Ask away
Below you can find answers to our most commonly asked questions about personal leasing. Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Give us a ring.
Covid-19 FAQs: New Customers
Absolutely. You can order completely online. Our delivery partners are now safely delivering cars that are in stock (you can find them here). There's a little more to it, so it's taking a little longer. If you'd like to know more about what makes our our delivery process safe, you can find out more here.
If in doubt, contact us. We’re here to help.
We're delivering now!
If you're thinking of ordering something that isn't in stock, it takes 12 weeks on average to come into stock once production starts but that is really only a guide. If you need a more accurate date then just get in touch.
You can read more about our safe delivery process here.
Simply put, we follow government guidelines. You can find a lot more information about what's involved here.
If you have any concerns or questions, please just get in touch.
Covid-19 FAQs: Existing Customers
If your MOT due date was before 1st August, you have an extra 6 months to get your car tested. It’s still your responsibility to make sure the car is roadworthy. As the MOT is to make sure your car is safe, it’s a good idea to get it done as soon as possible. There’s loads more information about the government MOT extension here.
If your MOT is due on or after the 1st of August then your due date doesn’t change, so you’ll need to get the test booked in before that date.
It’s important to get your car serviced to make sure it stays running well, not just because it’s a condition of your lease. We would recommend getting a service booked in as soon as you can once it’s due.
We’ll book your MOT or service for you if you picked our maintenance package, just give us a call and we’ll take it from there.
- Make sure everyone is safe
- Call the police and an ambulance if anyone is injured
- Swap contact details with anyone that was involved, including anyone that may have seen it happen
- If it’s safe to, take pictures of the cars involved (even if there’s no damage) and the road layout
- Don’t admit liability
If you break down, call the AA. Their regular patrol service is running – 0800 028 0205.
Preparing to lease an EV
- How far do you need to travel most days?
- How often do you need to take longer trips?
- Can you charge at home if you need to? (Do you have off-street parking?)
- Do you have charging points nearby – at work or in public spaces if you need them?
If you do lots of long-distance trips and you won't have the time to stop for 30 - 45 min at the services every now and then, you might be better choosing a plug-in hybrid. If charging isn’t a problem and you like the idea of lower maintenance costs, and cleaner air (by cutting out those tailpipe emissions), a fully electric car could be for you.
All the tech that goes into EVs can make them seem expensive. But, thanks to lots of competing manufacturers, they’re getting cheaper to lease.
It’s worth doing the maths to work out if your charging costs will be less than your fuel and maintenance. If they are (they are in most cases), and you’re planning to keep your car a while, an EV could pay off in the long run.
All those intelligent systems that keep your car running at its best (like regenerative breaking that takes the strain off your engine and brake pads) wouldn’t work in a manual.
There are so many EVs on the market now, we think there’s a model for everyone.
Yes, but only until you register your car with TFL which costs £10. They’ll let you know when it’s time to renew.
You’ll need a letter from us to explain that you’re the keeper of the car, you can request it here.
Charging your EV
That said, having your own charging point is handy, especially if you want to charge your car overnight when it’s often cheaper.
1. You could apply for a grant
Charging points typically cost around £700, including the grant from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).
- Buy or lease your EV or plug-in hybrid car from 1st October 2016
- Have off-street parking
- Choose a charging point on OLEV’s approved list
- Use a charging-point-installer on OLEV’s approved list.
2. You could use one of our OLEV-approved installers.
We’ve partnered with some of the best EV home charging point engineers that we could find - speak to Tom and the team to find out more.
Whether you pick an installer on our list or not, we’re here to help.
- Do you have a three-pin charging cable for your car? It’s an optional extra with some EVS.
- Have you checked with your energy provider? (It’s usually fine but charging with a three-pin plug could affect the overall energy supply to your home).
- Do you have the time? (It’s much faster to charge at a charging point).
Overall, it’s probably better to use your three-pin plug as back-up rather than for everyday charging.
Your EV’s SatNav should also show you the way to charging points when you need them.
And if you drive a Tesla, your SatNav will show you the way to Tesla’s own charging points. (Although you can use the public ones, too.)
If you have a charging unit at home with a tethered cable, you’ll need a separate cable to charge up when you’re out and about.
- Fully charging the average EV at home with a range of 180 to 200 miles costs about £10.
- Fully charging the same EV at a public charging point can cost as much as £20.
Most public charge points take payment cards and you won’t need a subscription to use them.
Running costs for your EV
In fact one piece of research said that EVs cost 23% less on average to service and run over three years (or 60,000 miles) compared to petrol cars.
The actual cost depends on when and where you charge. It’s typically cheaper to charge at home at night than at a public charging point in the middle of the day. If you’re really lucky, your employer might have installed a free or subsidised charging point in your office carpark.
Looking after your EV
Although you should still service your car, it shouldn’t cost as much as services you’ve had with ‘classic’ fuel cars. That’s because the mechanics of EVs are simpler and the tech is smarter.
You still need to replace wipers, fluids and bulbs. But EV’s don’t have as many internal moving parts – meaning there aren’t as many bits to go wrong. And they all use some kind of regenerative breaking to make your battery and brake pads last longer.
Your new EV battery will come with a big guarantee, so you shouldn’t need to worry about replacing it while you’re leasing from us.
Understanding EV jargon
They’re usually more helpful than a manufacturer’s range figures. That’s because manufacturers test cars under perfect laboratory settings – without loaded boots, a passenger in every seat or the rain pouring outside. ‘Real world’ ranges show what it’s really like to drive your car day-to-day.
You'll only find fully electric cars on ElectricAuto.
You can get a Plug in Hybrid (PHEV) which has a rechargeable battery and a classic petrol or diesel engine working together. They cost a bit more to run than pure EVs as you’ll need to buy fuel and look after your engine. But if you drive long distances you’ll be able to go further without stopping by using your battery and engine together.
You can find PHEVs and non-electric fuel cars to lease over on ZenAuto - we're part of the same group.
NEDC was the New European Driving Cycle. It’s a test that’s been around since the 1980s. But the EU is replacing it with the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) laboratory test.
If you like reading up on emissions testing, here’s the link.
Ordering
Of course, but there could be a charge depending on when/why you cancel.
If you cancel after we’ve ordered your new car from the dealer, you’ll need to pay any charges they apply but we’ll work with them to keep this as low as possible. It’s normally around 10% of the cost of the car including any optional extras.
Depending on why you want to cancel, you might prefer to just amend your order. There could be a £50 fee to do this.
If in doubt, please call us to talk this through before placing your order so we can make sure you have all the information you need before committing to anything.
You can’t. Your new wheels are only yours once you’ve placed your order.
We’ll send you an order confirmation email that has pretty much everything you need about the car in one place. For details about the lease, take a look at your lease agreement (you review and sign this when you place your order). Then we’ll be in touch to arrange delivery.
You’ll need to have fully comprehensive insurance in place before the car arrives. We’ll make sure you have the registration number in advance as you’ll need this.
It’s best to get in touch with us before that happens, so we can update your lease to reflect your actual mileage. This will probably increase your monthly payments. If you don’t let us know then we’ll charge you for every additional mile when you return the car, the amount will vary depending on your lease details.
If you are experiencing financial difficulties and are unable to make your payments, it is important to contact us as early as possible on 0113 537 0044 and our team can assist in finding a solution for you. You can get free, impartial advice from Money Advice Service, Stepchange, The National Debt Line and Citizens Advice Bureau.
If there is anything we should know about that will help us to better meet your circumstances, please call us on 0113 537 3860 or let us know by emailing [email protected] This could be any personal circumstance or life event that may impact how you access our services or make use of our cars, eg any learning disabilities, hearing impairment, mental health issues, financial distress.
We adopt a ‘tell us once’ approach. Therefore, we will update our systems for future reference and will only use this data for this. This information will not be shared with any third parties and will only be accessible by our team. We appreciate that some needs may be temporary and can therefore remove this information at any time, just let us know when things change. Please see our data and privacy notice for further information on how we process your data.
Depending on your circumstances, external specialist support is available and may be able to assist you:
- Samaritans (Crisis support) - www.samaritans.org or call them on 116 123
- Mind (mental health support) www.mind.org.uk or call them on 0300 123 3393
- GamCare (Gambling Support) - www.gamcare.org.uk or call them on 0808 8020 133
- We are with You (drug and alcohol addiction support) - www.wearewithyou.org.uk
Or you can give Tom and the team a bell and they'll help you pick your car and order it online. They can call you back if it's easier.
They'll give you loads more info about any cars you've got your eye on (once you get them started, it might be difficult to get them to stop). They'll also tell you how much the car costs, and they'll let you know how long it should take to deliver it.
Yes. We'd hate to see anyone get into money struggles to drive one of our cars. So, we always run a credit check to make sure you can afford the lease you're after. We'll check your ID too (to make sure you're really you). The checks will show up on your credit history, which means other lenders could see them if you apply for credit somewhere else.
If you're not sure whether you'll pass our checks, you can use our finance eligibility checker to find out, without impacting your credit score.
The cars
Every model's different. Pick a car you like the look of to get more info about its gadgets and features (or give Tom and the team a call). Sometimes, this information isn’t absolutely accurate so if there’s something you have your heart set on always ask us before you place your order.
If you’re looking at a new car and it’s missing a feature you're after you should be able to add it. You might have to wait a little longer for delivery, as we'll get the manufacturer to make your car to your spec. But you'll get exactly what you want. Winner.
Unfortunately, not. Check the information on the site or speak to someone in the team if there’s a feature you have you heart set on and we’ll make sure the car has it, or find you one that does!
Yes, you are.
It really depends what goes wrong. AA breakdown cover is included as standard, so we’ll never leave you stranded. If the car needs repairs for general wear and tear or damage that’s due to the way it’s been driven then you’ll be responsible for these. If it’s a manufacturing issue then we’ll get this sorted for you under the warranty – you just need to give us a call and we’ll take care of it.
Yes. New cars don’t need an MOT.
Our pre-registered cars
It simply means the car has already been registered, so might not carry the latest registration plate. It’s effectively still a new car and you’ll be the first proper driver, but we filed the paperwork to say we owned the car at some point in the past.
Our pre-registered cars are NOT ex demo cars, as can sometimes be the case. They’re new.
Where we have already registered a car and it doesn’t have the latest registration plate, we’ll make it clear in the way the car is named ie Audi A3 TFSI – Automatic – ’20 Plate
You’re looking for the 3rd and 4th character in the registration plate to tell when the car was registered. A car with registration AB70 CDE was registered between 1st September 2020 and 28th of February 2021.
Registered date | Plate |
---|---|
1st March – 31st Aug 2019 | 19 |
1st Sept – 28th Feb 2020 | 69 |
1st March – 31st Aug 2020 | 20 |
1st Sept – 28th Feb 2021 | 70 |
1st March – 31st Aug 2021 | 21 |
The car’s warranty, MOT and service clock starts ticking on a car as soon as it’s registered. For example, if you have a 3-year lease on a pre-registered car, you will need to get an MOT test done before you return it. It’s important to take costs such as these into account before you sign the lease agreement.
It also means you’ll get a bit of a bargain on a car that can be delivered pretty quickly. These cars are built and in the UK just waiting for you to order them. We would much rather have them on your driveway than ours, so we can price them even more keenly.
Paying
Whatever you want it to be, in £250 increments. The higher this is, the lower your monthly payments will be.
You do. There’s a £99 processing fee. You won’t have to pay this until you’ve passed our finance checks and signed your agreement.
You can. Give our Care Squad a call or email [email protected] and they’ll be able sort it for you.
One month after your car is delivered.
Your processing fee of £99 will need to be paid using a debit card.
To save you the trouble, we’ll automatically take your initial payment from your bank account when your car is being prepped for delivery – we’ll give you 10 working days notice before the payment is taken.
We’ll take the payment for your processing fee when you place your order, after you’ve signed the lease agreement (digitally of course). Then when your car is ready to be delivered, we’ll take your initial payment. You can use different debit cards for each of these payments if you like.
Not during the ordering process, but you might have to after this if you do more miles than you told us you would or if you damage the car beyond just fair wear and tear for example. You can find more information about our charges here.
If you want to change to a personalised plate there will be an admin charge of £40 + any DVLA charges.
No, we’re not into haggling. We put a lot of work into making sure our prices are competitive so we just can’t make them any cheaper.
Nothing, it’s completely free.
If you aren’t at home when we’ve arranged delivery, there could be a charge though.
Our finance eligibility checker
It’s a way of finding out if your credit application will be accepted when you place an order, without impacting your credit record. Sometimes known as a ‘soft’ credit check, it’s not visible on your credit record so no other lenders will be able to see it.
You share some basic information with us (recent addresses, income and employment status) and we tell you how likely you are to get a positive finance decision when you place your order.
It’s always best to check your credit record to be sure that there’s nothing new or surprising there. The Money Advice Service have loads of really useful (and impartial) information which might be useful.
Re-running the check will get the same results unless your credit record changes.
We can't be absolutely certain whether you will or won't be accepted until we run a full check when you apply for a lease with us (sometimes known as a hard check), but this 'soft' check will give you an idea of your chances.
You can more information about the things that could affect your chances of being accepted for finance from the Money Advice Service
Delivery
It could mean that the delivery time for a car changes after you’ve placed your order, as it's possible that your car could arrive with us later than expected. We're working really closely with manufacturers to make sure that doesn't happen and if it does, we'll let you know as soon as we can. The lead times you see on the site have already been adjusted to factor in the delays to production to some degree, but we can't absolutely guarantee they are completely accurate. Here's some more info about the semiconductor shortage.
We will deliver your car to your home address in mainland GB. Unfortunately, if you're outside mainland GB we cannot deliver to you.
That depends on the car you pick. We can get our new 'stock deal' cars to you in three to four weeks (and sometimes even sooner). But if you spec your own car, it'll take a little longer for the manufacturer to make it for you. Used cars are usually delivered within 14 days.
If you call our New Car Squad before you order, they can give you a better idea of when the car you're looking at will be ready. If you can't wait, they can suggest a different make, model or colour that could be ready earlier.
As soon as you order your car, we'll be able to give you a delivery date for stock deals or an approximate delivery date for anything bespoke.
Sorry, we don’t deliver to addresses outside of mainland GB. If you have any further questions please visit our Contact Us page.
Nope, we deliver for free. Yay!
Give us a ring straight away.
Life happens, we get it. If you need to move your delivery get in touch with us as soon as possible.
Understanding leasing
- Car insurance (and you have to prove you've insured your car before we hand over the keys)
- Maintenance and servicing if you didn't choose this option when you ordered
- Fuel
- Any fines and penalties that are incurred in connection with using the car (speeding tickets, parking charges being the most common)
If you're leasing something, you don't own it (you give it back when the lease is up). That often makes it cheaper than buying the same thing outright. So, leasing a new car is usually cheaper than buying one. If you're not sure if a lease is for you, you might find this information about personal leasing by Parkers useful. The Parkers team are car nuts like us. They also know a thing or two about the different ways you can lease and buy cars.
Ours are usually between 2 and 4 years. Typically, the longer your lease, the lower your monthly payments.
The BVRLA (the UK rental/leasing association) define this as ‘deterioration to a vehicle through normal use’. It means you don’t have to return the car in exactly the same condition as when it was delivered to you, life happens!
The BVRLA produce a handy guide to tell you what would be classed as ‘fair wear and tear’ and what damage you might be charged for, so you can decide whether to get it fixed before you give us back the car.
It’s best to get in touch with us before that happens, so we can update your lease to reflect your actual mileage. This will probably increase your monthly payments. If you don’t let us know then we’ll charge you for every additional mile when you return the car, the amount will vary depending on your lease details.
If you decide to end the lease early, you may need to pay us a % of the remaining monthly finance rentals depending on how far you are into your lease. If you want to change the length of your hire or the agreed mileage, please contact us to discuss your options.
Of course. If you have our maintenance package, we’ll go one step further than just letting you know it’s coming up – we’ll arrange it for you too.
Only if you include our maintenance package. More info on that here.
- breakdown assistance and recovery from the AA
- a manufacturer’s warranty on any parts that need repairing or replacing
- road tax (officially called a 'Road Fund Licence')
- maintenance and servicing if you have choose this option when you order
As long a you live in mainland UK, we'll deliver your car to your home, for free. So, make sure you give us the right address when you order. We can't deliver anywhere other than your home address as we need to be completely sure we're giving the keys to the right person.
- PCH (Personal Contract Hire) is a lease. We ask you to pay a fixed amount each month, but you never own your car. We like PCH because you usually pay less each month, compared with PCP. And if you want to upgrade to a newer model when the lease is up, you don't have the hassle of selling your current car first. So, you've got even more time to spec your next new car, just the way you want it.
- PCP (Personal Contract Purchase)is a type of hire purchase. Your monthly payments are based on how much the car should be worth at the end of the contract, so it's cheaper than paying for a car on monthly installments. When the contract's up, you have the choice to give the car back or buy it. The final amount you pay for the car will vary a lot from deal to deal.
You’ll have to pay all fines, penalty charge notices, tolls, registration fees, insurance, insurance fines and other charges in connection with using the car.
As we’re the owner of the car, the notices will come to us first and we’ll transfer them to you when we can (there’s a £15 charge for this). If we can’t transfer them to you, we’ll pay the charge and then recharge you (there’s a £25 charge for this).
If the relevant authority can’t get payment from you and it comes back to us, we’ll make the payment and again will recharge you along with a £25 admin for doing so. To update your contact details just let us know – [email protected]
Driving
The easiest way to do this is to take it to a garage that specialises in this kind of thing. We’re good friends with Kwikfit but there are plenty of other options too.
If you have maintenance, just give us a call and we’ll get everything arranged for you.
You’ll need to get our permission first. If you sign up for any connected services that incur costs then you’ll be responsible for paying for them (including a service that follows a free manufacturer trial).
If you wish to park in an area that requires one, then yes. We can get you any paperwork you need for this, just ask.
Ask our permission first. You’ll probably have to remove the modifications when you come to return the car.
Of course, just make sure it’s removed when you come to return the car and it hasn’t damaged the car in any way.
Planning a road trip huh? It’s one of the best things about having a car! Let us know where you’re going and we’ll make sure you have all the documentation you might need while you’re there (there’s a £10 admin charge for this). You’ll have to come back within 90 days too! You can find out more about this in our handy key information guide.
Yes please. As we own the car, we need to keep a record of what’s happened to it for future reference.
You do and it needs to be fully comprehensive. We’ll take proof of this before we arrange delivery and we’ll be in touch when it renews to get a copy of your new certificate. If someone else is going to be driving the car, make sure they’re named on the policy.
It needs to start on the day we’re delivering the car to you.
We do. One less thing for you to remember!
Electric cars
Yes, but only until you register your car with TFL which costs £10. They’ll let you know when it’s time to renew.
You’ll need a letter from us to explain that you’re the keeper of the car, you can request it here.
If you don’t have a public charger close to home or at work, getting a charger installed at home is the best way to go. There are loads of different home chargers available, you can find a few options here.
It’s a little cheaper than normal at the minute if you get a grant from OLEV (Office for Low Emissions Vehicles). It’ll save you £350 off the total cost of your home charging point. The supplier will normally do all the admin involved in claiming the grant too, winner.
Home charging points vary in price. Generally speaking the more functionality, the more you pay for it. Some chargers are clever enough to charge when your electricity is cheapest and allow you to check your car’s battery level from your phone.
The average car journey in the UK is 8.4 miles so for most journeys, you won’t even need to think about range or charging. If you’re planning on driving a longer distance then it’s always a good idea to check where the chargers are along the way, ZapMap is a great tool for this.
We give you an indication of the range on the specification details for the car, we get this from the manufacturer. Depending on how you drive the car, you might find your actual range is a little different to this (if you have air conditioning on or drive with your windows open you won’t quite go as far on a single charge for example).
You have loads of options. Many large supermarkets now have EV charging spaces that you can use for free. The same goes for workplaces and train stations.
There are also few different charging networks in the UK that you can pay to use. Some let you pay as you go and some require a subscription. Chargepoint, InstaVolt and Podpoint are a few of the larger ones. Tesla has their own network which includes Superchargers that can get you almost full in 30 minutes.
Maintenance
The VIP treatment. You can come to us to help sort your car's maintenance throughout your lease.
1.All the servicing that the car needs during the lease, we'll find a garage and even book it in at a convenient time for you.
2. MOT tests (if your lease is long enough that you need one)
3. Replacement tyres (if you get a puncture or due to general wear and tear)
4. Exhaust and battery repairs (fixes or replacement through due to air wear and tear)
'Fair wear and tear' damage is caused through normal use of the car. You can get the full low down on all things maintenance related here.
If you don't go for our maintenance package, then you'll need to take care of the car's maintenance yourself.
You do. Most cars have service lights but we’ll remind you once a year too.
Keep hold of the service paperwork as we'll need this when you return the car. The glovebox is a handy place to stash it!
Absolutely. We’ll email you in advance of the due date. You can also check the due date using this handy government tool.
All new cars come complete with the manufacturer’s warranty.
Obviously you’re responsible for any faults that you cause!
All about us
You can find our reviews right here, we’re incredibly proud of them!
We're the newest member of the ZenAuto family. When you place an order with us, it will be expert team at ZenAuto that takes care of you and orders your car from the manufacturer or finds it for you from stock.
ZenAuto are the folks that can help you get more car than you thought possible. We’re part of the Zenith Group that has been around for more than 30 years. They lease fleets to big businesses. We’re their retail arm, which means we lease cars to people, not companies. Get the full story about us here.
We’re a part of Zenith, you can find the statement for the group right here.