1. When do you need a vehicle? If you don’t need a car for 6 months, there’s no point in looking at Vauxhall Astra Leasing Deals now – because the price will be different. You should be looking around 12 – 14 weeks before you need a car. Quite often though, some of the best deals to be had, are based on stock vehicles that need to be sold. Wait until about 4 weeks if you fancy a gamble!
2. Ask only 3 or 4 Companies – If price is the most important part to you, then pick a handful of the cheapest companies and request a quote. Don’t send out multiple requests to 20 companies. We NEVER respond when we’re up against more than 3 competitors. Why is that? Simple – it’s too much like a raffle for our liking and not worth the time taken to quote. If you’re in business, how excited would you be about the prospect of competing against 20 others?
3. Compare LIKE for LIKE - Check the following to make sure you are comparing the quotes:
(a) Payment profile. This will normally be 6 + 35, 3 + 35, 3 + 23 etc. The easiest way to compare, is to work out the total payable. All you need to do is total the number of rentals, and multiply by the monthly figure. Add in any “admin” fees or “doc fees” or anything else you’re being quoted over and above the monthly rentals. Whichever has the lowest TOTAL charges, has the best deal. Please see the example below.
(b) Vehicle Make / Model. Are the quotes all quoting the correct make/model? The differences can sometimes be quote subtle.
(c) What about options? Do the quotes INCLUDE or EXCLUDE metallic paint for example?
(d) Don’t forget the VAT. If you are a personal leasing customer, make sure you comparing quotes that INCLUDE VAT.
4. What is the TRUE cost? Following on from our point above, please see the following example of working out the total costs:
A Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch 1.9 CDTI inc metallic paint = £199.99 + VAT on a 3 + 35 with 10k mpa. Two companies are quoting a £195 + VAT doc fee.
The total rental = 38 rentals x £199.99 + VAT = £7,599.62 + VAT (business) or £8,739.56 inc VAT (personal).
Add in the doc fee of £195 + VAT = £7,794.62 + VAT (business) or £8,963.81 inc VAT (personal).
5. Is the Broker asking for a deposit? Not to be confused with the “Initial Rental” – always paid directly to the finance company. We would strongly recommend NEVER paying a deposit to any company other than the company that is financing the deal. Otherwise, if the broker went out of business before the deal was completed, you could lose your money!
6. Call the Broker / Leasing Company. How do they behave? Are they honest? How knowledegable are they? Do they return your calls? Do you LIKE the person you’re talking to? The cheapest deal does not always turn out to be the “best” deal. As with anything in life, we believe service is worth paying for. Choose a company you feel you can TRUST and feel COMFORTABLE dealing with. A few quid a month for peace of mind and having your emails answered & calls returned is well worth the investment. Check out our Happy Customers for real feedback about our company.
7. What is Your Monthly Budget? This is the most important element when choosing a car lease deal. It will determine which vehicles you be choosing from so have a good think.