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There are various ways that you can finance your new vehicle. Our customers are under obligation to use any financial package we may offer, but we can deliver various finance solutions from reputable providers.
Below is a brief description of the two main types of finance; Hire Purchase and Personal Contract Purchase.
Hire Purchase (HP)
Hire Purchase is a little like a mortgage on a house where you pay an initial deposit and then pay the balance over an agreed period of time in equal monthly payments. Typically, agreements can run from 2 to 5 years.
The vehicle remains the property of the finance company until you make the last payment. If you settle early, you will be offered a rebate of some of the interest. However, you may find, with a small initial deposit, if you settle very early, the amount owing may be more than the vehicle is worth.
Who does HP suit?
Hire Purchase may suit buyers who plan to keep their vehicles for a longer period of time, perhaps longer than the agreement term, who have a large deposit or want a simple agreement with no commitment at the end of the term.
Watch our introduction video on Hire Purchase for a straight forward explanation.
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP)
Like Hire Purchase, an initial deposit is paid with monthly payments over an agreed period of time. However, the final payment at the end of the agreement is significantly larger than under a normal Hire Purchase agreement, usually several thousand pounds. This is called the Guaranteed Future Value (GFV). This makes the payments in-between the initial deposit and the large final payment much smaller than with Hire Purchase and the agreements are shorter.
You must pay this large final payment, the GFV, at the end of the agreement. However, the finance company will guarantee that your vehicle will be worth at least this value as long as it is in a suitable condition and covered less than an agreed mileage limit. This gives you three options:
You can hand the vehicle back to the finance company and this will settle the GFV.
You can pay the GFV payment and keep the vehicle.
Usually, your vehicle should be worth more than the GFV payment. This means you can part exchange the vehicle, settle the GFV payment and use the equity (the difference between the part exchange value and the GFV payment) as part deposit for your next vehicle.
Who does PCP suit?
Personal Contract Purchase may suit buyers that want a new or nearly new vehicle and fully intend to change it at the end, or before the end of the agreement or want a more expensive vehicle than may be available to them using other forms of finance. The disadvantage could be that customers feel forced into changing their vehicle every 2 or 3 years to avoid paying the GFV payment.
Watch our introduction video on Personal Contract Purchase for a straight forward explanation.
Conditional Sale (CS)
Conditional Sale is very similar to Hire Purchase and is one of the most common ways to finance a new or used vehicle. It is also probably the most straight-forward and easy to understand method of financing a vehicle.
Conditional Sale makes the assumption that you want to eventually own the vehicle when the financial term comes to an end, so simply splits the total cost of the vehicle (minus your deposit) over the duration of your plan. Once the last monthly payment has been made, the vehicle is yours.
Watch our introduction video on Conditional sale for a straight forward explanation.
Finance Online
You can process a finance application for your new Underwoods car online in just a few simple steps. The online finance process is straight forward and can be completed quickly, but please ensure you have all the right information present to make like easier.
Click on the link below to view our latest used car stock.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
We can provide Hire Purchase (HP), Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and Conditional Sale (CS), but only certain types may be available on specific vehicles.
Car finance allows the customer to spread the cost of a car or van over a period of time where monthly payments are made, rather than paying the full cost of the vehicle upfront.
We will need to see your UK driving licence, proof of your income (such as payslips or bank statements), proof of your address (such as a utility bill) and details of your employment and address history.
No, you only need to prove you can afford the repayments.
A deposit is not required for the finance, but we recommend placing a deposit initially to hold the vehicle. We then recommend putting the largest deposit contribution affordable to reduce the cost of monthly payments and over cost of the finance
Yes, as long as all the payments have been made and in the case of a PCP, the final balloon payment has been made.
Yes, we are regulated by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) and are therefore subject to UK consumer protection laws.