How does it work?
There are several different kinds of car or van finance products available in the UK. It’s important you make the right choice for your circumstances, so be sure to do your research before deciding on a finance package.
Oodle offers an unsecured personal loan (UPL) product, but we’ve outlined two of the most popular finance products below for comparison: personal contract purchase (PCP) and personal contract hire (PCH).
Personal contract purchase
With PCP agreements, you put down an initial deposit, and then spread the remaining cost over a prearranged period, just as you would with a loan agreement. You have full use of the van during the agreement, but it still belongs to the lender. At the end of the PCP term, you have three options: you can either pay a usually significant lump sum – known as a balloon payment – to own the van, or hand it back (there may be charges for excess mileage and excessive wear and tear).
Alternatively, you can use the value remaining in the current van to put towards your next vehicle – this is known as part exchange. Here are some key points to be aware of:
The PCP agreement covers only the projected depreciation of the vehicle, so the monthly payments are usually smaller than other types of finance.
At the end of the PCP agreement you can choose to hand the van back, buy it, or part-exchange it to help finance your next one.
It’s important to be aware that if you are planning to buy the vehicle at the end of the PCP agreement the final cost it likely to be greater than a car loan overall, potentially wiping out the benefits of smaller monthly payments.
With PCP there may be charges for unreasonable wear and tear and excess mileage.
Personal contract hire
PCH is a popular way to ‘lease’ a van. With personal contract hire agreements, you normally pay an initial rental upfront – you then lease the van for a set period. Unlike PCP you don’t have the option to purchase the vehicle at the end of the agreement; at the end of the agreement you simply return the van. There may be additional charges for excess mileage and/or unreasonable wear and tear.
Vans on finance if you’re self-employed
Whether you’re after your dream car, thinking about switching to electric, or just need a bit more space in the boot, an Oodle Car Loan could help you cover the cost.