So, you’ve finally got your lease car. And you love it, obviously. Now, you have to think about servicing it.
Servicing your car is a necessary cost when it comes to leasing a vehicle. But, how much is it really going to cost you? We’ve put together an article explaining what’s involved with each service, and how much it will cost you (approximately).
Do I have to service a lease car?
The short answer is; yes, you do have to service a lease vehicle. The long answer is; yes you definitely have to service a lease car, as per the manufacturer’s guidelines.
This is because although you don’t own the car or van you are responsible for it. When you go to return the car, the finance house/leasing company want the car to be in a road worthy condition, for it to be mechanically sound and, if applicable, with the balance of the Manufacturer’s Warranty.
How much will servicing a lease car cost?
As with most things when it comes to leasing a car; it depends. How great would it be if we could just tell you a figure and then leave it at that? But we can’t do that, sorry.
The cost of servicing your lease car will vary greatly depending on the manufacturer and the model. The time between the services also varies.
Some manufacturers set intervals of 20,000 miles or 2 years, depending on which is soonest. Others, however, will require 12,500 miles or once a year. Some cars will tell you when a service due depending on how you drive, which is pretty convenient. This will affect how much it will cost you over the term of your lease.[vc_single_image image=”2774″ img_size=”article-image”]
Should I pay for a maintenance agreement?
If you are doing a lower mileage then generally it is more beneficial to pay for servicing as you go. This is because you won’t be replacing the tyres or brakes over the contract due to the fact that you are doing low mileage. The only costs that will typically be incurred will be the routine servicing such as an oil or filter change. It is always worth getting a quote and then making the decision, as I have seen cars on 10,000 mile contracts where the maintenance is £10 a month! So worth every penny.
However, if you are doing a higher mileage, you should consider adding a maintenance agreement to your lease contract. This is more beneficial because the maintenance company has significant buying power when it comes to labour costs and parts. As your vehicle will need more servicing its worth paying so you don’t get any surprises.
In most cases, this will cover routine services as well as wear and tear items like brake pads and wiper blades.
Will my maintenance agreement cover tyres?
Some agreements will cover tyres but some will not so it’s best to check. There will also be some agreements that include puncture repairs and a fair usage policy.
So what is fair useage? Say you get a puncture at 12,000 miles of tyre use and the tyre cannot be repaired as it is half way through its life, the maintenance company will pay for half of the new tyre and you will pay for the other half.
Maintenance agreements are advised for high performance or top end vehicles. For example, replacing 4 tyres on a BMW X5 could cost you around £1600.
How much will tyres cost?
Tyres are generally the more expensive routine cost of a vehicle. The cost of tyres varies greatly, not just between model sizes but also depending on the specification. Generally though, the bigger and more powerful the car, the bigger the wheels and therefore the more expensive the tyres will cost.
Tyres on a Citroen C1, for example, will be available from around £40.00 per tyre. Tyres on a BMW X5 are likely to reach a cost of £400 per tyre.[vc_single_image image=”2592″ img_size=”article-image”]
An example of servicing a car
To make things a bit less complicated here is an example of the servicing costs on a Honda Civic sized car.
The First Service – £150.00
Generally, the first service will consist of an oil and filter change, and include a health check on the vehicle. The health check will be a visual check on the underside of the car or van and will highlight any issues that may require attention before the next service. A vehicle technician will also record the tyre tread depths on the health check form along with a visual estimation. This will either be in mm or a percentage of how worn the vehicle brake pads are.
The Second Service – £230.00
A second service is usually a bigger service than the first. This will include an oil and filter change as well as a brake fluid change which is recommended to be changed on 2 yearly intervals. It would not be uncommon for a pollen filter to be checked and replaced at this service if required. Again, a health check will be carried out as part of this.
The Third Service – £150.00
The third service will be smaller than the second and will consist of an oil and filter change and a general look over the vehicle.
The Fourth Service – £350.00
The fourth service is bigger than all of the previous services. Replacement parts will be considered, especially those which are required to be changed after a certain amount of time or mileage. For example, air filters and spark plugs generally need to be replaced every 25,000 miles or every four years, depending on which is soonest.
Brake pads could reach around £120 for a replacement and up to £300 you include the discs. Its’s also worth noting that some vehicles have rear hub brake discs which will increase the cost upwards of £400 for replacement.
Although servicing your lease car may feel like a massive hassle as well as an additional expense on top of what you’re paying on your contract, you must service and maintain the vehicle as per the manufacturer’s guidelines. If you don’t get your car serviced, you risk voiding the manufacturer’s warranty. There will also be leasing companies that will penalise you if you don’t get the car serviced, so you could end up paying more money.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
Car is on lease do I have to mot car by dealers or can I have done by independent garage
Hi Sajid,
We cover this in more detail in another article Is my MOT covered in my lease contract?. If you don’t have a maintenance agreement with your lease then you will need to pay for your MOT and it can be carried out at any MOT licenced testing station based in the UK.
Can I take a maintenance contract out with a different company to the leasing company?
Hi Michael,
Thank you for your comment. You can take a maintenance contract out with a different company. As long as you ensure that your vehicle is maintained to the manufacturer’s standard and is serviced by an approved garage.
Hello, if you opt not to take out the maintenance package can you get the car serviced at any garage or does it have to be dealers? thanks
Hi Suf,
It is recommended that you get the car serviced at an approved garage in order to ensure that they are using the right parts that won’t negate your warranty. The option of the maintenance package merely means that the cost of the required services and repairs are included in your monthly rental costs.
We hope that this answer helps.