car or van you'll need to establish a line of credit with a finance company. To do this we'll need to do a credit check, either online, or over the phone if we need extra information from you. We need credit approval before we can take you to the next step...

3: Placing an order

Once we get credit approval we'll get your paperwork (leasing deal) drawn up for you to sign. The paperwork includes several bits and bobs, including an order form for the car or van which will have details of the exact car you're ordering, and later the Master Hire Leasing Agreement, which has all the details of the deal agreed. 

4: We order your car

Once we get your signed paperwork, we will place the order with the dealership or manufacturer. We'll give you regular updates from here so that you know exactly when you'll get your new vehicle. 

5: The Master Lease Agreement

This is your main bit of paperwork and will either be delivered online or in the post. At this point we might need a copy of your drivers licence and a recent bill to verify you. We can only arrange delivery once we've authorised you. 

6: Cooling off period

Personal lease customers, Sole Trader's & Partnerships with less than 4 partners all have a 14 day cooling off period once they have signed their Lease agreement during which their order can be withdrawn. 

If you take a business lease and are a limited company or a partnership with more than 4 partners then this doesn't apply as there is no cooling off period.  

7: Delivery day

As soon as your new vehicle lands at the dealership we will contact you to arrange a delivery date with you. We don't charge for delivery to pretty much anywhere in the country, however some of our Dealers do add on a surcharge for deliveries in the more remote parts of Scotland. 

When the vehicle is delivered, take a look around it and inspect it for damage before you sign the acceptance note. 

Personal Contract Hire, or PCH, is a long-term contract where customers pay a fixed monthly payment for a vehicle. Contracts are usually between two and four years in length. 

There are many advantages to leasing, including. 

• Flexible up front payments (usually the value of three, six or nine monthly payments)
• Fixed-term contract, pre-agreed mileage and fixed monthly payments
• You hand the car back at the end of the contract, meaning you don't need to worry about disposing of it
• Optional maintenance contract

At the beginning of the contract you will agree the mileage that you expect to do over the life of the lease contract and your quote will be built on this information, along with the length of the lease term. 

Maintenance packages can also be added to your lease and these generally cover routine maintenance and services, tyres, exhausts and batteries. 

You must have fully comprehensive insurance for the vehicle. 

Business Contract Hire, or Business Leasing, is a long-term rental agreement - generally for between two and five years. 

Business Contract Hire is a popular way for businesses to fund new vehicles. Advantages include: 

• Low capital expenditure
• Fixed monthly payments and fixed interest rates so you can manage cash flow
• Rental payments can be offset against profits
• Ongoing admin support and advice
• Road Fund Licence covered for the term
• Optional maintenance cover package, breakdown cover, replacement vehicle cover and GAP insurance

VAT registered businesses can claim 50% of the VAT back on the monthly payments for cars and up to 100% for commercial vehicles. For the maintenance element of contracts, VAT registered businesses can claim 100% of the VAT back. 

At the end of the contract, businesses do not have to worry about disposing of the vehicle as vehicles are returned to the finance company. 

When working out your leasing deal we will agree an annual mileage with you, but you will also see any excess mileage charges in your agreement. 

Excess mileage is usually charged as (x)pence per mile, so if your excess is 7p per mile and you go over your mileage by 2,000 miles you will have to pay £140. 

We get asked this a lot, understandably, and what we advise is that your car should be returned in the condition that you would expect a car of (x) many years old, that has done (x) miles, at that stage. 

Many finance companies have their own slight variations of what fair wear and tear is and you can ask for clarification on this from the relevant funder before you agree your deal however as a rule of thumb all vehicle leasing companies do follow the 'BVRLA' (British Vehicle Rental Leasing Association's) fair wear & tear guidelines which you can view by clicking on the below link.   

Click here to view the BVRLA guide