Thursday 29 November 2012

What is Business Contract Hire? Carlease UK explain

By far the most popular form of car leasing is Business Contract Hire. This is because if you are looking to lease a business vehicle it is often the most cost effective way of doing so in most cases.  CarleaseUKoffer alternative funding methods, such as finance lease, the criteria for your decision will lie in such things as whether or not you want to keep the vehicle and also whether you want the asset on or off your balance sheet. These are not the only reasons for your decision; at CarleaseUK we can help you make the choice.
 Business Contract Hire is commonly used to supply companies that have fleets and at CarleaseUK we are dedicated to making sure that you can find the optimum contract hire deal suited to your business. Business contract hire is often very popular because of the way it is set up and there are many advantages to using it to create your fleet.

 So how is Business Contract hire set up? Here is a run down of all of the main features that you might expect:
2_contract hire at carlease uk 1.jpg

The car leasing deal is set up so that your business will get use of the vehicle that you hire for a set mileage and time period that is decided upon when the deal is created. This is tailored to suite your business and will affect the cost overall.

 A low initial payment will be required up front followed by  fixed monthly costs for the term of the lease.  The initial payment is between 3 and 6 monthly payments, paid upfront, depending on how you want to set up your contract hire model. The cost of the payments will depend on things like, the vehicle, its initial cost, mileage and the value of the vehicle at the end of the contract plus the term of the lease.

 So why choose Business Contract Hire?  There are a number of things about Business Contract Hire that can save time and make it a popular business choice:

 For example, an extra fee on top of the standard monthly payment the leasing company will  take care of  maintenance including your tyres and vehicle replacement which can be a big an interruption.  The servicing cost at the garage is then paid for by the leasing company.  Tyre replacement includes blow outs as well as replacements and can normally by arranged at your place of work or at worse locally.

 Contract hire can also give you a lot of flexibility with setting up your fleet of vehicles, allowing you to change them around fairly often (standard leases will last about 2-3 years) without having to deal with the loss of value on the vehicle. During this period, subject to the set up of your business, you can offset the whole of the cost of the lease rather than the cost being still written down many years after the vehicle has been replaced.  Also,  capital that you would normally invest in company vehicles can be freed from your budget to be spent elsewhere while you are paying the low monthly payments.

 If you are interested in Business Contract Hire then why not speak to us at CarleaseUK. We are committed to getting you the best deals possible.

Wednesday 28 November 2012

The new Skoda Rapid, a car with more features than an iPhone 5

he new Skoda Rapid follows in Skoda’s series of successful, quality car releases of late and continues their legacy of adding features to their cars that you never knew that you needed. Complete with features such as a phone pocket, a multimedia holder and even, if you can believe it, and ice scraper built  into the fuel cap! It continues Skoda’s great legacy of safety equipment and includes all of the systems that you have come to expect and all of the acronyms that you could think of; ESC Inc. ABS, MSR, ASR, EDS and HBA! Carlease UK cant wait for it to land.

 

As far as the car itself goes the Rapid is spacious enough that it would be useful for any jobs that required large amounts of equipment, but still has a very elegant air about it. As with all Skoda’s this high quality comes in at a very affordable price and you can expect to get a very reasonable car leasing deal.

The interior is smart and full of modern concepts, coming in a series of great looking colour combinations with simple but effective designs, straight edged and practical. The car is designed to feel efficient even in the interior and it does a great job of that all round. Its full of storage throughout and you will never struggle in finding somewhere to keep you travel equipment, whatever that may be, an ideal company car with efficient engines and good benefit in kind rates. 

Personal contract hire falls in Italy in 2011

Bicycle sales in Italy surpassed those of cars in 2011, a country where its very common to lease a new car.  Italy has for many years been a front runner in the uptake of personal contract hire deals.

But, last year Italians purchased more bikes than they did cars according to the official figures, for the first time in  years. The figures are attributed to the economic crisis of the last couple of years and is said to be more largely related to a drop in car sales rather that a rise in sales of bikes.
 
Italyhas always been a country well suited to bikes. With densely packed cities and wide open country side, there is a lot of room for a slower way of travelling. Still dominated by scooters and small cars however, it is interesting to see that bike sales have actually been surpassing those of cars. Bikes of course are cheaper to get your hands on than a car and a lot cheaper to run as well, if you can get away with it in your daily life, so it’s no surprise that people move towards using them when the economy starts to plummet

 Its food for  thought really though. If you can get away with swapping out your car for a bicycle in these times were money is hard to come by then what is the sense in not doing it? Admittedly life in theUKis slightly faster paced and the weather is less suited  to a morning journey exposed to the elements, but certainly countries where the bicycle is a widely used mode of transport have consistently lower heart disease and weight problems.      
    Some countries have enormous bike use anyway, especiallyDenmarkandHolland. But whereas they are no warmer or dryer than theUK, they are incredibly flat and
transport in general has evolved to include separated bike lanes and superb crossings over rail and roads. 

 As always, thanks for reading from the team at CarLease UK.

 

Monday 26 November 2012

The 7th generation of Fiesta, Ford technology but in a small car


As the UK’s top seller there has become a certain level of quality expected from Ford’s Fiesta range and I am happy to say that this latest model has achieved that and then some. Offering a  large range of specs, the new Fiesta has so much variation it would be surprising if most people couldn’t find at least one to suite them. The price range reflects this as well and you could expect to find a car to lease regardless of your budget. So let’s talk about the car itself.

 
 Talking about the variety they include the new 1 litre in two guises, a  1.25, 1.4 and 1.6 petrol and 1.4 and 1.6 diesel engines in the standard range, allowing you to tailor your car to your personal needs. Standard to modern Ford, trims include Edge, Studio, Titanium and Zetec.  On top of this all of the models come with a choice of 3 or 5-door and there is the choice of the Econetic range which has low CO2 emissions, which is important for reducing your benefit in kind!


The design on the new models is very sporty and Ford have even managed to keep the generously well designed shape on the 5-door. It has all the distinctive features that you would expect from a ford, with the ‘kick’ at the rear edge on the back window. The front is designed to give the new Fiesta a friendly and open look while the back is sharp and distinctive with high lights and a roofline that runs smoothly into the spoiler.
 
The interior is sporty and striking around the dashboard which is busy but well co-ordinated and gives it  a very technology heavy feel. The rest of the interior is fairly standard for a fiesta with good boot space and plenty of leg room, slightly bigger than the outgoing model but without taking the Fiesta out of the small car class. 


If you’re thinking of picking up one of these great cars on a lease then why not give one of our team at Carlease UK a ring or an email and see if we can find the perfect fiesta for you.

Thursday 22 November 2012

CarLease UK hitting the shelves with the NFU Countryside Magazine

CarLease Uk are proud to announce that we will be appearing in November's edition of NFU Countryside, the popular magazine revealing all about Britain's countryside life.

Eager to broaden our customer base for Car Leasing, we decided to establish a partnership with the NFU magazine, in an effort to offer services to the farming community, particularly those who do not search for vehicles online. Although we are only to appear in  November's edition, we do hope to continue a long-term and successful partnership going forwards.

Don't forget to grab a copy of this month's NFU magazine and catch our car lease advert!

1 Millionth Fiat 500 Produced 5 years after the cars original release

While the Fiat 500 may not be the most popular car in the UK it is still, globally, one of the more popular small cars. At Carlease UK we always have at least one proposal on the go for a 500. The 500 provides Fiat’s quality and style in a small car at a very reasonable price and as such the sales of 500s have been perpetually high across Europe and South America. It is because of this quality that Fiat is proud to have reached this rather substantial milestone, with the 1 Millionth 500 rolling off the production line inPoland.

To still be producing this car with some demand 5 years after release says something very positive and it has a history of high sales throughout its life span. The year after its release the Fiat 500 was being sold in over 100 countries and made up a whopping 13.9% of the European market for super mini’s.   It then went on to sell nearly 200,000 models in the following year as well.

This car has most likely been so popular due to the wide variety that is available within its model. If you are looking to lease a car with this level of pedigree and quality then why not have a look at our car leasing deals, we are sure we will be able to find a Fiat 500 to fit you.

Tuesday 20 November 2012

The RAC Future car challenge showcases some of the best eco cars

Here at Carlease UK we are big supporters of the move towards more environmentally friendly and eco cars and the recent future car challenge really did a great job of showcasing the kind of quality that we can expect to see in the near future.

I have never previously had any issues with making my opinions on electric cars known. They are just not good enough yet, with too high an initial running cost and a working distance too short for a substantial commute. This challenge however shows off the best of current and upcoming hybrid and electric cars and the future is looking bright.

For those of you that don’t know about this challenge, the competitors drive from Brighton to London with the winner being the one that uses the smallest amount of energy, along with awards given out in a few other categories as well. These awards fall under a number of different categories depending on the size and type of the car as well as how it fares and whether it is in production or just a prototype. In this years competition there have been three main winners, and a few other interesting competitors. A couple of noteworthy competitors this year were:

 The Renault Zoe which won in all three of the main categories that it qualified to enter, in the ‘production’ class. These included challenge winner, most energy efficient small car and best pure electric.
 The odd little German car the Windreich AG ME 2012 in which the two pilots sat open to the elements wearing aviator goggles did similarly well. In the prototype classification they took a number of awards, along with claiming the public’s hearts and taking the publics choice award.
 Also noteworthy was a Jaguar hybrid engine that won the best luxury car and really showed just how high quality the eco cars at the challenge could be.

 What does all of this mean for the electric car scene as a whole? A lot of the manufacturers still argue that at the moment hybrid cars are really the only sensible path to take when it comes to electric engines. They say that, at the moment, they are too expensive and just don’t give you enough distance in a journey. Up until now they were probably right too, the Nissan Leaf for example cost a massive £26,000 even after a government deduction of £5000, but the Zoe, say Renault, will be available for as little as £13,650 when it goes on sale next year. This price may seem very low, and yes it comes with a battery rental price of £80 extra per month, but this is the direction that electric cars are going and we can expect to see a drastic change in the near future.

There are a lot of eco friendly cars out there already however and at very reasonable prices, so if you are looking to pick one up, why not have a scan of our car leasing deals on the site and see if there is anything that sparks your interest.

Monday 19 November 2012

Carlease UK Video Blog| Range Rover | Car Fire | Emergency Services

At Around 10.0am on the 17th November, our attention was drawn to the sound of people shouting outside the offices we share with Enterprise Rent a Car on Warrington Road Leigh. On further inspection it became apparent that there was a vehicle ablaze just outside our car park, as can be seen from the video this was a serious fire.
The occupants managed to get clear of the burning vehicle, although the air ambulance was called in to take the more seriously injured directly to hospital. Hopefully they are receiving the quickest of medical treatment and will make a speedy recovery from this awful incident.
The emergency services showed us first hand the challenges they face everyday, taking everything in their stride. It seems there may have been an issue with LPG fuel on the vehicle, which somewhat exploded, a stark reminder of the potential issues with this type of setup. What was witnessed today was the professionalism and care of all of the emergency services involved, a big thank you to them!

Friday 16 November 2012

Toyota Recalls the 75 thousand vehicles as announced

Toyota will be recalling 75 thousand vehicles across the UK.Toyota are planning to recall models from the Corolla, Avensis and Prius ranges. In particular models from July 2001 to March 2009 for the Avensis or Corollas, or the Prius’ between July 2003 and April 2009.

Toyota has announced that it is committed to ensuring the safety of people who chose to drive their vehicles and the vehicles quality and performance.Toyota have promised to stretch this quality to not only their new models but to their older models too, and maintaining that is of the upmost importance to them.

They say that their rigorous monitoring of the cars that they provide allow them to quickly access and deal with issues such as this one.
Apparently the issue is to do with a component in the steering that causes a rattling or a knocking sound, and maybe even a reduction in the response when steering. AlthoughToyota maintain that even though this may be a slight issue cars will still remain safe to drive. They will be sending out letters with regards to when these cars need to be recalled, so if you have one, be on the lookout for one of these letters in the post. If you are looking for a faster solution you should also be able to take it into your local dealership and get it sorted out promptly.

Again with a quick reaction like this, it is very difficult to see anything truly negative about this recall. Toyota’s quick reaction to making sure of the safety of road users in their cars before any actual incidents have even occurred, really gives you some confidence that they are looking out for your best interest. If you’re worried that your car may be recalled the best thing to do is to contact your local Toyota dealership.

Thursday 15 November 2012

Is the 3 pence per litre tax increase going to be abandoned ?

After a delay of the tax increase from January in the new year to as late as April, it looks like the 3 pence per litre increase could be abandoned completely. The shadow chancellor has released a statement saying that by delaying the increase, by at least the 3 months that have already been decided upon, it will decrease the pressure on households going into 2013. His argument was that there is not a strong enough economic recovery and that it would be unfair to put an extra squeeze on families and pensioners.
 
The issues with this plan arose when it was predicted that many conservative MPs would vote with Labour against the increase. With the average price of a litre of unleaded standing at just under £1.40 at the moment it is obvious  that this would be a very unpopular idea. The shadow chancellor claims that the money could be made up by closing tax loopholes that allow companies to avoid paying as much tax as they should be paying.

Although this may be postponed for now there is no real guarantee that this increase won’t come though in the near future so it may be time to invest in a more economical car. At Carlease UK  we are really keen to get you into an environmentally friendly, efficient and cost effective car and this may be a great time to do it before you start paying more or your old one. For your next car, why not consider an economical model with great fuel savings and good benefit in kind tax savings.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Hyundai ix35 Carlease UK Video Blog

The ix35 is one of our favourite deals here at CarleaseUKand to try and get you as excited about it as we are we have decided to do a quick video so you can see why we get excited  about this car. It is of course the sister car to the Kia Sportage, (Sportage blog) but some of our customers have already told us that they prefer the more rugged look of the ix35 and we agree

Although  a  close rival to the Nissan Qashqai,  the ix35 boasts a larger interior with its extra 10cm of length which is of great benefit for the long journeys for which it is built so elegantly. With soft suspension and high seating it offers a very comfortable ride as we have come to expect from this quality of car not to mention it looks extremely stylish to boot. It’s also very customisable with choice of 2.0 and 1.7 litre diesel and a 1.6 litre petrol engine and with both 2 and 4 wheel drive, you are certain to be able to get the car you want. Hundai blog .   Teh 1.7 litre diesel is a cheaper car to run and worth considering as an alternative where BIK is a consideration see our blog. 
What we like best about this car is just how practical it is. With a regular boot size as high as 591 litres us to as high as 1436 if you choose to fold down your seats. The car is adaptive and well designed, and runs extremely well in cold and wet conditions thanks to its wide stance.  Not to mention that with a 4 wheel drive that only activates as the car starts to lose its traction on the road it gives a smooth ride throughout your journey making it a great car leasing deal

Monday 12 November 2012

VW Jetta named Tow Car of The Year for second year in a row

Celebrating its second win in a row the Volkswagen Jetta has been named the tow car of the year by the Caravan Club. There were 23 suitable cars put through a number of vigorous tests to find which was the best suited in a number of categories based on their tax bands. The cars were loaded up to represent a family of four and the caravans filled so that they represented  85% of the cars  kerbweight, while within the recommended limits. The cars then underwent a series of tests, doing laps of Millbrook’s speed bowl so that they could be judged for stability both at speed and with the effect of any winds. They were also tested for their stopping distance and in power tests in which they needed to accelerate the over 20mph gaps. They were additionally tested for hill starts at various inclines including . their ability to hold caravanning holiday related items such as awnings, folding chairs, tables etc.

So those are the tests that were carried out, but what about the Jetta. First of all lets have a look at the class division that the Jetta was in and how it took the title with a fairly solid lead. It was placed in the most competitive class for this year (emission bands D-F). Even with the caravan in tow the car is powerful and gives a smooth, confident drive allowing it to accelerate from 30-50mph in just 7.6 seconds. It has a 510 litre boot too so you could get in plenty of extras in if your caravan is already feeling overloaded. Even though this was a new classification for testing this year (tax band rather than cost) the Jetta was also only the second most expensive car in this group, coming in just behind the Yeti and was significantly cheaper than a lot of its competitors. No wonder it then was rated as the best across all categories.

The VW CC won it own class with another VW Group car, the Skoda Yeti SE Plus, winning the up to 1800 kg 4wd class.  Mercedes Benz won the Class for emissions J,K,L & M and  over 1800 kg 4 wd class was won by the Chevrolet Captiva 2.2 LT.
Also, class winners were the Skoda Superb Estate 2.0DSG,  the VW Touareg and the Volvo V60 D5 AWD.
Just too late for the judging, was the launch of the Passat Alltrack with VW four wheel drive system.

These tests are taken very seriously by the manufacturers, with design and suspension set ups in theUKbeing tailored to what is a huge market of owners with caravans.  In some car cases, for example the Citroen Xantia, tow car of the year upped demand considerably. 

Carlease UK Video Blog|Ford Focus Estate|Car leasing deal

Friday 9 November 2012

BMW build the most trustworthy and reliable lease cars, according to a recent survey

According to the latest Fleet News,   BMW is now producing the most reliable company cars for theUK. The figure comes from a series of questions that were asked to a number of top leasing companies regarding the figures for breakdowns and warranty claims on a number of cars and vans.

BMW have not only come out as the best overall manufacturer, but also have 3 cars in the top ten for most reliable, giving them a very solid record. And this is the second year in a row in which they have achieved this as well. The 3 series was the best rated with very few issues with breakdowns or warranty claims and came out on top of the VW golf and the Audi A4.  


With this kind of quality recorded from a 600,000 uklease car market shows some real quality and if you have though about leasing a BMW we are hoping that this will push you just that little bit in the right direction. We have always campaigned to let people know that we love the quality of BMW and these figures support us in our argument, why not get yourself a quote now? This could be the kind of thing your’e looking for.

The 320D accounts for a good percentage of the BMW’s that we supply on lease deals and at Carlease UK we make no secret of it being our favourite, with two on our own fleet.  In September, What Car ? announced the 320d ED as their own Green Car of the year, yet another option to buyers who want to join the BMW leasing club.

Auto Express call the 320D the “perfect all rounder”, again not without good reason, the latest model is so much more than a face lift, it really is very nearly a new car.   

Jaguar XF S, gorgeous and great value. Economy, performance and style, what a lease car.

Available with the fire breathing 5.0 V8, and of course the supercharged version in the XFR, the XF already has rocket ship options to those who like to move quickly but quietly.  Now Jaguar, a company on a huge growth due to burgeoning demand inChina, have invested quickly and heavily into new models and technology.   Now we get the 3.0 litre diesel, available in 237bhp and 271bhp guise, the latter being capable of reaching 60 mph in 5.9 seconds an delivering an enormous 600Nm torque.  

These sort of figures will easily embarrass all hot hatches and many of the genuinely quick cars. The new engine is set up with sequential turbos,  a method used for a few years now by BMW,  where the first turbo is always running and the second one cuts in later, in the Jaguars case 2800 rpm.  Where Jaguar have somewhat deviated from the standard route is in using a baby turbo to run all the time and a bigger one to cut in later, the aim being to reduce or even eliminate lag. 

In a recent AutoExpress test, this car averaged over 40 mpg, fantastic for such a barnstormer.  The inside is roomy and easily carries five adults in comfort on the best British hide.  The XF is already a well specified car so loads of changes would not make sense,  people like the metal gear leaver the electric air vents and gorgeous drive that this car already possesses, so if it aint broke, don’t fix it.

Car leasing choice is often a question of compromise, if you are in this market, look no further. 
CarleaseUKvote for the big Jag. 

Thursday 8 November 2012

Is cycling a problem for road users ?

At CarleaseUK, we have cyclists on our staff, today we were sad to here about the accident last night that Bradley Wiggins had in Wrightington .  Due to other  recent news issues we have been thinking about the effect of cyclists on the road and this is what we think.

Cycling on the roads around theUKhas never really been the safest way to spend your nights, with over 100 cyclists killed already this year,  but figures would suggest that driver awareness and cyclist safety have greatly improved in recent years. What has really made me think about this subject today is obviously this issue with Bradley Wiggins having been involved in an accident which is currently plastered all over the news. It’s not really surprising that this has become such a big deal, Wiggins has not only just won a series of events, with Olympic gold and Tour De France victory under his belt, but is also a big name in campaigning for road safety for cyclists.

Cyclists are unlikely to ever be the safest of road users, there is just too much of them exposed to a collision for them to ever be truly safe. So what is the solution to such a pressing issue? Laws on lights are strict, but helmets lag behind,   but we need to make  other road users aware of their presence and  I think we are doing a pretty good job but not good enough.  It’s rare not to see a bike user at night that isn't in high visibility clothing and most have lights.   It would be very easy to say that there should just be more cycle paths away form the roads that mean that cyclists aren't exposed to the hostile roads but this isn't always practical in built up areas. I’m a big fan of more cycle lanes on roads and allowing cyclists to use bus lanes too, not only do these keep them separated form the main body of the faster traffic but they improve the flow of the roads too. It isn't always possible to have these separated sections available for cyclists however. Whether it be an issue of space or cost, it is inevitable that sometimes they will share road space with those driving  cars and vans and this will always present a level of danger due as well as human error risk.

Having cyclists on your road may seem like a pain sometimes. Trust me, everyone has been stuck behind a cyclist on a small road at 10mph at some point! Commuters that cycle however are doing you a good turn on the road. There are fewer cars which meaning less congestion not to mention a greener planet in the long term. So while there may not yet be a solution to a harmony between cars and bicycles on the road, it is going to be a lot more common going into the future.

Carlease UK Video Blog|Jaguar XF S|Car leasing deal