Fair Wear and Tear

GMP Drivercare applies BVRLA’s Guide

The aim of the BVRLA’s guide is to provide an industry-wide, accepted standard that defines fair wear and tear on passenger vehicles and light commercial vehicles when they are returned at the end of a contract or finance agreement. On collection, the vehicle must be in a safe and roadworthy condition, with all of the appropriate keys, equipment and documentation available.

MOT

The vehicle must have a current MOT certificate. A charge will be levied for vehicles returned with out a current MOT certificate as the leasing company will have to arrange for the vehicle to be collected by trailer and then have the vehicle tested before sale.

SERVICING

Vehicles should be serviced to manufacturer’s serviced schedules and have stamped service books to document this. The stamped book must be available for inspection and returned with the vehicle. If the book has not been stamped or service invoices have not been provided as proof of servicing. Leasing companies will levy a charge for incomplete and missing service histories.

KEYS / STANDARD ITEMS

A charge will be levied for spare keys and missing standard items e.g. satellite navigation discs that are not returned with the vehicle.

The vehicle should be sufficiently clean to allow a detailed inspection upon hand-over, this inspection does not form the basis of a re-charge it merely describes the condition. The collection agent is not a qualified vehicle inspector and will not be able to tell you if damage falls outside the BVRLA ‘Fair Wear and Tear’ conditions.

It is in the interests of the customer to point out damage to the collection agent and retain a copy of the collection appraisal for their records. Qualified assessors can only undertake a re-charge inspection in good light after the vehicle has been cleaned.

Leasing companies will charge for vehicles affected with unsatisfactory in-life body repairs that require re-painting to meet manufacturer’s standards. Leasing companies may charge customers for damage not recorded on collection notes, when damage is obviously not new but has been missed by the collection agent.

When the leasing companies receive queries, the team reviews the evidence on both the inspection report and the collection note. If the evidence is shown on the inspection report, and supported by a digital image, whenever practical, the charge stands. (Poor previous repairs are often not clearly visible on digital images.)