A big thanks to one of our leading VW suppliers, Warrington VW (http://bit.ly/31YyV4K), for visiting the car lease uk team in one of our most popular lease deals – the VW Golf.
So would the VW Golf be your select leasing option? Or would the Ford Focus, BMW 1 Series or Mercedes A Class be for you?
As a broker, not a lender or supplier, we introduce our personal and business customers to one of our selected finance companies and one of the franchised dealerships that we work alongside.
This means that we don’t physically deliver the car to you ourselves; we are very much the “middle man” in the leasing arrangement.
So when customers ask us whether or not we can offer a demo or test-drive of the vehicle, this is not something which we can arrange. We don’t have a forecourt with vehicles outside or a number of experience centres throughout the UK.
For customers new to the leasing world, this can be a strange phenomenon as the traditional route of car procurement is to visit one, or a number of dealerships, with a view to test-driving and obtaining purchase/lease prices on each vehicle.
The modern era of online sales has resulted in quicker and more efficient solutions creeping into the automotive industry. The result has seen quicker decisions for customers and more instant access to finance quotations and car options.
So is it not broker v dealer? Absolutely not. We cannot exist without our dealer partners and the level of discounts and service they supply us are instrumental to our customer’s experience and our business success. The notion of competitiveness is not strictly true; for many customers wanted to purchase they will head to a dealer whereas contract hire will see that customer visiting an online leasing broker.
Understanding this relationship should hopefully educate customers on what is happening and provide additional comfort as to the quality of the process.
We work alongside household dealerships which provides the customer with comfort that they are being looked after appropriately. It is often the case that the delivery process causes the biggest amounts of issues and complaints; dirty vehicles, small scratches, missing items and delayed delivery drivers all form part of this conversation.
Things do go wrong (the process is not perfect!) and we want our customers to receive the highest standards of care and resolution. Working with a solid dealership ensure this to be the case.
So why not just go to a dealer – do we really need a contract hire broker? Of course, some of this is down to opinion and subjectivity. Some customers, and members of the automotive industry, don’t believe that the leasing broker route is the right way to progress.
The physical detachment from the customer and the notion of poor service/inappropriate marketing seems to be persistent.
The fact is that our industry has undergone significant changes and the level of quality across the brokering community has improved considerably. Between the FCA, the BVRLA, the ICO and our select finance companies, treating customers fairly, responsibly and safely is now paramount. To say we are an unregulated market is fictitious; every file must be managed in exactly the same way and each of us is subject to continued oversight and audits.
Where many customers enjoy the experience is that each finance company has a different rate/price for the vehicle whereas a dealer will often only have one choice. For some customers, price is key and the cheapest quote is the winning one.
In addition, we are experts on leasing and the process which follows. This specialism places us above other dealers/car suppliers; it is often the case that you should concentrate on what you do best.
In terms of the car shown, the Volkswagen GOLF DIESEL HATCHBACK 2.0 TDI R-Line 5dr DSG, this is based on the following configuration:
Deep Black Pearl Paint
Cloth – Titan black with San Remo microfibre side bolsters
17″ Singapore alloy wheels with anti-theft wheel bolts
As standard the car includes lumbar support the driver, discover navigation with 8” colour screen, 17” alloys, halogen headlights, sports seats, manual air conditioning, LED rear lights, front and rear parking sensors, car net app, rear tinted glass to 65%, post collision braking, EDL, ADR, front and rear carpet mats, Bluetooth, AA (adaptive cruise), stop/start system, body coloured mirrors and externals, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, DAB radio, stainless steel pedals, LED daytime running lights, cooled glovebox, dusk sensor, R Line specific aesthetics, ambient lighting pack, convenience pack, light and sight pack, mirror pack, R Line styling pack, 60/40 slit folding rear seats, space saver steel wheel, XDS differential lock, immobiliser and alarm with interior protection.
In terms of additional options consider adding – winter pack, keyless entry and the electrically adjustable driver’s seat.
On the technical-side company car and business users can note the P11d at £29,130.00 and CO2 at 118g/km. The 1968CC 7 speed auto diesel engine delivers 150ps, 62.8 combined MPG (EC), 50.4 (WLTP) and 0-62 times of 8.6 seconds. Service intervals are set at every 24 months or 10,000 miles whichever lands sooner.
