Looking for a leasing deal? Keep these factors in mind

Wednesday, August 13, 2014 - 13:00
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Lease this!

Searching for the best leasing deal is time consuming and infuriating.

But the search can make all the difference to your company’s spend, profit and operating efficiency. How do you find the best offer available then? Here are some tips:

Make the most of it
You may have a model in mind, maybe the Vauxhall Vivaro, maybe the Ford Transit, but one of your first priorities should be making a decision on vehicle dimensions and gross vehicle weight. It goes without say that if you’re regularly transporting large goods up and down the country you’ll need to check the loads space, but on top of that you also need to factor in the maximum legal weight that your vehicle can reach when it’s fully loaded with fuel, equipment, freight and passengers.

Factoring all of these variables in, you’re probably going to have to compromise on some aspect. Hiring a van with a huge payload is beneficial if your company is often transporting things like furniture or kitchen appliances but this load space will become even more important if you’re moving lightweight but unweildy objects. You’re also going to need to take a van’s dimensions into consideration if your driver is going to have to take minor roads, bridges or tunnels on their route as the roads could have height and weight restrictions.

Customise
Although a dirty word often associated with boy racers in Subaru’s, vehicle modification could prove invaluable to your van fleet. Things like tippers, tailgate lifts and dropsides could make your delivery drivers life a whole lot easier when transporting heavy materials as they’ll make loading and unloading a whole lot faster. On top of this you may want to think about road compliance and best industry practices – will you need tow bars? Beacons? Maybe your van will need lighting and safety markings to enter worksites. You know your business better than me but these little changes can make the biggest difference.

You may think that if you’re leasing rather than buying then customisation will be a no-no, but the truth is that many van leasing companies are more than happy to provide your vehicle fleet complete with company livery. Having a van decked out in the company logo and colours and out there on the road is the best form of advertising.

Don’t forget the paperwork
You’ll want to look for a van rental package that provides you with the works – by that I mean 24/7 support, nationwide breakdown recovery, maintenance schedule and ensuring your vehicles are road compliant.

At the end of the day it is entirely up to you to decide what suits your business best in regards to the plethora of rental terms and deals out there in the van hire market – they each cater to different needs. Some van hire leasers can even stretch to offering the best of both worlds with the flexibility of rental and the control of contract along with guaranteed prices throughout the length of contract.

Perfecting your business van rental strategy can be an enormous headache but a rewarding one. So whether it’s HGV’s, minibuses or vans you’re looking to lease, I hope this article has given you food for thought.

1 Comments

  1. Just a quick observation – an analysis of the Whole Life Cost of each vehicle which you are considering, using the Fleetpoint Whole Life Cost calculator (which is supported by Clear Vehicle Data), will give you a side-by-side comparison for the total operating costs of each vehicle.

    This is an excellent starting point, using independent objective data, which is not influenced by vehicle manufacturers or motor dealers. When you know the true operating costs, then you are in a strong position to go to the leasing industry or your fleet supplying dealer to negotiate even better terms.