Is A Car Lease Maintenance Package Worth It?
At the end of any lease agreement, leasing companies expect the lease car to be in pretty good condition.
It’s not ideal then to leave all your lease car maintenance and lease car repairs to the last minute, as you could end up with hefty fines for returning your car in a poor state.
Luckily, most leasing companies offer add-on maintenance packages. These are intended to provide peace of mind, as all essential maintenance will be taken care of. Any services, MOTs and general maintenance will be added on to your monthly payments.
If you’re debating whether getting a car lease maintenance package is worth it for your lease vehicle, we’re here to help you out. We’ll go over what maintenance is included and required with leasing, how much a maintenance package is, and ultimately whether it’s worth the monthly cost..
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Does car leasing include maintenance as standard?
Lease cars will rarely include maintenance without charging an additional amount, however they will be covered by a lease car warranty. This is the manufacturer’s warranty, which covers your new vehicle for the first few years of its life (varying by manufacturer).
The average lease contract term is around 3 years, so the warranty will likely cover you for the duration of your contract.
Though your warranty won’t include any parts that you accidentally break, it will cover anything that’s broken as a result of a manufacturing issue or fault. Anything worn down by driver error, like wipers/windscreen, tyres, brake linings, brake pads and spark plugs, won’t be covered in a typical warranty, but is with an add on maintenance package.
What maintenance services are covered?
Whilst the exact services included varies from finance company to finance company, your maintenance package will usually also cover you for:
- Breakdown cover
- Your scheduled manufacturer’s services
- Any MOTs if your contract length is over 3 years
- Replacement tyres
- Car pick up/drop off
What maintenance is required for a leased car?
Most leasing companies require your car to be serviced every year of your agreement, and this may even be a stipulation of your warranty. If your lease deal is longer than 3 years, you’ll also be legally required to get an MOT.
But if you’ve realised it’s time for your service or MOT, it’s best to check with your car leasing company first. Though some lenders may be fine with you using any garage, the warranties on some cars only hold up if you use a franchised dealership when servicing a leased car.
If you take out a maintenance package, it’ll cover both the cost of an MOT and car service cost.
BVRLA Guidelines and Fair Wear and Tear
When it comes to the end of your lease agreement, your car will be inspected to check it falls in line with the BVRLA guidelines to fair wear and tear. You should be informed of this (and what’s expected) when you first take your lease out, so it should never come as a nasty shock when you go to return it.
Though they won’t expect your car to be looking factory-fresh after a couple years of use, it is assumed that aside from typical wear, your car should be in pretty good condition.
How much is a maintenance package?
There isn’t typically a set cost for maintenance packages as there are a bunch of factors that will influence the price. You can always be upfront and try to haggle, but since it really depends on different specifications, it’s one area you’re unlikely to get a special offer on.
The make and model of the car you choose can have a huge impact, as more expensive cars like a BMW have increasingly costly repairs and may require parts that are difficult to source. Unfortunately this in turn drives up the price of the maintenance, but could well be worth it if you’re not confident you can keep your car in good shape.
High mileage lease contracts will equally increase the cost of a maintenance package. Whether you’re driving a Nissan or a Porsche, greater mileage causes greater wear on the car, so it’ll need closer attention, which obviously costs more.
Bear in mind that the costs of a maintenance package will likely be significantly lower than any potential lease car return charges. What happens at the end of the lease is that the inspector will list every fault and contract breach and you'll receive a fat bill to cover the additional depreciation costs.
Is a car lease maintenance package worth it?
The short answer is: it depends.
The longer answer is as follows:
Car maintenance costs can easily mount up when you’re not keeping to a regular servicing schedule. If you’re likely to forget about an appointment here and there, or just know your car won’t reach the end of it’s lease without a few bumps, a maintenance package could well save you time, hassle and money.
However, with leasing you’re always getting a brand new car, so it’s unlikely that you’ll be forking out for lease car repair costs over your first few years. If you’re confident following your regular service intervals, follow our car maintenance checklist. It goes over all the tyre checks and fluid top ups you can do yourself to ensure you keep your car in great shape. You can even use some handy car maintenance apps to track what work’s been done, and what needs done. We've also gathered some car maintenance tips from the experts.
So, a car lease maintenance package is worth it if:
- You don’t mind paying extra for the peace of mind that routine maintenance is taken care of.
It is not worth it if:
- You’re budget-conscious and want to hunt around for deals at approved garages/dealerships.
If you’re still on the fence about car running costs and whether to get a maintenance contract, check out our car lease maintenance explained post. It covers everything you need to know about car lease maintenance, your FAQs, and everything included in a typical maintenance package.
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