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Contract Hire Business & Personal

Contract Hire

Contract Hire is a very popular choice for V.A.T Registered companies with more than 40% choosing this Funding method (Fleet Week). Having minimum outlay and maximum control of costs coupled to the Tax advantages and reduced administration assists business to budget more accurately for their vehicle requirements. Contract Hire is available to Sole Traders, Partnerships and Ltd Companies.

Finance / Taxation Benefits

  • Accurate Monthly Budgeting
  • Off Balance Sheet
  • Improved Cash Flow
  • Minimum Capital Expenditure
  • Fixed Interest Rates
  • Rentals Allowable against Taxable Income
  • V.A.T Recoverable on Monthly Rentals*
  • No Depreciation Risks

* Only 50% of the V.A.T relating to the Finance element is recoverable if car has private usage. 100% if Business only. On Contracts with Maintenance the Service element V.A.T is Recoverable.

Vehicle Running Benefits

  • No Vehicle Disposal Problems
  • Reduced Administration
  • On-going Advice and Support
  • Road Fund Licence Provided for Duration of Contract
  • Optional Maintenance Package
  • Optional Breakdown Rescue Cover
  • Optional Replacement Vehicle Cover in Event of Breakdown
  • Optional GAP Insurance*

*GAP Insurance provides cover for the Short-fall between the outstanding Finance and the Insurance Value if vehicle is declared a Write-off by your Insurance Company.

Personal Contract Hire.

Personal Contract Hire (PCH) is a relatively new Product that has been especially designed for people who are opting out of their Company Car Scheme and wishing to utilise a Company Car Allowance to Finance a New or Used Vehicle or a Parallel Import. You benefit from the purchasing power of Premier Contract Hire and the National Leasing Companies, which allows us to offer extremely competitive rates and ensures your money will further than you expected.

  • Most Rates are the same as our Contract Hire Rates but are plus V.A.T
  • Low Initial Payments
  • Fixed Cost Motoring
  • Optional Maintenance Package
  • New or Used Vehicles and Parallel Imports available
  • A letter confirming your Monthly Allowance is normally required
  • Vehicle is returned to the Finance Company at the end of Contract
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Purchase

Contract purchase

Ideal for Companies who operate high-value cars and who would like the option to purchase but wish to avoid any depreciation risks.
A Funding Agreement where you acquire the vehicle by paying fixed monthly instalments with the asset being shown on the Balance Sheet, with option to retain ownership at the end of the agreement or return the vehicle.

  • Fixed Cost Motoring
  • Low Initial Payments
  • Fixed Interest Rates
  • Road Fund Licence for duration of Contract
  • Capital Allowances available
  • Optional Maintenance Package
  • Option to Purchase or Return Vehicles at end of Contract

Personal Contract Purchase

Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) is another popular method for private individuals who want a hassle-free and cost-effective way to Finance and maintain a vehicle. This product offers the flexibility of choosing your end of Contract Options and is available on New or Used Vehicle and Parallel Imports.

  • Two, Three and Four Year Contracts available.
  • Low Initial Payments (Normally 3 Months)
  • Fixed Cost Motoring
  • Optional Maintenance Package
  • New or Used Vehicles and Parallel Imports available
  • Option to Purchase, Part Exchange or Return Vehicle at end of Contract

Hire Purchase

Hire Purchase is a simple and effective way for private individuals and business to spread the cost of a New or Used car.

You simply pay a small deposit (10% to 20%) to suit your available capital, and then make monthly repayments over an agreed period of time (24/36/48/60 Months). Once all the payments have been made along with the option to purchase fee (Approx £50), then you will acquire title to the car.

If you are a business user, all of the interest on your payments is allowable against tax. Additionally a proportion of the car's value can be written down against your profits.


The Benefits of Hire Purchase:

  • Ownership of the goods - control of usage and disposal
  • Eases cash flow / budgeting & planning - known outlay that will not change
  • Leaves other credit lines undisturbed

The Benefits for Business Users:

  • Interest charges allowable against taxable profits - reduces tax bill
  • Tax relief (capital allowances) - reduced tax bill
  • Capital released - leaves money available to develop other parts of the business
Outright Purchase   The Vehicle is bought Outright, with No Deposit, Funding or Future Payments to Pay.

NB: We may still be able to use our influence to save you money, by negotiating the Dealer Discount through one of our many Key Dealers we will then pass the saving on to you the End User.


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Lease

Finance Lease

Suitable for V.A.T Registered Companies who want to handle the administration of their Vehicles, and have the Asset shown on their Balance Sheet. This V.A.T beneficial option allows the hire to choose to pay the entire cost over the hire period including interest charges or pay lower Rentals during the Contract and pay a Final Rental based on the anticipated resale value of the vehicle.

  • Low Initial Payments
  • Fixed Cost Motoring
  • Fixed Interest Rates
  • V.A.T Recoverable on Rentals*

* Only 50% of the V.A.T relating to the Finance element is recoverable if car has private usage. 100% if Business use only.

Lease Purchase

A Finance Product for Non V.A.T Registered Companies that prefer eventual ownership of their vehicles. These agreements allow for the company to acquire ownership when all payments including the optional "Balloon" payments have been made. The disposal and residual value risks remain with you.

  • Low Initial Payments
  • Improved Cash Flow
  • Capital Allowances available
  • Ownership of Vehicle
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Maintenance Cover

Do you need an additional Maintenance Contract?

Baring in mind that each 'Vehicle' and 'Manufacture's' service requirements are different and each finance company has its own version of maintenance and service cover….. (Albeit they're much the same) We have outlined the meaning of the Term 'With Maintenance' below.

Essentially Maintenance = Fixed Cost Motoring, Excluding Accidental Damage, Wear & Tear

This is our simple interpretation of "With Maintenance" we would always suggest that you read the full T&C's of the Maintenance part of any Contract Hire Agreement.

Maintenance: Includes the following :-

  • Full Servicing: Covers all Servicing costs and the maintenance of significant components.
  • Tyres: Depending on the Finance Company unlimited Tyre replacement, may have its limitations!
  • Breakdown Cover: For the full term of the contract.
  • Working Parts: As with the Servicing most working parts should be covered e.g batteries and exhausts. Some Finance Companies may have restrictions as to what so called working parts are covered.
  • Full Manufactures Warranty: See Manufacturers Web site for specific warranty details.
  • V.A.T: 100% VAT is reclaimable on all of the Maintenance cost.
  • Relief Vehicle: Optional for business critical vehicles, you can add on relief vehicle cover for when your vehicle is off the road.
    • Extra Info:
    • (We can send you a copy of the maintenance contract if you require further details.) E&OE

We can 'Quote' With and Without Maintenance, the choice is yours.

Let us Help!!

Most of the Special Deals are on 24 Months or less, so you should only need an oil and filter service, unless you do high mileage or drive the vehicle particularly hard, you shouldn't need brake pads etc.

We recommend that maintenance is only considered when your mileage exceeds 20,000 miles per annum.

Without Maintenance: If you take a non maintenance contract; you pay for the service yourself, some service intervals eg. Renault are now at 18,000 miles or 24 months with exception for the Euro III & IV Engines refer to www.Renault.co.uk for details.

You can have the Service done at most reasonably priced VAT registered garages (using the original manufacture parts) or take the vehicle to a local main agent which can sometimes be just as cheap.

Your car is fully covered by the manufacturer warranty as above (use franchise dealer for this, it's free), and you get manufacturer's AA/RAC type cover usually the first 12 Months, you can then shop around for the subsequent cover if you need it.

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Brokers, Finance Houses, Vehicle Management Companies & Alliances

Questions about the Broker & the Finance House

  • Who is the Broker?
  • Where does the Broker fit in??
  • Why can the 'Middle Man' mean more than just saving money???

With all these questions it's difficult to know where to start or how to start explaining the relationship between:

The Manufacture,

The Finance Company,

The Supplying Dealership,

The Broker

and you

The End User.

It's true to say that you could quite easily eliminate any number of the above, but you might find yourself outside the gates of one of Europe's busiest production lines with a suitcase of hard cold cash and a confused foreigner thinking you're offering them some kind of bribe; So by using some part of the UK supply chain, you will inevitably save some time, if not your money, at Auto Advantage we aim to save your time & your money.

We'll start with the Finance House (Leasing providers) we normally use recognised household names such as 'Lombard' 'Bank of Scotland' etc.. or even the Manufactures own Finance House in the case of 'Renault' it would be 'RFS' etc..

Leasing providers hold lists of brokers, there are around 3,000 currently in the UK, they form 'Alliances, Schemes or Vehicle Management Companies' Some of the larger brokerages have their own affiliates that work in conjunction with the Leasing / Finance Providers, in this way they can commit to extremely large volumes of business which can then be brokered out at one low price to you the end user.

Many of these deals used to be restricted to business users only, but these days the market is opening up rapidly enabling private individuals to gain access to previously unheard of deals, many companies are now offering their employees an option to 'opt out' of their company car, as a result we are finding that more and more people from a variety of industries and professions are coming to us direct.

The broker's expert knowledge of a wide choice of leasing and industry providers can ensure fleets and private individuals alike get quality service together with the best prices. As a broker we gain access to key areas of the fleet market and other specialist fields for example the Bodyshop Courtesy Car Scheme; In turn the end user gets a friendlier local contact while the leasing provider gains access to potential customers who might not have otherwise used them.

A professional broker can act as a fleet consultant, giving you advice on which decision to take, they will remain in contact once the vehicle(s) have been ordered to help maintain the value of the deal. If done well a good brokerage is worth its weight in gold, however if done unprofessionally it is simply a fast quotation service that you cannot guarantee or rely on when you want to order your next vehicle.

You may think that 'cutting out the middle man' would make significant savings this is not always the case. We argue that no-one else offers flexibility and access to the best deals at any one particular time, if used in the correct way a good broker could become the equivalent of an 'invisible' fleet manager. Like everything else it's important to shop around as brokers will not only vary in price but in their service too, different brokers will use a differing number of leasing providers on which they can call upon for a quote.

When considering your next vehicle its well worth remembering that it's not always the list price of the vehicle that reflects in the lease price (Quote) it's the future residual value too! Fortunately for you help is at hand in the form of the independent vehicle finance broker which usually has a list of special offers to start you off with.

We have tried to give you an unbiased opinion, into the world of 'Brokers' in the future there are plans for an approved brokers list by the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association to ensure customers are dealing with reputable brokers with a large client base and plenty of contacts.

We are confident that when you deal with Auto Advantage you will be dealing with one of the best Brokers in the UK. Our track record is our guarantee, with nearly a decade of experience; we have delivered thousands of vehicles to hundreds of satisfied customers all over the UK.

The Auto Advantage Website committed to giving you access to our very own working database of Special Offers, please feel free to browse as often as you like, you can even add yourself to our 'Special Offers' List and we'll keep you updated by E-mail.

We're always happy to take an enquiry by Phone / Fax / Email / Complete the Online Quote Request and we'll *aim to return your quote within the same working day.

(*Sometimes it takes a little longer than 24 hrs to obtain the best quote in the market)

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