AT Business Car Manager we run our business cars just like you – so what happens to us is relevant to any SME with a small fleet.
So here’s a tip.
Publishing director Nick Ratcliffe has just had a narrow scrape with his SEAT Exeo ST.
Editor Ralph Morton, sharper than he looks, noticed that some of the kerbs around Nick’s south London manor had been particularly thoughtless.
“If you hand a lease car back with alloys in that state you’d face a heavy end-of-lease payment.” He told Nick. “Better get them seen to.”
Nick ended up contacting Revive!, a mobile car-care company with over 100 vans on the road across the country.
In fact such was the malice of Nick’s local kerbs that Revive! took the Exeo to one of the workshops it uses for jobs that can’t be carried out at the roadside.
Ralph reckons the final bill was far less than Nick would have picked up if he’d returned a lease car to a manufacturer or leasing company in that state.
The message for you?
If you lease your cars, make sure you understand your liabilities if you don’t return the car in an acceptable state at the end of the lease term.
This is usually referred to as ‘fair wear and tear’. It means that the car must be in a condition that’s easily saleable as a used car. So a car park door ding is usually acceptable, torn seat linings not so.
A trim scuff you get away with; a scratch you won’t. And so on.
In turn, that means knowing what to look for when you check the car.
Companies such as Revive! will give your cars the once over and make sure they’re in a state of ‘fair wear and tear’ at the end of a leasing contract so you don’t get any unpleasant surprises when it goes back.
Alternatively, contact your leasing supplier and query what they are likely to charge for and the cost – be honest.
Either way, preparing for the end of your business car lease is important – that way you won’t get any nasty end of lease charges you weren’t expecting.
