Thank you to our team from Hitachi, one of our select finance companies/funders, for visiting the team to showcase one their amazing SUV offers – the BMW X2 (a small SUV/crossover option).
So would the BMW X2 be your select leasing option? Or would the Mercedes GLA, Audi Q2 or Jaguar E-Pace be your choice?
As a credit broker, not a lender, we work alongside a select number of finance companies who provide us with the offers and solutions to present to our personal and business lease customers. When customers get in touch, particularly when leasing for the first time, they presume that we are using our own rates on each vehicle and have complete discretion and control of the financial process.
What actually happens in practice is that each finance company will provide us with a rate on each and every vehicle in the UK and we will use a system to present the cheapest option to you.
Not every car we supply is through just one finance company and you could receive a vehicle which is effectively being financed by any one of the 10 companies we work with directly or indirectly.
What customers perhaps need to be aware of is that each finance company will have slightly different terms and conditions. Each will underwrite (credit check) slight differently and each can offer different approaches to maintenance, terminations, extensions and purchasing of vehicle. There isn’t a bible to leasing.
So you can still lease diesel car? & Do you offer low mileage lease solutions?
While the car shown is very much a diesel vehicle, we actually have two amazing offers on the petrol equivalent.
Contract hire is very much a product where mileage is important – there is no such thing as unlimited miles in our industry! When you ask for quotation, your annual mileage will be hugely instrumental on the price you pay. As noted above, the mileage each finance company can offer as a minimum or maximum will vary; there is no set rule. However, in most cases our annual mileage minimum will be anywhere between 5,000 and 8,000 per annum.
For some drivers who only cover short journeys, their annual mileage is fairly nominal and they do not want to sign up for a 10,000 mile per annum contract.
With contract hire, there is no rebate or cashback when you hand the vehicle back at contract cessation.
If you sign up for a 20,000 mile contract (total) and return it with 10,000, the only benefit is to the finance company. Do not assume you will receive something for this. When we chat to customers, we will qualify your mileage and if you indicate your are covering low annual mileage, this is something we will investigate. We will, where possible, offer you the lowest annual mileage contact which we can do with that finance company.
Ultimately, this is about offering a solution which meets your needs and requirements.
So if I am covering low miles, can I lease a diesel car?
This something which has caused controversy over the few years. The “dieselgate” scandal which hit the headlines, and has never really left, has made drivers think more carefully about the vehicles they choose. A diesel vehicle works slightly differently to a petrol, in particular it used a diesel particulate filter (DPF) which removes soot from the engine.
This relies on the vehicle becoming hot enough to clear the DPF; this happens the vehicle travels longer distances and reaches higher speeds.
For lower-mileage drivers with stop/start driving the danger is that this does not happen and the DPF will become blocked.
In these instances the cost and time involved in clearing the DPF will be the customer’s. You also have to appreciate that a diesel relies on achieving its higher MPGs by carrying out the longer journeys. If you are only nipping in and out, the 60 MPG plus is not going to be achieved. This is something we raise with customers, as they do need to understand that a diesel vehicle relies on your driving styles and behaviours being suitable.
Diesel vehicles are not being banned nor are they are an issue. It is more of a question of the right customers choosing them.
In terms of the car shown here, the BMW X2 DIESEL HATCHBACK xDrive 20d M Sport X 5dr Step Auto, this is based on the following configuration:
Alpine white Solid Paint
Dakota leather – Black with grey stitching
Aluminium hexagon anthracite interior trim
19″ Burnished M Y-spoke light alloy wheels finished in orbit grey – Style 722M with run flat tyres
As standard the car includes rear parking distance control, cruise control, 6 speaker loudspeaker, Led ambient lighting, Dakota leather, 19” alloys, green tinted heat protection glazing, heated windscreen washer jets, rain sensor with automatic headlight activation, ASC, DSC, hill descent control, hill start assist, multi collision braking system, floor mats, Bluetooth, BMW online services, instrument cluster with 5.7” colour display, automatically dimming rear view mirror, body coloured mirrors, electrcially adjustable and heated door mirrors, DAB radio, M Sport X dynamic bodystyling, dynamic brake lights, LED fog lights, LED headlights, two zone climate control, multifunction steering wheel, welcome lighting, extended storage pack, exterior styling pack, 40/20 split folding seats, electronic differential lock, sports steals, immobiliser and a Thatcham Cat 1 alarm.
In terms of additional extras consider sun protection glass, apple car play and the M Sport Plus Pack.
On the technical-side company car and business drivers can note the P11d at £38,150.00 and CO2 at 124g/km. The 1995CC 8 speed auto engine delivers 60.1 combined MPG (EC), 45.6 (WLTP), 190ps and 0-62 times of 7.7 seconds.
