Thank you to our car rental partners, Enterprise (Leigh near Greater Manchester), for allowing the CarLease UK team to test and review their latest fleet addition – the Mercedes A-Class.
The new A-Class has been tremendously popular and is probably one of the most searched for car leasing deals of 2018 (since it launched earlier this year).
Without doubt this is one of Merc’s volume cars, appealing to younger and older driver alike with their wide-ranging specification and options.
Available in an SE, Sport, AMG Line and now AMG (A35), plus in a variety of petrol/diesel engines which offer manual and auto transmission, Merc truly have a car which appeals to the UK masses.
One of the big queries we get when customers are leasing a car for the first time is maintenance – should I include maintenance or do it myself? To make things clear, when you are looking to contract hire a vehicle you have two choices: 1) driver-maintained (sometime referred to as non-maintained); or 2) funder-maintained (sometimes referred to as fully-maintained). Do not presume that just because this is a brand-new vehicle or that it is a lease vehicle that everything will be included; it isn’t!
While all the vehicles we supply are brand-new, this only means that you will have a warranty included within the arrangement as standard.
A warranty is provided to the customer by the manufacturer for 3/4/5 or 7 years (manufacturer dependent) and covers defaults or defects which arise through no fault of the customer.
A warranty is not there to include regular servicing, coolant top-ups, ad-blue or tyres.
Every vehicle we supply will have a service-interval; this is set by the manufacturer as every “x” thousand miles or every “x” months. Most modern vehicles will tell you when they need a service to avoid any issues from arising.
Additionally, most modern cars will inform you if there is insufficient coolant or oil, so you know that the situation needs to be remedied.
It is crucial that you resolve this in a timely manner as failing to do so could lead to you invalidating the warranty. If you do this, any issues which arise will be at your own risk (and cost).
Taking into account the above, you need to carefully consider how you proceed. If you are a risk-averse individual (or business) and you want certainty of cost, the funder-maintained will be an ideal option. Bear in mind that as a credit broker we operate with a number of finance companies and they each have a slightly different approach.
However, many of our main funders operate some very high standard maintenance programmes. As such, you will benefit from:
· Unlimited premium brand tyre replaced
· No recharges for punctured/damaged tyres
· All servicing
· All mechanical and electrical repairs which arise through fair wear and tear
· MOT tests
· All bulbs, batteries, exhausts, wiper blades, alternators and starter motors
· Mobile tyre fitting service
· Breakdown recovery and assist (in some cases)
For our customers, this means that apart from fuel and insurance, the salient costs of running and managing a vehicle are included. If you are a business and VAT registered, you can reclaim 100% of the VAT on the maintenance element of the payment. To assist our customers, we provide them with the contact details to arrange all the maintenance elements of their vehicle.
They simply call one number which will give them the options for servicing, breakdown, tyres and car issues etc
However, if this arrangement is not suitable, there is no obligation or pressure to take it. As such, you need to pursue the avenue below.
Some customers prefer to take a vehicle on a driver-maintained/non-maintained lease. In this arrangement, the customer is taking the responsibility for all servicing and tyres. At their own cost (and time) they need to ensure everything is carried out in accordance with the manufacturer recommendations. Where can I get my lease car serviced? Check who the finance company is first. For some finance companies, they will enforce you to take the vehicle to a franchised-dealer, otherwise they will charge you at the end of the contract.
For other finance companies they will allow you to go to any VAT-registered garage which uses genuine manufacturer parts.
For tyres, any punctures or wear/tear, needs to be remedied by you. Do not replace tyres with part-worn or budget branded tyres; you must ensure that premium tyres are used and they meet the same size/speed/rating as the ones supplied with the vehicle originally. Again, failing to do could lead to charges at the end of the contract.
To ensure you have the best contract hire experience, when you are researching your vehicles, check both a driver and funder-maintained arrangement. Ensure the running costs/whole life costs are being considered as part of your decision. Do not be encouraged to push your budget just to get a better car or premium brand; you need to consider affordability and the long-term proposition of the product.
In terms of the car shown here, the Mercedes-Benz A CLASS DIESEL HATCHBACK A180d Sport Executive 5dr Auto, this is based on the following configuration:
· Metallic – Cosmos Black
· Artico leather/Fleron fabric – Black
· 17″ 10 spoke light alloy wheels painted in vanadium silver
As standard the car includes hard-dick navigation, dual Bluetooth interface, heated rear windscreen with timer control, rain sensor wipers, active brake assist including forward collision warning with autonomous braking, floor mats, 180 degree rear view camera with parking guidelines, active lane keep assist, active park assist with front/rear parking sensors, attention assist, cruise control, lane change functions, stop/start system, 10.25” media display, 7” colour screen, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors with integrated LEDs, DAB radio, body coloured externals, diamond radiator grille, headlamp assist, LED high performance headlamps, 3-spoke multifunction steering wheel, climate control, artico leather, gearshift paddles, 17” alloys, keyless go, heated front seats, 1/3 to 2/3 split folding rear seats, seta comfort package, mirror package and alarm/immobiliser system. In terms of additional factory options consider – advanced navigation package or go for the Premium/Premium Plus package.
On the technical-side company car and business users can note the P11d at £29,295.00 and CO2 at 111g/km for calculating company car tax/BiK. The 1461CC 7 speed auto engine delivers 67.3 combined MPG, 116ps and 0-62 times of 10.5 seconds. The service intervals on a diesel A-class are every 12 months or 15,500 miles, whichever lands sooner.
So would you select the Mercedes A-class as your next leasing option? Or would the Audi A3, BMW 1 series or VW Golf get your vote?
Find the best lease car deals on the Mercedes A Class @CarLease UK – or – check out some more Hatchback related posts and reviews below.
