Frequently Asked Questions

The new FCA guidance has given us the opportunity to review our current options available to customers who may find themselves in financial difficulty during this period.  To support you we have now made available the option of a payment deferral for those who are in temporary financial difficultly as a result of COVID-19.  Payment deferral requests are subject to a suitability check; this is to ensure that this will not worsen your financial situation, based on your individual circumstances.

A Payment Deferral is an arrangement which allows you to make no payments for up to 3 months. During this time your agreement will not be considered as in arrears or report any negative impact on your credit file.

Payment deferral requests are subject to a suitability check; this is to ensure that this will not worsen your financial situation, based on your individual circumstances.

Please read below for more information on what happens when you apply or click here to request a payment deferral using our online form. 

If you are experiencing temporary financial difficulty as a result of COVID-19 you may wish to consider a break from your vehicle finance agreement, and use the payment deferral option. However it’s important to note that this is a temporary break to support you, and will mean your current term and/or monthly payment will increase and the Guaranteed Minimum Future Value of your vehicle may be subject to change. 

If you were experiencing financial difficulty before the COVID-19 pandemic this option is unlikely to be suitable for a 3 month payment deferral. Additionally, if you are approaching the end of your finance agreement a payment deferral may not be in your best interest. Where a payment deferral is not suitable please do not be concerned, we have a range of alternative enhanced options to support customers in current financial difficultly due to COVID-19. Some of these include:

• Agreeing an affordable repayment plan - up to 12 months;
• Giving you breathing space to consider your finances - up to 60 days;
• Allowing you to keep your vehicle for as long as possible - we will take all steps possible to allow you to keep the vehicle;
• Extending your agreement - up to 6 months;
• Refinancing your balloon payment, where it is due and you want to own the vehicle.

If you’re currently unsure how COVID-19 will affect your finances, there’s still time to consider the best option for you.

If you are currently not seeing an impact on your finances and can continue to make your payments, please do so. This will prevent any changes to your existing finance agreement.

Payment deferrals are for our customers who are finding themselves in temporary financial difficulty specifically due to COVID-19 and find themselves unable to pay their monthly payment.

To be eligible you must meet all of the criteria below:

• You are experiencing temporary financial difficulty as a result of COVID-19;  
• Your finance agreement with us is as a private individual, sole trader, or partnership;
• You have a live motor finance agreement.

Following this eligibility check we will stop your next payment from coming out of your account. A further suitability check will then be completed to ensure that a payment deferral will not worsen your financial situation, based on your individual circumstances.

To be eligible you must meet all of the criteria below:

• You are experiencing temporary financial difficulty as a result of COVID-19;  
• Your finance agreement with us is as a private individual, sole trader, or partnership;
• You have a live motor finance agreement.

If you meet all of the eligibility criteria, you can read and complete the online request form here.

After your request has been received we will (subject to the eligibility check) stop your next payment from coming out of your account. A further suitability check will then be completed to ensure that a payment deferral will not worsen your financial situation, based on your individual circumstances. If a payment deferral is deemed suitable we will be in contact to discuss how this will change your existing agreement term, monthly rental and potentially guaranteed future value.

After you have requested a payment deferral we will stop your next direct debit payment. (Please note that if your next payment is within 10 days we may not be able to stop your payment and will have to start the deferral from the following payment).

A further suitability check will then be completed to ensure that a payment deferral will not worsen your financial situation, based on your individual circumstances.

If a payment deferral is deemed suitable we will be in contact to discuss how this will change your existing agreement term, monthly rental and potentially guaranteed future value.

We have taken exceptional steps to support customers impacted by COVID-19 and are here to work with you to find a suitable solution and keep you in your vehicle, such as:

• Agreeing an affordable repayment plan - up to 12 months;
• Giving you breathing space to consider your finances - up to 60 days;
• Allowing you to keep your vehicle for as long as possible - we will take all steps possible to allow you to keep the vehicle.

If you are experiencing financial difficulty please review our other FAQs  for alternative options and contact us using this online form and provide as much information as possible about your current financial situation, this will support us finding a sustainable solution based on your individual circumstances.

If you would benefit from a payment deferral and meet the eligibility criteria above then you need to complete the online form here even if you have contacted us in the past.

If you have already completed this form and have not heard back, we ask you to please be patient as we deal with extremely high volumes.

Any payments deferred will not be considered as in arrears or report as a negative impact on your credit file.

Any pre-existing arrears will continue to report at the same level during the payment deferral period.

If you feel your credit file is incorrect please request a ‘notice of correction’ with the Credit Reference Agencies directly. 

No, please leave this in place so we can restart your payments easily at the end of your payment deferral.  

No if you would prefer you can request to take a shorter payment deferral. This must be selected on the form and we will then be in contact to discuss a shorter deferral period.

If you were experiencing financial difficulty before the COVID-19 pandemic this option is unlikely to be suitable for a 3 month payment deferral. If you are in arrears resulting from COVID-19 then we will review how these payments in addition to those deferred would increase your future rentals and/or term.

Where a payment deferral is not suitable please do not be concerned, we have a range of alternative enhanced options to support customers in current financial difficultly due to COVID-19. Some of these include:

• Agreeing an affordable repayment plan - up to 12 months;
• Giving you breathing space to consider your finances - up to 60 days;
• Allowing you to keep your vehicle for as long as possible - we will take all steps possible to allow you to keep the vehicle;
• Extending your agreement - up to 6 months;
• Refinancing your balloon payment, where it is due and you want to own the vehicle.

Please get in touch via our financial diffciulties form and we will be in touch to help you find a sustainable solution. 

Subject to verification and eligibility checks we will stop your next payment within 72 hours.

If your next payment is due in the next 10 days we may not be able to stop this payment from coming out of your account.

If we are unable to verify you from the information provided on the form we will be in contact. 

If a payment deferral is deemed suitable we will be in contact to discuss how this will change your existing agreement term, monthly payment and potentially guaranteed minimum future value.

After your payment deferral period has finished we will automatically start collecting your monthly payment again, so please do not cancel your direct debit as this may have a negative impact on your credit file.

If you are still in financial difficulty after the payment deferral please get in touch with us again and we will work with you to find the best outcome for you.

If you have more than one finance agreement we will require you to complete a separate form for each agreement you wish to request a payment deferral for.

No, as long as you satisfy the eligibility criteria and we think it is in your best interests, we won’t be asking you to provide detailed evidence or information such as income and expenditure details.

No, it’s important that you don’t cancel your direct debit payment so that there is no danger of any imminent payments failing (with an impact on your credit file); and to allow us to recommence as normal after the deferral period.

Depending on the length of time before your agreement ends, we will offer whichever option is in your best interests – either keeping the term fixed but increasing monthly payments; or keeping monthly payments fixed, and increasing the term.

The payment deferral will adjust the payments which you are due to make under the finance agreement and as a result, the amount of interest you will need to pay will be increased. 

The payments delayed during the payment deferral period will need to be paid by increasing the amount of future monthly payments or by extending the contract term. After we have received your completed payment deferral request form we will be in touch to discuss the options available for your agreement. 

We are unable to offer payment deferrals on any servicing or maintenance agreements. If you are in financial difficulty and require help with your servicing or maintenance product please contact us here.

If you have fallen into arrears or are concerned that you may fall into financial difficulties as a result of COVID-19 please do not be alarmed, we are taking exceptional steps to support customers impacted by COVID-19. You may still receive our standard letters informing you of these arrears, however we are here to work with you to find a suitable solution and keep you in your vehicle, such as:

• Agreeing an affordable repayment plan – up to 12 months;
• Giving you breathing space to consider your finances – up to 60 days;
• Allowing you to keep your vehicle for as long as possible- we will take all steps possible to allow you to keep the vehicle. 

If you are experiencing financial difficulty please contact us and provide as much information as possible about your current financial situation as you can. 

You can also obtain independent financial advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau or free debt management advice from Step Change on 0800 138 1111 or www.stepchange.org

An arrangement to pay - This is an informal agreement to allow you to spread the payment of arrears over a period of up to 12 months in equal instalments. During this time your ongoing monthly direct debit will continue to operate as normal. You will not be charged any additional interest or fees during this period and we will work with you to ensure that any arrangement to pay is affordable and suitable, taking into account your circumstances.

Token Payments – This is where we will accept a part of a rental to be paid in advance of the direct debit payment date before a customer goes into arrears. This option would be suitable for customers that are unsure as to whether they can afford to pay their rental in 1 payment or potentially get paid weekly and want to spread the payments.

Breathing space means that for up to 60 days, we will not contact you or chase you for payment, to give you time to consider your finances. During this period your direct debit will continue to operate as normal and you may still receive our standard customer letters. You will not incur any charges, fees or additional late payment interest during this time. After this period, we will work with you to agree a suitable and affordable plan to pay those amounts which you were unable to pay due to COVID-19. Your monthly payment and the amount of interest you pay will not increase for the remaining term of your finance agreement. We consider that by using all of our available tools, this will help us to ensure a fairer overall outcome for you. 

If you fall into arrears this will be reported to credit reference agencies however we’re working with the regulator to best understand how the current situation may impact individuals and businesses so that we can support you. We will do everything we can to prevent this situation impacting your future ability to obtain appropriate credit.

Losing a loved one can be very difficult. Our dedicated Customer Solutions Team is here to make this process as simple as possible for you.  Please get in touch via our online form, and we will support you during this difficult time. 

Not sure on what your options are for your finance agreement? Our ‘What to do at the end of your agreement’ section has more information on all of our finance products.

We are now able to collect your vehicles again. If you are due to have a vehicle collected you will receive an SMS from our agents to book in a collection date.

In the meantime, if your finance agreement is coming to an end, or has already ended, please view your options on our end of agreement page.  

All plans will continue to be in place when our retailers re-open so you can use it for your service at that time.

We have taken the decision to extend all service plans which are due to end in 2020 by 6 months to ensure you have time to get a service without having to worry about your plan expiring. 

Our retailers are physically closed in line with the government guidance to COVID-19. However some still remain open to support keyworkers with essential maintenance of their vehicles. All locations are still open digitally and able to accept enquiries through their website or phone. Please find details of your nearest retailer by visiting the brands website. 

Yes. You will still be able to apply for finance on your new vehicle and this would be subject to usual credit checks; however as our retailers are only open digitally this will all be done over the phone, or via digital channels rather than in person.

In order to protect our staff and continue supporting our customers we are providing a reduced telephony service. We’re now only taking calls between 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday. Please only call if your query is urgent. If you find yourself in financial difficulty please complete this form. As detailed below you can use our websites for information and alternative methods of managing your finance agreement. We thank you for your patience and understanding at this challenging time.

Once we have received your enquiry we will be working on getting a response to you as soon as we can. Due to high volumes of customers contacting us, our response times will be much longer than usual.

Please do not send duplicate enquiries unless your situation changes, the more contact we receive delays how long it will take us to respond. Be assured we are prioritising our most vulnerable customers and those in financial difficulty.

Thank you for your patience, we are working as hard as we can to provide an answer for you.

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