Leasing can be an affordable, practical route into having your own private car, but it's not always easy to tell the good deals from the duds.
The experts at our sister magazine What Car? work hard to find you the best pay-monthly schemes, taking into account mileage allowance, montly outlay, contract length and initial deposit. We'll be bringing you the best deals they find from a different segment each week.
This week, electric cars:
1. Renault Zoe R110 80kW i Iconic
£4649 deposit, £282 per month, 48 months, 8000 miles per year
The Zoe was heavily revised for 2020, gaining improvements to its interior quality, infotainment and range. Our preferred R110 version doesn’t feel much slower than the pricier R135, while Iconic trim adds sat-nav.
2. Peugeot e-208 100kW Allure
£4534 deposit, £348 per month, 48 months, 8000 miles per year
The Zoe will go further, but the e-208 is far nicer to drive and has a snazzier interior to justify its price. Allure models come with 16in alloys, climate control and power-folding mirrors. Also, this little Pug will support 100kW charging – if you can find anywhere that does it.
3. Vauxhall Corsa-E 100kW SE Nav Premium
£4600 deposit, £346 per month, 48 months, 8000 miles per year
For £2 less per month, you could have a Vauxhall version of the e-208 that may not provide quite such a supple ride but has a more conventional button layout for all the major controls. Like the Peugeot, it can rapid-charge at 100kW.
Join the debate
xxxx
Warning
It's all very good promoting WhatCar leasing but buyer beware especially on cheap cars.
When you hand it back expect an end of lease bill, you'll be charged for a professional clean, paintwork marks, wheel scuffs and just about anything the company think (all at dealer rates) they can get away with.
Beastie_Boy
And why wouldn’t you pay for any damage caused to a lease car?
We leased a Polo GTI that was returned to the lease company last year. The guy who collected it spent ages checking over it only to turn round and say it was the cleanest 2 year old car he’d ever seen.
Given that a car is probably the most valuable thing you’re likely to sink your money into, after a house, why wouldn’t you look after it?
Once the Polo went back we had to look for a second hand car. Any damage I found on a second hand car would mean I’d consider it to be worth less than a prestine one and I’d expect the asking price to be reduced to reflect this (or be repaired by the seller).
Surely if you return a scruffy lease car, you should make up the shortfall in the cars value.
xxxx
Ans
Basically when you trade in YOUR car or sell privately you don't take it to a main dealer and ask him to do £200 Valet inside and outside, respray all minor blemishes/marks including possible repair and repaint of all wheels regardless of how small the kerbing is. You don't do because you're get a big bill that you won't get back from the sale.
It's not just how many marks they'll find it's the fact you'll be charged top dollar, and, in the case of £150 a month leases it'll be disproportionate. Bear in mind with a private sale the buyer will be more forgiving than a dealer who can make a few more bucks.
This needed pointing out, which is why I did it.
scotty5
What planet?
Not sure which dealers you are talking about but you're right, you can hand it back without going to the expense of repairing any damage however the dealer will have knocked down the trade-in price to compensate.
Go try selling to webuyanycar.com or similar sites and they'll knock money off for every scratch.
As for Valeting the car - not sure what state you return your cars in but 5mins with a hoover will save you that £200. To be honest the interiors of my cars are handed back in the same condition as the car I'm about to buy.
xxxx
Now a department handles it
Would never use webuyanycar as they always knock the price down when they see it, explains why they get so many complaints. Valet a car in 5 mins good luck!
Either way Goverment Finacial Ombusmans deals with car lease complaints these days, they have far more experience, gained from disputes, than you or I.
scotty5
More rubbish
It's simply not true. If you describe the car accurately then how can they reduce the price that's guaranteed for 7 days? I've sold cars to them and others, never once had an issue. Any problems usually caused by owners not describing their cars accurately.
As for my 5mins claim... yes indeed, 5 mins with a hoover - if it takes any more than that then you haven't been taking care of the car and deserve to be penalised.
xxxx
Nope,
My knowledge has been gained from personnal and other people experiences, please be careful when you accuse people of lying. You must be one of the few to defend WeBuyAnyCar, not sure why you'd go back to them again and again, you'd always get alot more privately.
Best you look at the Indeed employee review website and you'll soon learn what sort of company they are.
WallMeerkat
Beastie_Boy wrote:
True, but you don't typically move your house about (those living in campers / touring caravans excluded) at speed on the roads, or parked up where sports utility houses can park tight beside them and ding their front door into your brickwork.
And even at that, it's the same as a Landlord keeping the deposit wanting the carpets shampooed and the gutter timbers repainted.
supermanuel
Warning?
@xxxx I have leased 7 cars over the last 15 years and have never been charged for anything other than excess mileage on one vehicle.
xxxx
@super
you've been lucky to not even be charged a valet. There's specialist lease return companies for a reason, articles on MoneySavingsexpect etc will also help out on the pit falls of returning a car.
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