Finding the best value for your fleet car and van rental isn’t as simple as looking at the monthly lease rate. A low rate doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting the best deal, and it almost certainly won’t mean you’re getting the best service. So what else should you take into account for the most savvy fleet management?
While a low monthly price for contract hire leasing will certainly be eye-catching, there’s much more involved in getting true value. Whether you are looking for business car leasing or commercial vehicle leasing, it’s essential not only to compare vehicle costs, but also to look out for hidden surprises.
Volkswagen Financial Services | Fleet (VWFS | Fleet) has nothing to hide. Choose our matrix pricing – available on request – to see precisely how much you will pay each month, even if you rewrite your contract length or mileage.
However, it’s not just about how much you pay. It’s also about what you get for your money.
For example, does that monthly figure include an Account Manager assigned to you, who will help you identify where you can save money? Will they also keep an eye on your vehicles’ mileages, to make sure you avoid any excess mileage penalties?
Avoid hidden costs
VWFS | Fleet assigns you an Account Manager at no extra cost, and has a UK-based customer services team all of whom are BVRLA[1]-accredited. That means quick, efficient responses that free you up to spend more of your time on strategic decision-making.
Of course it’s not only at the start of a contract that you need to consider costs. End-of-contract damage or excess mileage charges can also give you an unpleasant surprise. VWFS | Fleet helps you avoid them, by allowing you to pool mileage across vehicles on your fleet. We’ll also ignore the first £100 of damage per vehicle. And to reassure you that you’re getting a fair assessment, we operate within BVRLA Fair Wear & Tear guidelines.
Vehicle downtime is another ‘hidden’ cost, because it doesn’t show up in the monthly rental. But if a vehicle is spending too much time off the road for repairs or servicing, it’s not providing what you’re paying for.
At no extra cost, and available to all your drivers, the 24/7 Driverline concierge service from VWFS | Fleet makes fleet issues our problem, not yours, and helps to get them resolved more quickly. We use only franchised dealers for service, maintenance and repairs, which gives you a number of benefits. Firstly, if you choose to include maintenance in your contract, you can be sure of less vehicle downtime, because franchised dealers fix more problems first time: they are targeted on their first-time fix rate, and contracted to keep their technicians up-to-date with the manufacturer’s latest training. Secondly, using only franchised dealers to take care of vehicles helps to protect residual values. And thirdly, higher residual values ultimately feeds back into lower lease rates for you.
Servicing at a franchised dealer also means all vehicles receive the latest software updates at every service, to keep them running at optimum efficiency.
Account management, customer service teams, mileage pooling, end-of-contract charges and many other factors won’t show up when you’re comparing lease rates, but they will ultimately affect the bottom line. So when you’re looking at contract hire and leasing agreements, remember to go beyond the basic figures and take a fresh look at all the facts.
[1] The trade body for the vehicle rental and leasing sector
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