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It is that time of year when safety organisations remind drivers to carry out safety checks to ensure that you don’t find yourself with a broken car or skidding out of control on icy roads. Make sure that you check your tyres and pressures and your brakes. You can have your battery condition checked for free at most battery fitters, better to replace before you get into the car on a frosty morning and find the battery dead. Check the Read more »

Manufacturers were going a bit crazy last week as they warned contract hire companies and brokers from selling on hugely discounted new cars. As though this was earth shatteringly new! It isn’t, how do you think the car supermarkets have been able to sell new cars more cheaply than main dealers can buy them for? The practice of daily rental companies selling on brand new cars to Read more »

Finally it would seem that fewer people are using private cars for business since the Government chose not to adjust the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment (AMAP) in line with increasing running costs especially the increase in fuel costs. The rates are still set at 40 pence per mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25 pence per mile thereafter, tax and NI free. This rate was set six years ago Read more »

A free website was launched earlier in the year aimed at reducing carbon emissions and increasing the efficient use of taxis. The website is www.emptycabs.com . The website is a free message board where anyone looking to book a taxi, to an airport for example, can be put in touch with Read more »

As if to support my comments made over the last few weeks market analyst Datamoniter has recorded a growth in vehicle leasing in the fleet sector as more companies release cash tied up in their vehicles and reduce exposure to market conditions by selling off the cars they own and replace them with leased vehicles. New vehicle sales generally slumped further in August from the July drop of 7.3% to an unprecedented 15.6%. Consumers, unaware of the cash flow benefits of leasing new cars, have really Read more »

Whilst we are pretty much ripped off in the UK when it comes to new cars compared to the US it sometimes has advantages. At the moment many leasing companies in the US have refused to take on any more leasing business as the risk is all on them and the current drop in used car values is costing them a fortune. In order to achieve cheap rates in the UK the manufacturers have to Read more »

Having been the first to break the news that the takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB would also result in the amalgamation of the two contract hire giants Lex and Autolease many are now reviewing what this could mean to the industry. Whilst the takeover still has to be approved by the FSA and needs shareholder approval both MD’s have said that in the meantime it is business as usual. As both companies are Read more »

Companies have already started to cut back on their transport costs, as of course consumers have also, in preparation for the difficult times ahead. Sadly the problem here is not a need to downsize or purchase cheaper cars etc. it is really a need to understand the finance tools that are available. Various types of leasing could save businesses a fortune. Taking on a tax efficient purchase scheme when the company is making no profits against which they can write off depreciation and interest is pure lunacy. Losing the Read more »

As more people understand the benefits of leasing over purchase Tesco have announced the launch of a staff leasing scheme in association with Lombard Vehicle Management. They have launched a pilot website under the name of Tesco Cars. This is the supermarket giant’s latest handle on the service industry where it already sells finance, insurance and warranty. Could this be their inroad into car leasing plus Tesco points? Under the new scheme Tesco will Read more »

Very bad news if you have bought a car or are buying it on HP but great news if you are leasing! EurotaxGlass’s has warned that used car prices will fall by at least 12% between now and the end of the year as retail demand continues to ease and the supply of second hand cars exceeds demand. The drop is around three times the drop experienced Read more »