Returning your EV at the end of your Salary Sacrifice contract

At the start of the final month of your contract, we’ll be in touch to arrange and organise the return of your car. But what does this look like?

The different stages of returning your EV include:

• Things you need to do before returning your EV
• Preparing for collection
• Collection of your EV
• Post-collection and final rental fees

There’s a few key things you’ll need to look at before you return your EV (whether you’re handing your EV back because of an Early Termination or it’s the end of your contract):

1. MOT and Servicing
2. Private plates
3. Inspection & repairs

If your car is due an MOT within 30 days from your contract end date, please make sure you have successfully passed a MOT before returning your vehicle.

If you haven’t serviced your vehicle during your contract, or you have any outstanding service reminders, please book an appointment through the DriverLine 020 3322 2601.

If you want to keep your private plates, you‘ll need to inform us eight weeks before you hand the car back. See more information about removing private plates in the private plates section.

When returning your EV, it’ll need to be inspected for damage. We understand that when having a vehicle for an extended period, no matter how hard you look after it, there’ll be some wear and tear. And so all our EVs are inspected in line with the BVRLA’s (British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association) guidelines on wear and tear.

Most of our Salary Sacrifice contracts also have an End of Contract Damage waiver included (damage up to £500 won’t be charged).

If there is damage that exceeds wear and tear and £500, the cost of damage will be charged in full (i.e. if the cost is £600, you’ll need to pay £600, not £100).

And, in some cases, it might be cheaper to either raise an insurance claim to repair any damage (or pay for a repair yourself) before the car is handed back.

Your EV will need to be inspected twice:

1. Through self-inspection
2. Through a third-party inspection

When it’s time to complete a self-inspection, we’ll send you a link to our partner Wondle. This should take about 5-10 minutes to complete. We recommend completing it as soon as you get the link.

To complete, all you need is:

• A smartphone with a camera and access to internet
• Good lighting (daylight is preferred) for photos of the car
• A clean (and dry) car

Take at least one photo of each angle of the car and two images of any damage (one close-up, one wide shot).

Please note, self-inspection isn’t a final assessment of costs. Our third-party inspection will also fully assess your car post-collection to let us know the final breakdown.

After collection, your car is assessed by a third party. If your vehicle has over £500 of damage at this time, you are liable as the driver for the entire cost. This will be charged to your employer and they (at their discretion) will recover via a net pay deduction.

For example, you return your vehicle with surface scratches and dents that will cost over £650 to be refurbished and repaired. A damage cost of £650 will be charged to your employer, who will then liaise with you to recover this from you.

If you want to raise an insurance claim, the easiest way to do so is through the DriverLine (020 3322 2601). Though, if you are raising this and your car is being collected in less than 30 days, it’s unlikely that there will be enough time to complete it.

You’ll be unable to make an insurance claim post-collection.

Either on the day or a few days before your EV is due to be collected, make sure you’ve:

• Removed all personal belongings (and any rubbish), including any personal modifications made. We unfortunately won’t be able to recover any lost items after collection.
• Factory reset and disconnected the car from any apps - you can see our removing personal data from your EV section for more tips on this.
• Make sure the car runs properly and can be driven and has:
  • No warning lights, windscreen damage, or mechanical defects
  • Tyre treads are above the legal 1.6mm limit
  • A full charge
• Left all the accessories that were delivered with it, including:
  • Keys, and potential spare keys
  • Proof of service history (if services not organised through us)
  • Dealer-supplied charging cables
  • Dealer-supplied spare wheel and locking wheel nut key (if applicable)

We can only collect from UK Mainland addresses, if you are outside of this, we’ll speak to you to organise other arrangements. If you are in Northern Ireland, you’ll need to organise bringing your car to the Mainland.

On the day of collection, our logistics partner will give you a call in the morning to confirm their arrival time. Please make sure you (or nominated contact) are available.

Our partners will run through a quick inspection with you and you’ll be asked to sign the inspection report. It’s important to fully engage in this process and ask any questions to the inspector during their inspection - this can help you be aware of any potential for charges.

Once the car has been collected, our partners will complete a final damage appraisal, and send us a copy of this, which we will compare against our handover documents - this’ll include a breakdown of costs for any damage.

Your final mileage will also be taken into account and used to calculate any excess mileage charges (if applicable). Check your signed contract to see your excess mileage rate.

Your employer will then be sent a final invoice. This’ll include:

• Any damage fees
• Any fees incurred from excess mileage
• Any termination charges (if you’re terminating your contract early)
• Any credit owed for any excess rentals (or similar)
• Any final rental charges (you’ll be billed until your car has been collected or when your 30-day notice period ends)