Thank you to our personal leasing customer, from Fife (Scotland), for sending through images of their brand-new lease car – the Mercedes A-Class.
Like many of our recent customers, the launch of the A-Class brought about our customer’s interest in leasing a new car; the UK seems to love this vehicle quite considerably (and even Mercedes themselves advertise it on TV using contract hire figures).
The hatchback-range is immensely popular, particularly now that premium manufacturers are using this avenue in order to achieve volume of sales. While traditionally the VW Golf was perhaps the class-leader (and still is to some degree), the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Mercedes A-Class provide an unenviable choice to most personal and business customers.
So much so, many customers now want to engage with shorter 24 month contracts, as they often like to change between the different options available. Maybe this is why a contract hire agreement is more suitable than a purchase-style agreement (like hire purchase) – it is more certain that the vehicle is going back to the finance company without worry of car values/depreciation.
With the personal leasing customer here being from Fife and the CarLease UK team being based in-between Manchester and Liverpool, the first (and most obvious) question was – how does the lease vehicle get to me? While there are slight nuances between different credit brokers/finance companies/dealerships, it is more often the case that the cost of the vehicle delivery is INCLDUED within your monthly rental. Unless, there is a necessity for you to collect the vehicle (perhaps the dealer is local to you), you are not expected to go and collect your new car or van. Much like an “amazon order”, the vehicle is ordered and then, after due process, is delivered to your home or business address; sometimes as quickly as 7-14 days.
If you do wish to collect the car, you are not entitled to a refund or rebate; the costs are fixed into the agreement and so if you wish to do this, you will do so at your own cost.
How are lease cars delivered? This is an area of contention and most issues/complaints do arise during this stage of the process.
Some customers, incorrectly, believe that a new car will be “trailer” driven to their home or business address.
By this we mean that the car is placed on a low-loader or transporter and is driven to the customer so not to incur 1) mileage; or 2) damage. In practice, around 90% of our vehicles are “driven” to a customer.
This means that a vehicle is collected from the Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) Centre by a driver, who will then physically drive it to the customer, regardless of the distance. What this means is that your new lease vehicle could incur up to 300 miles in the transportation process. While most finance companies disregard this mileage from your contract entitlement, not all finance companies are the same (some do include it). While the driver should wash the car before it arrives, it will nevertheless incur some minor dirt on route. What some customers need to appreciate is that this is completely normal; due to the transportation process it is not possible to allow the car to arrive in a completely pristine condition.
We send a pre-delivery email to customers to alert them to this.
If you do want your vehicle to be “transported” to you, this is something you need to raise before delivery. This will often be available to you at an additional cost – somewhere in the region of £200 – £500 plus VAT depending on the distance travelled/car being delivered. There are very few franchised dealers who include this free of charge.
Even prestige manufacturers, such as Land Rover or Jaguar may not offer this service to you. However, we do understand that it is a nice addition when a car does arrive on a transporter, as this provides that new-car feeling!
What do I do when the lease car is delivered? The process of receiving the vehicle and signing the vehicle acceptance note (the finance piece in the puzzle), should take no more than 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
When the car arrives, if you have your order to hand (which you signed with the broker/finance company), this will set out the basic specification, additional specification and configuration, which you can quickly tick-off.
If you follow our guide to lease car deliveries, this shows you a step-by-step process for reviewing a car from top to bottom and to ensure you check the paintwork and alloys for any bumps/scratches/damage.
Because of the huge logistic undertaking, things can go wrong and issues do arise. If you spot anything which you are not happy with, you can note this on the delivery sheet and this will be remedied afterwards by a mobile painter or bodyshop. For serious damage, the vehicle may be returned or cancelled (this does not happen frequently). Also check that there are at least 2 sets of keys handed to you, a manufacturer service book and, if relevant, any SD cards for the navigation and media system. It is presumed these are included and if, whatever reason, they are not there, you will have to pay for them to be reinstated.
The key point to note about delivery – if you are concerned about the specification or damage, call your supplier immediately.
Once you have signed the delivery note, you are confirming you are happy with the vehicle and the contract will commence. It is incredibly difficult to seek remedy for damage subsequently found on a secondary inspection. This is where the vast majority of our complaints arise from.
In terms of the car shown here, the Mercedes-Benz A CLASS HATCHBACK A250 AMG Line 5door Auto (Petrol), this is based on the following configuration:
· Cosmos Black Metallic Paint
· Artico leather/Microfibre Dinamica – Black with red stitching
· Dinamica microfibre trim in black
· 18″ AMG 5 twin spoke light alloy wheels in titanium grey with highsheen finish
As standard the car includes the following:
· 180 degree rear view camera with parking guidelines
· 3 Spoke flat bottom leather multi function steering wheel with perforated leather in grip area
· 3 rear 3 point seatbelts
· 40/20/40 split folding rear seats
· 7″ colour screen in instrument panel
· 7″ touchscreen media display
· ABS with Brake Assist
· AMG floor mats with red stitching
· AMG front, rear apron and side skirts
· Active bonnet
· Active brake assist includes forward collision warning system with autonomous braking
· Active lane keep assist
· Adaptive brake assist with hold function and hill start assist
· Adaptive brake lights
· Air vents surround and cruciform nozzle in silver chrome
· Alarm system/interior protection/immobiliser
· Artico leather/Microfibre Dinamica upholstery with red contrast stitching
· Attention assist
· Auto Mercedes-Benz child seat recognition sensor
· Black roof lining
· Black seatbelts
· Blue tinted glass
· Body colour bumpers
· Body colour door handles
· Body colour side skirt
· Body coloured door mirrors
· Brake callipers with Mercedes-Benz lettering + perforated brake discs
· Brake pad wear indicator warning light
· Brushed stainless steel sports pedals with rubber studs
· Childproof locks manually operated for rear doors and electrically operated for rear power windows
· Chrome beltline
· Controller on centre console with chrome surround
· Crash responsive emergency lighting
· Cruise control + speed limiter
· Cup holder and stowage compartment lighting
· DAB Digital radio
· DYNAMIC SELECT with a choice of driving modes (ECO, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Individual)
· Diamond radiator grille with chrome pins and silver louvre + chrome insert
· Direct steering
· Direction indicators with lane change function
· Driver and passenger head and side airbags
· Drivers knee airbag
· Dual bluetooth interface, 2 USB ports (type C)
· Dual stage Driver/Passenger Airbags
· ESP curve dynamic assist
· ESP with ASR
· Electric adjustable and heated door mirrors with integrated LED side indicators
· Electric front windows
· Electric rear windows
· Electronic parking brake
· Fluid level warning indicator for fuel, oil, coolant and washer fluid
· Front and rear seatbelt reminder
· Front centre armrest with storage compartment
· Front door sills with Mercedes benz lettering
· Front doors with ambient and signal light
· Front footwell lights
· Front reading lamps
· Front seat backs luggage nets
· Front seat cushion length adjustment
· Front signal exit lamp
· Front vanity lights
· Gearshift paddles on steering wheel
· Handle recess/closing light
· Hard-disk navigation
· Headlamp assist automatic headlamp activation
· Heated rear windscreen with timer control
· Height/reach adjustable steering column
· ISOFIX Child seat top tethers and anchor fixings
· Illuminated glovebox
· Keyless Go
· LED high performance headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lights
· LED tail lamp
· LED third brake light
· Lamp failure indicator
· Load securing rings in luggage compartment
· Lowered comfort suspension
· Luggage compartment cover
· MBUX multimedia system
· Manual height adjustable front seats
· Mercedes me connect including emergency call system
· Oddments tray lighting
· Outside temperature gauge
· Radio aerial integrated into roof spoiler
· Rain sensor windscreen wipers
· Rear Reading Lamps
· Rear fog lights
· Rear head restraints
· Rear wiper
· Remote central locking and crash sensor with emergency opening function
· Seat comfort pack – A Class
· Seat occupancy sensor for front passenger seat
· Service indicator (ASSYST)
· Speed sensitive power steering
· Sports seats with integrated headrests
· Stop/start system
· Storage compartment under load area floor
· Sunvisors with illuminated vanity mirrors
· Tirefit sealant kit
· Touchpad illumination
· Trip computer
· Twin front cupholders
· Twin trapezoidal tailpipes in polished stainless steel
· Two zone thermotronic luxury automatic climate control
· Tyre pressure monitoring system
· Voice activation
· Warning triangle and first aid kit
· Window airbags
In terms of the additional specification, consider adding the light aluminium trim OR upgrade to the Executive, Premium or Premium Plus Pack. An executive pack adds the mirror package/10.25” media screen, heated seats and the active parking assist. The premium pack adds keyless entry, ambient lighting and a mid-range sound system to this. For those not on a budget, the premium plus adds a panoramic glass sunroof, memory front seats and multibeam LEDSs.
On the technical-side, company car and businesses can note the P11d at £30,754.99 and CO2 at 141g/km. The 1991cc 7 speed auto petrol engine delivers 224ps, 45.6 combined MPG (EC), 40.4 combined MPG (WLTP) and 0-62 times of 6.2 seconds. Service intervals on a petrol A-Class are every 12 months or 15,500 miles, whichever lands sooner.
So is the A250 going to be your select leasing option? Or would the VW Golf GTI, BMW M140i or Audi 30TFSI get your vote?
Find the webs best lease deals on the Mercedes A-Class @CarLease UK – or – browse more hatchback lease car reviews below.
