Finance methods explained by Green Apple Leasing Ltd

Here at Green Apple Leasing we understand that not everybody speaks the lingo like we do. Finance options can be confusing and if you don't understand what you're signing up for you might end up with the wrong contract for you. So we've broken down each type of car finance we offer across all of our cars, including Mercedes-benz, Citroen and Peugeot brands. 


Contract Hire

• Contract hire is a vehicle leasing contract for sole traders, partnerships, limited companies and PLCs. The Hirer benefits by paying a single fixed rental each month. This includes road fund licence in most cases and, if required, service and maintenance. 
• Rental periods typically vary between 18 and 48 months, there is no large initial payment to be made as deposits are usually equivalent to 3 or 6 months rental. 
• VAT is payable on rentals but is partially reclaimable by VAT registered businesses. 
• At the end of a contract the vehicle is returned to the lender at the agreed contract mileage with no final or balloon payment to be made. 
• If the mileage on the vehicle at the end of the contract is higher than the contracted mileage then there will be an excess mileage charge to pay. This is typically 5p - 10p per mile.

Personal Contract Hire

• Personal Contract Hire (PCH) has been specifically designed for people opting out of a company car scheme or joining a new company that provides a company car allowance, instead of a company car. 
• A PCH contract includes road fund licence and, if required, service and maintenance. 
• Rental periods typically vary between 24 and 48 months, there is no large initial payment to be made as deposits are usually equivalent to 3 or 6 months rental. 
• At the end of a contract the vehicle is returned to the lender at the agreed contract mileage with no final or balloon payment to be made. 
• If the mileage on the vehicle at the end of the contract is higher than the contracted mileage then there will be an excess mileage charge to pay. This is typically 5p - 10p per mile.

Personal Contract Purchase

• Purchase Personal contract purchase (PCP) is available to everyone, subject to status. 
• PCP provides a new or used vehicle for a pre-determined period, normally 24 - 48 months. 
• Like contract hire the contract has a low initial payment, usually 3 monthly payments, followed by fixed payments for an agreed period with an agreed mileage. 
• At the end of the contract period there is a guaranteed future value that you have the option of paying to take ownership of the vehicle, or you can hand back the car to the finance company without penalty.

Hire Purchase

• Hire purchase is a simple, straightforward way to spread the cost of buying a new car. It is fixed rate finance - with a fixed monthly payment. 
• The deposit you pay is flexible - from as little as £99. 
• The remaining balance, plus fixed interest, is repaid in equal instalments over an agreed period (12-60 months).

Lease Purchase

• Lease Purchase is essentially Hire Purchase with a balloon payment at the end of the contract. Lease Purchase offers lower monthly payments than normal hire purchase. Instead, at the end of the agreement, you can make a final lump sum payment (or 'balloon') to own your car.
• It's fixed rate finance - but with a lower fixed monthly outlay since you defer repayment of some of the borrowing. 
• At the end of the agreement options include car purchase, refinance, part exchange or resale. The deposit you pay is flexible - from as little as £99. 
• The remaining balance, plus fixed interest, is repaid in equal instalments over an agreed period (12-60 months) plus a final balloon payment.

Finance Lease

• Finance lease is a financing option available to businesses only. It allows payment of the entire cost of the vehicle over the life of the contract with or without a final 'balloon' payment. 
• At the end of the agreed term and after the balloon payment (if applicable) has been paid, you can either, continue to use the vehicle by paying an annual 'peppercorn' rental or, sell the vehicle to a third party and retain 98% of the proceeds of sale. 
• The remaining 2% must be paid to the finance company. This type of finance is often attractive to the building and construction industry as there is no damage re-charge at the end of the contract and no mileage restrictions although a higher mileage will affect the residual value if the contract incorporates a 'balloon' payment.

Non Status/Sub Prime Contracts

• These are available for new start companies and businesses or individuals that have experienced credit problems in the past. Initial payments are typically 6 times the monthly rental.

Sale And Leaseback

• If your company already has vehicles that have been purchased in the past, we can arrange for a finance company to buy the vehicles off you to give a capital injection to the business. 
• The vehicles would then be leased back to you at competitive rates. This would be subject to age, mileage and value of the vehicles concerned.