Resources

If you are getting a new car, you are probably keen to ensure that you get the best deal on your insurance. And, it’s important to know which cars will be cost effective for insurance purposes.

Insurance is one of the biggest additional costs when it comes to getting a car, regardless of whether you are leasing or buying. So, it’s important that you can find the best insurance deal for you to ensure that it doesn’t take you up and over your budget.
Over the years we have advised thousands of customers on the right car for them, and insurance groups are an important part of that.
With this in mind, we wanted to make sure that you are fully knowledgeable about how you can get accurate insurance quotes and budget effectively. It should be noted here that we are not insurance experts, and if there is anything you are unsure on we recommend contacting an insurance broker. However, we can advise, which is what we are going to do. It depends on how you complete your information. All insurance quotes are based on risk to the insurer, so if you do not enter the correct car details then the quote may not be accurate.

It is very important to be absolutely sure about the questions you are answering online. So, if you aren’t 100% sure about something, find out first…

When you’re looking at leasing your next car, you should think about what engine you are going to go for. Do you choose a diesel engine, or a petrol?

You may have already made your mind up, but want to know how your choice will affect your lease price.

We advise people on this every day so we’ve written an article outlining who is best suited to each engine, and how they affect lease price. You tend to find that the most popular cars to lease in general are diesel engines, such as executive saloons. These include cars such as…

Nobody likes spam. Even the word spam sends horror to the hearts of most. Tinned meat included.

Unfortunately, however, spam emails are a part of life. On average, most people will receive over 40 emails per day. Per. Day. How many of those do you delete without reading? I’d wager quite a few.

Now, whether or not you consider these emails spam is really up to you and your mail provider. Is it spam because you don’t want to read it? Or is spam exclusively those emails from the Arabian prince who wants you to hold onto his £2.5 million for a few months?

Chances are, the former isn’t really spam – it’s just a newsletter you signed up to months ago and no longer have interest in. Of course, unsubscribing is a lot of effort, and what if there’s a really great deal on a few months down the line? However, the latter is most definitely spam.

And, 9 times out of 10 (or more realistically 99 times out of 100) your mail provider will mark it as spam and you won’t even see it. Emails can get marked as spam for a number of reasons…

If you are considering leasing a car, you may be wondering which companies are reputable and who regulates them.

Throughout this article, we will provide clear information on who regulates the industry and how you are protected.

At OSV, we have complied with trade bodies and codes of conduct since 1997 and have years of experience in educating and advising customers.

As we have answered hundreds of customer questions each and every day, we wanted to help you to have all of the answers you need to know exactly how you are protected when you lease a car. The Finance and Leasing Association (the FLA) formed in 1992 and is the leading trade body for consumer and motor finance sectors in the UK.

Any member of the FLA signs up to a specific Lending Code. This sets out the…

When you are looking at getting a new car, you shouldn’t just be looking at the price. Regardless of whether you are leasing or buying, customer service is a vital part of the process.

Therefore, customer service is really important.
But, why? Why is customer service important when getting a car?
At OSV, we pride ourselves on our customer service. We understand what great customer service is, and how it is important when getting a car. So, in this article I will explain why customer service is important, and when you may need it. Customer service is the front of the company. If a company’s customer service process isn’t very good, then the company probably isn’t very good. It’s the point of contact for the consumer to the company as well as the point of contact for the other departments. So, there is a big risk of mis-communication if there is a weak customer service set up…

So, you’ve ordered your car with us! Hooray! Thank you very much for choosing to get your car with OSV.

We understand that when you get a new vehicle it is very exciting and timeframes are critical for planning.
Once you’ve ordered your car, you will get access to something called the portal. This allows you to see where your car is along the delivery process.
We’ve been helping customers since 1997, and we know that being updated on your order frequently is extremely important. So, we’ve put together an article to help you get the best support in accessing the portal. The portal is our ‘in house’ online vehicle order tracking system which allows our customers to log on using their own log in details and view the latest status of their order. Once you have ordered your vehicle with OSV, the details will be entered onto the portal and you will receive your unique log in details.

The portal is essentially designed to make it easy for you to check the status of your order…

For your next car you might be considering a hybrid. Hybrid cars have become increasingly popular in recent years, and it’s easy to see why.

So, what exactly is a hybrid car? And, what are the advantages and disadvantages?

We advise people on different types of cars every day, and we’ve noticed how popular hybrids have become. That’s why we’ve decided to write an article all about hybrid vehicles.
Firstly, what is a hybrid car?

A hybrid car is one that uses two or more engines, i.e. an electric motor and a conventional engine (either petrol or diesel). The point of having two engines is that it cuts fuel consumption and therefore conserves energy.
Some examples of hybrid cars are…

Your car is on order, and you have been given an estimated time of arrival but you’ve noticed that your build date has moved.

There is always a chance that your build date will be moved. There are loads of things that can affect the build date of a vehicle. Sometimes it will be moved back, but there is a chance that it can also be moved forward.
Either way, you’ll want to know why. At OSV we have a dedicated customer service team that are experts in the delivery process. So, we’ve written an article explaining what sort of things can affect delivery date, build date and reasons why your build date may have moved.

How will I know if my build date has moved?

It depends on your individual broker or dealership. Each company has a different way of doing things. There will be some brokers and car dealers will not keep you updated on the status of your vehicle. You might not even know your car has been delayed or is even going to arrive early until it either appears on your doorstep a week early, or doesn’t at all!

When you get a new car, you either get a stock car, or a factory order. One of the most commonly asked questions we get at OSV is ‘what’s the difference between a stock car and a factory order?’

The answer is quite a bit. Obviously, we aren’t just going to leave it at that. We explain stock cars and factory orders every day at OSV. So, in this article we’ll be talking about what they both mean, the main differences, and the pros and cons of each.
A stock car quite literally means that the car is in stock. It could be on site at the dealership, held at a compound or sometimes can be held at the port and delivered straight from there. But, stock can also mean in stock somewhere abroad. So, it’s always best to check.
If you factory order your new car, then this means that the vehicle is not yet built…

So, you’ve come to the decision that you want to lease your next car and that you want to use a leasing company to do so. What now? Well, now you have to choose which leasing company you’re going to go through.
But, how do you know you’re choosing the right company to lease from? We understand what a tough decision this can be so we’ve written an article on the things you should look for when you’re choosing a leasing company.
A risk involved with leasing through a car broker is that they may not be reputable. However, this risk can easily be eliminated if you know what accreditations to look for. Here are some of the accreditations to look out for when choosing a leasing company…

Ordering a new car for your company can be stressful. You have to go through a never ending amount of paperwork, wait for finance approval, and jump through so many hoops before you even receive the vehicle. So we understand how infuriating it can be if your vehicle arrives and it’s not 100% perfect.

Knowing your rights when this happens is important.

It can also be confusing and, if we’re being honest, quite boring. Which is why we’ve written an article to help you understand your rights when buying a car.
However, your rights when buying a car for personal reasons and for business reasons are completely different. So different, in fact, that it’s essentially a whole article in itself.
This article is focused on the rights and responsibilities of buying a car for a business…