Car Leasing FAQs

The best way to understand what car leasing is is to think of it like renting a car long-term. You pay a set monthly fee for an agreed period before you have to return the car at the end. 

However, with leasing, you receive a brand-new car that is to the specification and model that you like. 

To learn more about car leasing, check out our leasing explained page.

There are a number of benefits to leasing a car. The main benefit of leasing is that it is an affordable way of driving a new car every 2 to 4 years. This means you benefit from the latest technologies, safety features and models each time. You don’t need to worry about road tax or depreciation either.

To learn more about these benefits, check out our benefits of car leasing page.

Car leasing is growing in popularity every year with more and more people choosing to lease rather than buy their next car. The BVRLA claim that one in ten of all vehicles in the UK are leased.

Yes, they are both the same thing. PCH (or Personal Contract Hire) is the proper term for personal car leasing while BCH (or Business Contract Hire) is the correct term for business car leasing.

For a more detailed understanding of what car leasing is, visit our car leasing explained page.

Personal Contract Hire (PCH) is a different finance option than PCP which stands for Personal Contract Purchase. We do not offer PCP as a way of financing but to learn more about the difference between the two, you can read our PCH vs PCP page for more information.

The types of car leasing that we offer are BCH and PCH:

• PCH (Personal Contract Hire) is where the lease contract is taken out in your name and you are responsible for the finance.
• BCH (Business Contract Hire) is where the lease contract is taken in a business name and is financed through the company.

To better understand the difference between the two leasing options we offer, check out our business lease vs personal lease page.

The only difference between car and van leasing is the type of vehicle offered. Car leasing only applies to cars while van leasing only applies to vans.

Our personal lease rates are advertised as including VAT while our business rates are advertised as excluding VAT. This is because as a VAT-registered business, you can claim back up to 50% of the VAT.  Majority of the time the only difference between our BCH and PCH rates is the VAT value, although sometimes we may get special discounts for business or personal customers.

There are a number of benefits to leasing a car compared to buying one. The main benefit of leasing is that it is an affordable way of driving a new car every 2 to 4 years. This means you benefit from the latest technologies, safety features and models each time. You don’t need to worry about road tax or depreciation either.

To learn more about these benefits, check out our benefits of car leasing page.

There are three main steps to leasing a new car:

Find the car you want – use our website’s search tool to filter down the model you are thinking of, or you can check out our special offers page to find some inspiration. If you need any help with your payment profile or annual mileage or you have some questions about the car, speak to our team. You can contact us by calling 0345 350 3776, emailing us at enquiries@willowleasing.com, or sending us a message on our live chat service.

Apply for finance – once you’ve found the car you like and the payment profile that suits you best, you will need to fill out a finance application. We will submit this to the finance company which will complete a credit check – this can take up to 72 working hours to come back with a decision. If your finance application is approved, you will be sent a vehicle order form to sign and once returned to us, your car will be ordered.

Delivery – when your car arrives with the supplier, it will need to undergo a PDI or Pre-Delivery Inspection. Once this is completed, it will be offered out for delivery. This is usually on a weekday between 8 am and 6 pm.

To learn more about this process, read through our leasing process guide page.  

All the cars that we offer on our website are brand-new. They have not had any previous owners and most come directly from the factory. We do have some offers that come through on pre-reg (or pre-registered) cars which means that the car has been registered to qualify for certain discounts before it is delivered to you. These cars though are still brand-new.

Yes, we can lease all major makes and models across our funders. If you cannot find the specific trim or model that you were looking for, get in touch with the team and we can get a specified quote created for you.

You can contact us by calling 0345 350 3776, emailing us at enquiries@willowleasing.com, or sending us a message on our live chat service.

We have built up extensive connections with a wide number of suppliers all over the UK thanks to many years of working within the industry. Our suppliers get their cars directly from the manufacturer.

Use our website’s search tool on our homepage to filter down the model you are thinking of, or you can check out our special offers page to find some inspiration. If you need any help with your payment profile or annual mileage or you have some questions about the car, speak to our team. You can contact us by calling 0345 350 3776, emailing us at enquiries@willowleasing.com, or sending us a message on our live chat service.

Once you’ve been sent the quote you like, you just need to accept it and fill out a finance application. If your finance application gets approved, you will need to sign our order form and your car will be ordered straight away!

We can lease all major makes and models across our funders. If you cannot find the specific trim or model that you were looking for, get in touch with the team and we can get a specified quote created for you.

You can contact us by calling 0345 350 3776, emailing us at enquiries@willowleasing.com, or sending us a message on our live chat service.

Factory order is the term we use when a car isn’t in stock or pipeline stock. When the car is ordered, it is built from scratch at the factory. Factory order is a longer lead time than either stock or pipeline stock as they aren’t pre-ordered. Factory order lead times can vary depending on the make, model and trim that you choose.

Yes, road tax is included across all of our lease deals.

No catch! We have built great relationships with a number of suppliers so that we can offer you the very best prices out there! All we can recommend is that if you find a price and car that you like, you submit your application as soon as possible as prices can change at any time and without warning.

Yes, we offer a price-matching service across all of our lease deals. If you do find a better price elsewhere, challenge us to beat it! We value your business and would love to be able to provide you with your next car!

You will need fully comprehensive motor insurance for your lease car just as you would with any other car you drive. Find out more information on insuring your lease car on our insurance page.  We also recommend taking out a GAP Insurance policy for your lease car. Although it is not contractually required, GAP insurance covers you in case your lease car is written off or stolen, offering you some peace of mind throughout your lease contract. We have just partnered with a company to offer you GAP insurance for your lease – you can find out more on our GAP Insurance page.

It isn’t possible to change the make and model of your contract before it comes to an end. If you are unhappy and want a change, you will have to terminate your current contract (which would mean paying a cancellation or settlement figure for the contract) and then lease another car.

This depends on the make and model that you are interested in. Some models have a much longer lead time (24 months+) than others. If you are interested in just getting a car as soon as possible, check out our in-stock car leasing page as these cars are either on-site or arriving over the next couple of weeks.

As long as you have a full and valid UK driving licence and are more than 18 years old, you can lease a car. However, as leasing is a financial agreement, you will need to have a strong credit score to pass the finance check.

Most finance companies will require a copy of your driving licence when you lease with them. However, depending on your credit check, they may ask for other proofs to be sent over. Such as proof of address (dated within three months), postal bank statements, payslips and possibly your passport.

Yes, you can add a personalised number plate to your lease car. This will need to be arranged with the finance company once the car has been delivered to you. Check out our private registrations page for more information.

Yes, you can take your lease car abroad. You will, however, need to inform your finance company before you do. They will then send you the appropriate documentation that you can take with you. For more information, check out our travelling abroad page.