Many people do not realise how flexible vehicle rental is when compared to lease hire.

With lease hire, there is usually a fixed term contract and a mileage limit on each vehicle, which can cause problems if circumstances change. Lease hire is not a service we offer.

Rental periods, however, can be as flexible as our customers want and can be changed at any time. Typically, our customers rent for periods of between a month and a year but some can go for longer.

Among our regular customers are local authorities around Essex and with two elections, local and national now expected in the next two months, we expect to be busy.

They will need vans to transport the many temporary polling stations that are needed, not to mention the ballot papers and other equipment.  It may be that people who will supervise at the polling stations will also need transport to get to and from them, especially if they are in out-of-the way places.

But there are all sorts of other tasks local authorities carry out that people are less aware of. In areas that use refuse bags rather than bins for household rubbish, who delivers the supplies of bags? 

Then, there are the meetings outside of their authority areas that officers may need to attend.  It can often be more cost effective, efficient and convenient to hire a car for a one-off event than to use public transport.

Why vehicle hire works for businesses

Among the other advantages of using a hire system for vehicles, even for a fleet of vehicles, is that they are all fully maintained with MOTs and servicing organised by the hiring company.

If a vehicle out on hire needs repairs for any reason it is straightforward to return it to us for attention and to be supplied with a replacement even at short notice.

If it should happen that a vehicle is not needed for as long as the original hire period, that’s no problem.  The vehicle can be returned earlier.

Altogether, renting vehicles for however short or long they are needed and knowing there will be no maintenance or repair costs is a more flexible option than fixed term leasing.

From April 1 2017 the rules on paying Vehicle Excise Duty (Road Tax) are changing for all new cars registered from that date.

If you already have a car and are intending to keep it for this year at least you will continue on the existing payment system, although the Government has not yet indicated what will happen in subsequent years.

That’s fine, for now, but what if you were intending to buy a new car this year?

Different rates will apply to cars with a purchase price below £40,000 and for those above £40,000.

According to the HMRC website “First Year Rates (FYRs) for Road Tax (VED) will vary according to the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of the vehicle. A flat Standard Rate (SR) of £140 will apply in all subsequent years. except for zero-emission cars for which the SR will be £0.

“For cars above the £40,000 cut-off a supplement of £310 on the SR will be payable for the first five years, after which Road Tax will revert to the SR of £140.” This will apply to all new cars above the £40,000 mark regardless of their level of CO2 emissions. That means it will include electric and hybrid cars.

The changes also mean that fewer cars will be exempt from Road Tax. The new VED system will only be free for electric and hydrogen cars only, so in future, hybrid vehicles will not be exempt from Road Tax.

Do you use a vehicle daily or occasionally?

Plenty of people own a car, but actually only use it perhaps at weekends or even less frequently.

In these circumstances, it may be that the convenience of owning a car is outweighed by the cost of owning it, particularly when petrol and diesel are becoming more expensive at the pumps and you consider the additional costs of maintenance, the annual service, the MOT and any repairs, not to mention the insurance costs.

Equally, having a large family car that is only rarely used to transport all the family may not be the most economical option.

Given the increasing costs of car ownership, especially when the time comes to replace the car with another that may be more expensive following the UK’s decision to leave the EU if it is an import, it may be more cost effective to consider hiring a car for those times when you actually need it.

Hiring a vehicle for daily, weekly or long term hire can include Child Seats, Booster Seats and Sack Barrows & Satellite Navigation available. All vehicles will come with breakdown cover.

Then, there are the times when a special family occasion or group outing, or the need to move household items or to move house mean you need a larger vehicle, either a minibus or a van.

So whatever your vehicle needs is it more cost effective to hire the right vehicle when you need it rather than to buy one that will depreciate from the moment you drive it away from the showroom?

Why hire a vehicle?

So we’ve been in touch with our good friends at Motts Body Repair who keep our car hire and van hire fleet in tip top condition by performing all of our accident repairs for the Colchester depot. We managed to grab hold of Lawrence, owner and operator to ask him a few questions!

So Lawrence what is your favourite car and why?
Favourite car? Well there are a few, but one that really stands out for me is the Aston Martin, it’s just the look and shape of them and above all the sound i guess that pulls me towards them. Plus the nostalgia of them, a combination of quality and speed and the fact they are so quintessentially British.

What is your favourite part of the job?
Well for me my favourite part of the job has to be helping customers where others haven’t. Taking their wrecked car and transforming back into its former glory, performing miracles! Sometimes i think that’s what people think we’re called miracle body repairs not Motts.

How long ago did you start the company and what prompted you to do so?
I started on my own 20 years ago in late November time this year, I was just 24 years old somehow, I always knew I was going to have my own garage. I was destined to do this job, even as a child I used to rub down my match box cars and change their colour. I got this idea from watching my dad paint air fix models. I think I may have promised my mum I would have a garage before she died when I was 14, maybe because my father had always wanted to have his own garage but never quite managed it for one reason or another, probably because he had to raise two boys on his own. Anyway, I just knew I had to do it for one reason or another.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time I like to ride motorbikes and now with my children, I am also enjoying doing up an old house at present which dates back to 1420 and has a shop attached to it which is said to be the oldest recorded shop in England and maybe even Europe?

So is there any exciting news at Motts Body Repair coming up?
Well at the end of this month it will be our 20th anniversary since I started the company in late November 1996.

Motts Body Repair carry out all manor or body repairs, dent removals and insurance work to name a few, for more information on their work please head over to their site www.mottsbodyrepair.co.uk