Who are the BVRLA?
The BVRLA is like a mum and dad to the car rental and leasing industry. The BVRLA teach car rental and leasing companies how to be good, responsible and downright wonderful to our customers. The independent body ensures that anyone who leases a car either long or short term have the protection that comes with choosing a BVRLA approved dealer or broker. In this article, we’ll take you through the membership requirements and rules we must follow and how this benefits our customers.
What is the BVRLA?
The BVRLA are a fifty-year-old trade body dedicated to improving the vehicle leasing industry for customers in Great Britain. In their ‘About’ section online the BVRLA give some impressive quotes about how their organisation contributes to the UK economy.
“BVRLA members operate a combined fleet of around 4.7 million cars, vans and trucks, and purchase around 80% of UK-manufactured vehicles sold in this country. In total, through its direct operations, the vehicles it purchases and its activities in dealerships and the used car market, the vehicle rental and leasing industry contribute an estimated £24.9bn to the UK economy. https://youtu.be/TJmrDd_wza4
How do leasing companies and brokers become members?
Joining the BVRLA is an easy choice for good, reliable lease car providers and brokers. The range of benefits are valuable assets to our business. All we must do to qualify our membership is to abide by some rules and follow best practice guidelines. Which is no big deal for us. We want to be providing the best service we can anyway, so this just helps us along the way.
The BVRLA has more than 900 members, divided into four categories of membership:
Corporate membership
Open to companies who provide short and long-term rental or management of fleet cars, vans and trucks.
Leasing broker membership
Available to finance brokers acting as an intermediary in the leasing of cars, vans and trucks. The BVRLA has more than 300 leasing broker members (including us), which represents a significant majority of the professional leasing broker market.
Rental broker membership
Membership of this category is available to rental brokers who provide service to corporate customers only on behalf of BVRLA members.
Associate membership
This can be of immense benefit to companies that supply goods or services to the motoring industry, allowing them to align their brand with the BVRLA.
Rules OSV and other brokers must abide by as a member
As a member of the BVRLA we have a code of conduct we must conduct our business around. It revised in line with changes in government legislation. The most recent revision was on 9th June 2015.
You can find the full booklet containing the rules we must follow Leasing Broker Member of the BVRLA here. But to be as helpful as always, we’ve bullet pointed the main bits for you.
The BVRLA promotes ethical trading, clear pricing, transparent terms and conditions, high-quality vehicles and impressive customer service standards. As a member, we must comply with the standards set out regarding pre-contract procedures, support during the lifetime of the contract, end of contract procedures and complaint handling.
Breaching the code of conduct can result in serious consequences. A breach can result in being expelled from the BVRLA in circumstances where regulations are breached on several occasions.
Main Principles
- Provide clear pricing for products and services
- Never misrepresent any information about their products or services
- Behave with integrity at all times
- Provide customers with information they need to make an informed decision
- Operate from an established place of business that in maintained to a professional standard
- Never mislead or make inaccurate statements in promotional materials
- Resolve customer complaints to BVRLA standards
- Employees are adequately trained and guided on the BVRLA code of conduct
- Display the BVRLA logo
Benefits to customers
It’s a big decision deciding to lease a vehicle. For personal or corporate use then you need to know that you have all of the correct information to base your decision on. So, If you want our opinion, it makes sense to always choose a broker or lease provider who are a member of the BVRLA. That’s because these organisation’s share the same values as the BVRLA. The vision is to make the leasing industry regulated and offer protection to customers.When choosing a business who is a member of the BVRLA you are protecting yourself. You can buy with confidence knowing that you will never be mislead about pricing, products or services. This means that all of the leaflets flyers, adverts and brochures you see will have been rigorously checked by the BVRLA for accuracy and quality of information.
By choosing a member of the BVRLA you’ll get all of the right information when you need it. The customer service guidelines they follow mean that if something isn’t making sense, the team can explain it all to you.
Speaking of the team, choosing a BVRLA member means the team are all fully trained to look after you throughout your leasing journey. All team members at OSV know the BVRLA code of conduct and all of our processes and procedures are designed with their guidelines in mind.
How do I know if a company is part of the BVRLA?
Knowing if a company is part of the BVRLA involves looking in the fine print. Every member must display the BVRLA logo on all of their promotional material. This includes their website. If you’re unsure if your chosen lease company or broker are a member then you should always check and ask before continuing your purchase. The BVRLA offer excellent benefits to customers leasing a vehicle in the UK. From customer care guidelines and dispute resolution through to guarantees around the quality of information you receive. Protect yourself by looking for the BVRLA logo because it is a symbol of excellence.
In conclusion
Choosing a lease provider who is a member of the BVRLA provides you with peace of mind. With so many other decisions to make surrounding leasing a new vehicle wouldn’t it be nice to know that you’re protected in case something goes wrong. The reassurance that all of the advertising, contracts and information booklets you receive are vetted for accuracy gives added confidence. You won’t have nasty surprises if charges at the end of the contract either. All fees, fines and prices are pre-agreed and explained fully. Take a few minutes to research BVRLA providers in your area. Our recommendation is to always choose a provIder Regulated ed by the
