Thank you to our car rental partner, Enterprise at Leigh (nr Manchester), for allowing us to review a new addition to their rental fleet – the Vauxhall Insignia Diesel Estate.
If you are looking for a short-term solution to your car / van needs, do get in touch with their team. Car rental is very much based on daily / weekly requirements, for example if you need a bigger car for the Christmas period, car rental would provide you with the ideal solution.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to vehicle procurement. It is very much about taking into account all the needs and requirements of the customer and trying to meet these with the finance products above. Don’t be influenced simply on price or hearsay, do make sure you conduct your own due diligence and investigation before jumping into a decision.
When you are looking at your next vehicle, you do need to carefully consider each of the main ways to run your car / fleet, before making a decision:
1. Car rental – as noted above, this is very much about using a car for a daily / weekly period. In some cases, the car rental company will offer monthly or quarterly type arrangements. The benefits to hire is that you can include insurance and you will not have to maintain the vehicle / pay for the tyres. There is also no long-term commitment, so you can often return the vehicle when you want. This is great for an individual who may only need a car for the weekend or if you need a vehicle while your car is on order. For a business, if you have an employee on a probationary period, this might be a great solution to utilise for 3-4 months, while you ensure the employee is going to remain within your business.
However, do note that car rental is often much more expensive than long-term contract hire and car purchase. Additionally, you will never own the vehicle;
2. Contract Hire – this is a long-term use of a vehicle over 2, 3 or 4 years. This is very much an alternative to buying a car and is suitable for those customers, personal or business, who want to use a vehicle for a specific period of time and return it at the end of the contract. This is not a purchase-style product, so you will never own the vehicle. For some customers, the inclusion of servicing, tyres and maintenance (funder-maintained), offers certainty of cost in that you can accommodate everything on a vehicle apart from the fuel and insurance. If you are changing your vehicle regularly, contract hire is a great solution, as this removes the risks of depreciation and administration associated with purchasing a car. However, if you are looking for a solution in excess of 4 years, do consider other options.
For a business, contract hire can offer a tax-efficient method to run your fleet but do consider that the employee will have to pay company car tax as this is a benefit in kind; or
3. Car purchase – whether you buy outright or via a purchase-style product like PCP or Hire Purchase, buying a vehicle is a great way to run a vehicle over a long-period of time. If you are keeping a vehicle between 5 and 10 years, car rental and contract hire are not relevant products. By purchasing a vehicle, you have complete control of what happens and do not answer to a finance company or rental company.
There is no risk of charges at the end of the contract, as the vehicle will simply be sold. However, all risks on owning the car are passed to the customer.
In terms of the car shown here, the Vauxhall INSIGNIA DIESEL SPORTS TOURER 2.0 Turbo D SRi Nav 5dr Manual, this is based on the following configuration:
· Metallic – Sovereign silver
· Monita cloth – Black
· 17″ 5 twin spoke alloy wheels
As standard, the car includes cruise control, 17” alloys, sports front seats, leather steering wheel, dark tinted rear glass, brake assist, hill start assist, traction control, voice control system, traffic sign recognition, navigation (Navi 900), Apply carplay, electric and heated door mirrors, automatic lighting control, climate control, driver assistance pack, sight and light pack, keyless entry and start, smart entry and Thatcham approved ant-theft system. On additional factory options do consider adding front and rear parking distance sensors, the winter pack and VXR styling pack.
On the technical-side, company car drivers can note the P11d at £24,840.00 and CO2 at 139g/km for a standard vehicle. The 1956CC 6 speed manual delivers 53.3 combined MPG, 170ps and service intervals are set at every 12 months or every 20,000 miles. Do consider the driver-maintained vs funder-maintained arrangements.
So would the Vauxhall Insignia estate be your estate car leasing option? Or would you select from the other great cars such as the VW Passat Estate, Skoda Superb Estate, Ford Mondeo Estate and Hyundai i40 Estate or perhaps an Audi A4 Avant is more your thing?
Let us know your thoughts and comments on which car you would choose!
Click Here for the best personal and business leasing deals on the fabulous Vauxhall Insignia Estate, available now from @CarLease UK