An absolute pleasure to hand-over this beautiful hatchback to our local car lease customer, from Leigh (Greater Manchester), last week – say hello to the new Mercedes A Class!
We often get asked the question – what is the best car to lease in 2019? Much of this is subjective in terms of the car-style and the price but there are a number of vehicles which just seem to meet the needs of most customers.
While there really are no longer any “bad” cars, there are some vehicle which just seem to tick all of the rights boxes.
The Mercedes A Class is definitely one of them. With a good array of specifications (SE, Sport and AMG Line) and engine sizes (from a 180 diesel/petrol to the A35 performance model), this is a vehicle which is equally at home with younger and older drivers and personal or business contract hire customers. It is no surprise that this is now a crucial part of the Mercedes fleet.
I’m only doing low-mileage, do I really have to pay for 10,000 per annum? A very good, and relevant question, which gets posed to our team regularly. At the time of this blog, the deals advertised on our website are based on 10,000 mile per annum contracts. Why? Many of our customers seem to gravitate towards the 10-15k mileage threshold and so we took the decision to show mileages which are customers tend to choose. However, can you take on a contract with lower annual miles?
As a credit broker, not a lender, we work alongside a select number of finance companies who pay us for introducing our customers to them.
No – we don’t do this for free! Because we work with different finance companies, each of them operate slightly different rules and terms, for example some companies will allow a certain minimum mileage whereas others will offer a higher maximum mileage.
So what should a low-mileage customer do? Before signing the contracts for the vehicle, you should raise your actual annual mileage with the leasing broker or finance company. The cost you pay for the vehicle per month is based on a) the actual vehicle b) the term (2,3 or 4 years) c) if you need driver/funder-maintained d) the annual mileage. The mileage will determine the rate at which the car depreciates and a car covering 8,000 miles per annum will be cheaper per month than a car covering 15,000 miles per annum. You will find that the more expensive and luxury the vehicle is the higher this differential will be. For a low-mileage user, you should state your actual mileage as the 10,000 mile contract may be amendable to 8,000, or even 5,000 miles per annum in some cases.
As such, you receive a contract which is not only suitable for your needs and requirements but which is cheaper for you.
Do bear in mind that at the end of the contract the finance company will not offer you a subsidy or cash-back if the vehicle is returned with fewer miles. While “excess mileage” is chargeable to the customer any “under” mileage is not refundable.
Any additional profit will be payable to the finance company directly, as the vehicle will be sold at auction.
In terms of the car shown here, the Mercedes-Benz A CLASS HATCHBACK A200 AMG Line 5door Auto (Petrol), this is based on the following configuration:
· Mountain Grey Metallic Paint
· Dinamica microfibre trim in black
· Artico man-made leather/Microfibre Dinamica – Black with red stitching
· 18″ AMG 5 twin spoke light alloy wheels in titanium grey with highsheen finish
As standard the car includes blue tinted glass, rain sensing wipers, active brake assist including forward collision warning and autonomous braking, adaptive brake assist with hill hold function and hill start assist, brake callipers with Mercedes lettering, AMG floor mats, hard-disk navigation, 180 degree parking camera with guidelines, active lane keep assist, attention assist, cruise control, DYNAMIC select, stop/start function, 7” instrument panel, 7” media display, DAB radio, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors with LED indicators, body coloured externals, headlamp assist, LED high performance headlamps, climate control, artico with microfire upholstery, stainless steel pedals, footwell lights, light and sight pack, seat comfort pack, warning triangle and first aid kit, 40/20/40 split folding seats, sports seats, keyless go, 18” alloys and alarm/immobiliser. In terms of additional factory options, thee is isn’t much to add other than advanced connectivity pack and the light aluminium grain trim.
Alternatively, upgrade the vehicle by adding one of the packs below:
· Executive – this adds a mirror package, 10.25” media display, heated front seats and active parking assist (with parktronic)
· Premium – in addition to the executive features, you get ambient lighting, illuminated door sills, keyless entry and mid-range sound system
· Premium Plus – the top of the range features includes all of the above plus memory seats, multibeam LEDs, adaptive high beam assist and the panoramic glass sunroof.
On the technical-side company car and business users can note the P11d at £29,300.00 and CO2 at 123g/km. The 1332CC 7 speed auto petrol engine delivers 53.3 combined MPG (EC), 45.6 combined MPG (WLTP), 163ps and 0-62 times of 8 seconds. The service intervals on a petrol A-Class are every 12 months or 15,500 miles.
Would you select the A-Class as your car leasing option of 2019? Or would the VW Golf, Audi A3 or BMW 1 series or Volvo V40 get your vote?
Find the best lease car deals online for the A-Class @CarLease UK – or – check out more hatchback/ family lease car reviews below…
