It was an absolute pleasure to take delivery of this beautiful car, the Audi S5, on Friday and organise a personal handover of it on the Saturday morning to our existing business leasing customer based in Warrington (Cheshire).
Running a small business fleet, such as our customer’s, is a relatively easy process so long as you manage everything in a practical manner.
One of the first considerations for a business is whether or not your will carry out all servicing, maintenance and tyre replacements yourself or whether you wish for this to be included within the cost of the arrangement.
The former is known as a “driver-maintained” arrangements and the latter is a “funder-maintained” arrangement. As all the cars we supply are brand-new, these will be covered by a warranty which will be between 3-5 years dependent upon the manufacturer.
A warranty is there to protect a customer against faults on the vehicle which arise through no fault of the customer. This does not cover the general maintenance of the vehicle as some people believe.
When you take a new vehicle, check the servicing intervals, which will be set at a time period (every 12 or 24 months) and a mileage period (every 10-25,000 miles). While most cars will tell you when servicing is required, set a calendar reminder for every 6-12 months (mileage dependent) with your employee/driver to check servicing.
By taking a funder-maintained arrangement the cost of tyre replacements can also be included. That being said, as we work alongside a select number of finance companies not every finance company has the same rules for tyres (so do check with us first). In some cases the finance company will cover replacements for fair wear and tear i.e. when the tyre needs replacing. In other cases, finance companies will cover this AND any punctures/damage to tyres (apart from negligence). For fleet management, consider using a finance company which offers the latter, as there is always a risk of a puncture and a driver being off the road for 1 – 2 days. Not to mention that a tyre will cost anywhere between £120-£350 depending upon size and rating.
As per the servicing, you need to have calendar reminders for tyre checks as a vehicle which does not have legal tyres is unfit for the UK roads. This could present an issue to your company.
In terms of the individual drivers, you do need to have a couple of basic obligations satisfied. Firstly, check that your driver has a valid UK licence and carry out the necessary checks to ensure they do not have points or, more seriously, any driving convictions. Often, the fleet insurance will expect you to carry out these checks on an annual basis. Consider a formal driver/road risk policy which is presented to the driver and subsequently signed, so that they are aware of their obligations during the lease i.e. when can they drive the vehicle, do they need to check oil/water/coolant and driver training. Ensure you do enough with your drivers to mitigate any duty of care issues which could arise. Most of which can be achieved through basis planning and preparation.
In terms of the car shown here, the Audi A5 SPORTBACK S5 Quattro 5dr Tiptronic, this was based on the following configuration:
· Ibis white Solid Paint
· Fine Nappa leather – Black with Rock Grey stitching
· Matt brushed aluminium inlay
· 19″ 5 spoke cavo design alloy wheels in part polished/contrast grey finish
· Electric folding auto dimming door mirrors with memory
· Virtual Cockpit
· Red Brake Calipers
As standard, the car includes LED interior pack, LED headlights, sound system, hill hold function, 3 spoke leather steering wheel, heated front seats, sports suspension, cruise control, electric front seats, heat insulated glass, rain and light sensors, smartphone interface, mobile telephone preparation, Audi drive select, Audi parking system with front/rear sensors, multi-collision braking, tailgate release, MMI navigation, electric adjustable and heated door mirrors, S body styling, fog lights, body coloured externals, Nappa upholstery, extended interior pack first aid kit, pre-sense city braking, warning triangle, lumbar support, sports seats anti-theft system, keyless start, 19” alloys and space saver wheel. In terms of additional factory options consider – privacy glass, rear view camera, virtual cockpit and the panoramic sunroof for the full experience.
In terms of the technical specification, company car and business drivers can note the P11d at £48,640.00 and CO2 at 174g/km. The 2995CC 8 speed auto engine delivers 354ps, 0-62 times of 4.7 seconds and combined MPG of 36.7.
So would you select the Audi S5 Sportback as your preferred leasing option? Or would you go to BMW for an M3 or a BMW M4 or to Mercedes for a AMG C63 saloon or an AMG C63 coupe or maybe the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is more your thing!?
Let us know your thoughts on which car you think is the best lease sports option!
Find the best deals on the awesome Audi S5 available for personal or business lease right now here at CarLease UK – you can also check out our recent post on the best Audi Lease Deals to be found online currently.
