1. Set your whole-car budget
Use your own reliable figures. This is a planning aid, not a lender affordability assessment.
- Reliable monthly take-home income: £________
- Essential household costs and existing commitments: £________
- Car insurance, fuel or charging, tax and parking: £________
- Maintenance, tyres and an emergency reserve: £________
- Amount left after all costs and a sensible buffer: £________
- Deposit available without using money needed for essential bills: £________
2. Compare written quotations
Keep the assumptions the same when comparing. A lower monthly payment does not necessarily mean a lower overall cost.
- Car and cash price: ________________________
- Deposit and amount of credit: ________________________
- APR, fixed/variable rate and agreement type: ________________________
- Number, amount and timing of payments: ________________________
- Any final payment, fees and total amount payable: ________________________
- Quote date, expiry, conditions and provider: ________________________
3. Prepare accurate information
Keep completed personal notes private. Do not upload identity documents here or send them in a social-media message.
- Check your current contact and address details.
- Prepare an accurate address and employment timeline.
- Separate personal income from business turnover if self-employed.
- Ask which documents the provider actually needs.
- Confirm the recipient and secure document-sharing route.
- Read and correct the application before submitting it.
4. Ask before proceeding
Our website forms go to our team and do not perform a credit search. Later provider checks are a separate step.
- Who is handling the enquiry, and who makes the lending decision?
- Which checks happen next, and will a credit search be soft or hard?
- How is commission explained before an agreement?
- Which costs, conditions and payment dates remain unconfirmed?
- What does the actual warranty certificate cover?
- Who should I contact if any information needs correcting?
5. Check the actual car
Confirm availability and viewing arrangements before travelling. Website illustrations are not personal quotations.
- Read the vehicle description, mileage and specification.
- Ask to see the service and MOT information for this car.
- Check condition and any questions raised by the photographs.
- Obtain an insurance quote for the exact vehicle.
- Review the six-month warranty documents and exclusions.
- Confirm collection or any agreed delivery cost and timing.