Flexible Car Leasing is a term used by ourselves and competitors to describe a solution where you effectively rent the vehicle but without an end date. Some companies dress these up as car subscriptions, a flexilease or even a long-term car rental solution, but it all offers the same solution.
Flexible leases can be an ideal way of running a vehicle as a business or personally without having to commit to a 2/3 year car lease. Whilst we offer other short-term solutions such as short-term car leases which are based on a fixed contract (eg. 6-month car lease), with a flexible car lease you keep the car until you give us notice to return.
Vehicles on these flexible leases can be taken for 1-month (best prices unlocked when you take the vehicle for the minimum qualifying period) up to 12-months generally, although we still have customers in cars that have reached the MOT age.
In this guide we will cover what a flexible car lease is and the benefits to running them in a business fleet or personally.
What is a Flexible Car Lease?
Flexible Car Lease is generally the ‘keyword’ or ‘term’ used to describe a long-term car rental arrangement. These are vehicles taken generally for 1-month plus with no end date written into the terms and conditions.
You keep the same car from day one until you give us notice to return the car with one of the biggest benefits with ourselves, you only ever pay for the time in the vehicle.
Flexible solutions such as these are great for businesses who need to cover probation periods or short-term projects or for individuals who may have a car on order, need a car for a short period or maybe you get bored quickly.
They are also excellent for expat customers who are coming over to the UK to live and/or work and need wheels. They cannot qualify for a traditional lease due to lack of credit history in the UK, so a flexible car contract like this is excellent.
New start-up businesses can also benefit from a flexible contract like these leases, more on that in the article below.
What is the length of a Flexible Car Lease?
The beauty of a flexible car lease is that the contract is open ended. Meaning that unless we need the car back (which doesn’t happen as much as other suppliers) or you want to send the car back, the car is yours to run month-to-month so long as the Direct Debit is paid.
All cars can be taken from 1-month, but to get our very best prices, you need to take the car for the minimum qualifying period which is usually 90 days plus. When you take the car for the minimum qualifying period, you also get free delivery in England and Wales.
One of the many questions we get asked is “Can I fix into a 12 month contract to get the best price?” – Whilst we would love to do this, due to the terms set out by the finders and/or manufacturers we are not allowed to fix a term on the contracts, plus it then loses the banner flexible.
Is it cheaper than a Daily Rental Car Hire?
Yes, in many cases utilising a flexible contract such as these can work out much cheaper than using a daily rental company over a 1 to 3-month period, especially for businesses who have fleet policies.
With corporate car hire prices increasing dramatically over the last 12-18 months, it has never been a better time to take a look at a flexible car contract with ourselves.
What are the benefits to flexible leasing?
Like most leasing and short-term solutiones, there are pro’s and con’s to these contracts, here are a few of the main positives, followed by the negatives:
Positives
- No long-term commitments unlike traditional car leasing
- No end date on the agreements, keep as long as required
- Access to new and nearly new vehicles from premium brands
- An ideal way for Fleet Managers to increase vehicle numbers without commitment
- Vehicles usually in physical stock
- Many of the vehicles include maintenance & servicing
- Low Initial Outlay
- Business and Personal Customers Welcome
- Road Tax & Breakdown Assistance Included
- Manufacturers Warranty Included
- Exact Make/Model given, not a group
- Cheaper than using a Daily Rental Company
- Generous Mileage Allowances which can be increased to 6,000 miles for a fee
- Great for New Business Start-ups
- Perfect Solution for Expat Customers
- Luxury and Premium Cars Available
- No early termination charges
Negatives
- Sometimes more expensive than short-term car leases
- Specification of the car cannot be altered
- Excess mileage higher than traditional leases
- Maintenance & Servicing may not be included as standard
Things to consider with a flexible lease
Here are a few things to consider when looking at flexible car lease options:
Mileage Allowance
All vehicles come with a generous mileage allowance as standard, but make sure that the mileage included is sufficient for your commutes and general driving. One benefit is that if you feel you are going over your allowance you can add a ‘Mileage Bolt-On’ to your contract.
Insurance
Fully comprehensive insurance must be provided but this can be based on an individual policy or a fleet policy. You need to also make sure that your insurance provider adds the registration number to the AskMid Insurance Database.
On any vehicle, fully comprehensive insurance must be provided by the hirer. Fleet policies are acceptable so long as the vehicle is registered on the AskMid Insurance Database and showing as insured.When purchasing an insurance policy for your flexible vehicle, we recommend taking a 12 month policy, as these can work out much cheaper than a Short Term Insurance provider such as TempCover. We’ve recently partnered with QuoteZOne to provide you a great way of comparing car insurance quotes from over 110+ car insurance providers, just click on the following link to get a quote: GET CAR INSURANCE QUOTES.
Other companies that may help you in providing insurance cover include: Admiral, Bell Insurance, Swift and Tesco Insurance. Please visit their website for more information.
Quidco Cashback is a great place to look at comparing insurance quotations.
Wear and Tear
Flexible car leases do not have to adhere to the BVRLA fair, wear and tear standards. In its place is a RETURN STANDARDS policy that forms part of your terms and conditions. It is important to read these before taking out any vehicles with ourselves.
We will of course follow the strict Code of Conduct as set out by the BVRLA, for which we are members of.
Early Termination
One of the huge benefits to a flexible contract is that there is not any early termination charges for flexible leases. Not only that but with Cocoon Vehicles you only ever pay for the time in the vehicle, so if you send the car back mid-month, we will credit the over paid rental when we calculate your end of contract.
Short-Term Leases Might Be Cheaper
If you know that you need a car for a fixed period of time, eg. 6-months. It might be cheaper to choose a SHORT-TERM CAR LEASE instead of a flexible contract. The only thing that may put you off is the slightly longer lead times and the different range of cars.
Who can apply for a Flexible Car Lease?
Anyone can apply for a flexible car contract with ourselves, whether your a business or an individuals.
All applicants will need to go through credit checks to check eligibility and documents will be requested with a minimum requirement of an ID and utility bill dated within the last 3 months (not Sky or Mobile). Further information may be requested by the underwriters to support your application.
For personal customers Photo ID and Utility Bill (Dated within the last 3-months) will be required. Further documents can be requested by the Underwriters to support your application, these include employment contracts and/or bank statements.
For business customers, the authorised signatory must provide Photo ID and a Utility Bill, the business must also supply 2 forms of trading. Additional information may be requested by the underwriters.
We can also assist if you are a New Start-up Business or if you are an Expat Customer with no UK credit history.
Top 7 Reasons to get a flexible car lease...
- No commitment, it’s flexible.
- You have a car on order with a dealer with a long-lead time.
- You are a sub-contractor and need a vehicle for a short-term project
- You are a new business start-up and need some cars
- You have new starters and need a car to cover probation periods
- You are coming to work in the UK and need a car to get around
- You like to change your car on a regular basis.
We can help you find the best car for you
We’ve helped hundreds of customers since 2007 get into a flexible car subscription or contract, we’re here to help you and provide honest and upfront advice to sit with your business or personal circumstances.
The team are on-hand to help you and answer any questions you have and when you call us, you get through to a human. We don’t use chatbots and we answer emails.
If you need help with a flexible car lease, speak to the team on 01332 290173 or drop us a line on the ENQUIRY FORM at the bottom of this article.
Latest Flexible Car Lease Deals
Here is a small selection of our latest flexible car lease deals, click the vehicle for further details and pricing:
Mercedes-Benz
EQB Estate
Mercedes-Benz
V Class Estate
Mercedes-Benz
EQE Saloon
VW
Golf Hatchback
VW
Polo Hatchback
Flexible Car Leasing for Business
There are so many benefits to businesses in utilising the positives of a flexible car lease. It is a great way to expand or reduce your fleet with ease but also very quickly.
With very little commitment, you can have a fleet of 1 or 100 vehicles as your disposable, if a member of staff leaves off-hire the vehicle and sned it back with nothing further to pay. Avoid early termination costs.
Read more here: Short-Term Vehicle Business Solutions
