In today’s world, driving a luxury car is now even more affordable thanks to the different finance and leasing options available to us. In the United States around one quarter of the cars on the road are leased.
In the United Kingdom, whilst Vehicle leasing is still popular, many drivers prefer to take out car loans of purchase finance which means that they ultimately own the car at the end of the finance term. During this time the car will depreciate in value and servicing costs can become very expensive.
Motoring is now very expensive with ever increasing fuel and insurance costs but is a necessary part of our lives as we need to travel to work or to transport items from one place to another. We are all looking for ways to make it as pleasant as possible but reducing the costs at the same time… and it is possible without reducing the amount of travel that you do.
Vehicle leasing is sometimes associated with businesses as this is where it has been largely popular in the past but it is now becoming more and more popular with the personal market as it offers a number of cost benefits for drivers from initial deposits, right through to the maintenance of the vehicle.
Firstly, you could be driving a car that under normal circumstances you wouldn’t be able to afford, with all the extra bells,whistles and trimmings. You could also get a car from a manufacturer that might have been previously out of your price range. The car will also be brand new – again something that you might not have been able to afford if you were purchasing it outright.
During the period of the lease it is quite common for road tax to be included, so there is an annual fee that you don’t have to worry about. On top of that you can also get maintenance packages included in your lease so things like servicing (and now very often tyres) are included in the monthly lease price.
One of the biggest factors financially is there that is no large outlay when you pick up the car. Some lease plans may require 2-3 months deposit at the beginning but you may only be talking a deposit of £750 compared to thousands on a purchase or finance package. The price of the vehicle remains the same for the period of the lease so you can plan your finances thanks to the fixed cost motoring of the monthly payments. Lease payments are also very often much less costly than repayments on a hire purchase package or car loan.
Lastly, vehicle / car leasing is a great way to get a brand new motor every three to four years meaning that you can be driving the latest models that are more economical on fuel and have improved handling, performance and safety features. All at no extra cost!
All in all, it makes a lot of sense to consider a vehicle leasing contract when you are looking to next change your car. The only real downside is that you never get to own the vehicle, but when it comes to cars they are always going to depreciate in value and as they get older become more expensive to maintain and run. With a vehicle contract lease you don’t have to worry about this, you can simply get a new car at the end of your term!
