What happens If I change my mind about my vehicle lease agreement?
Sometimes, you start to have second thoughts about something. A house, a job, or your new car. It happens.
And we understand that sometimes you do change your mind about things, even your lease agreement. But, what happens when you change your mind about your lease agreement?
There are quite a few things that could happen. And while this is quite rare, it has happened in the past. So, we’re going to talk about what happens if you change your mind about your lease agreement at the different points of the order.
What happens if I change my mind about my lease agreement before my car has been delivered?
If you change your mind before your car has been delivered, then there are a few things that could happen. There are different stages in which you can change your mind.
If you want to change your car before it has been ordered from the dealership, then you can do so. In regards to our process, this will be at no extra charge to you as long as you are ordering another vehicle.
If you want to change the car after the car has been ordered from the dealership, then you may face charges. Say you have ordered a BMW but you’ve changed your mind and want an Audi instead, then the dealer now has a BMW without an owner. So, there may be dealer charges.
If you want to change your finance agreement before you take delivery then you can do so again at no extra cost to you. You will, of course, have a revised quotation with your new agreement, so the price may change.
The vehicle is only ordered once the finance has been approved. After that, you have what is called a cooling off period. This is 14 days in which you can change your mind about the finance agreement at no charge to you. This only applies if you are a ‘regulated’ customer, however.
You are regulated if you are a:
- Private individual
- Sole trader
- Partnership with less than 4 partners
If you are unregulated you do not have this cooling off period. You are unregulated if you are a partnership with more than 4 partners or a Ltd. Company. This means that once you sign, your order stands. If you cancel after that then you are likely to incur charges.
What happens if I change my mind about my lease agreement after my car has been delivered?
Okay, what happens if you change your mind after your car has been delivered?
This depends on the finance house, and what you actually want to change your mind about.
If you have a contract hire and you decide that actually, you’d like to buy the car, then this is what you can do:
- Contact the finance house and get a purchase price.
- It should be noted that not all finance houses do this, but most of them do
- Then, you can contact a vehicle broker and ask if they will finance that purchase price
If you change your mind about the actual car, then you’ll have to cancel your agreement. Lease agreements aren’t really designed to be cancelled, so it can get quite complicated. If you have a contract hire then you will have to pay an early termination fee. This will be outlined in your terms and conditions. If you accept that fee, then you can pay it and they will pick up the car. You will still be subject to mileage and condition charges.
If you have a personal contract purchase, then what happens depends on how far along in your contract you are.
If you have a regulated agreement and you have paid 50% of the total payable, you can use your termination rights and hand the vehicle back to the finance house.
Is there a time limit to cancelling my lease agreement?
The finance agreement is not activated until the day of delivery. So, if you want to cancel your agreement or you change your mind then the ideal time to do this is is before the car is delivered. Of course, it’s never ideal but you know what I mean. Up until that point you will only have to cancel your car. While you will still face charges but because you aren’t cancelling your agreement then you won’t have as much trouble.
How much will the cancellation fees cost?
The cancellation fees vary depending on a number of factors. At OSV, the cancellation charges are usually 2 times the monthly rental, and any other additional charges. The cancellation fees depend on:
- How easy the car is to re-sell
- If the car has a confirmed build slot
- If the car is in stock
- How much your monthly payments are (or expected to be)
- How unique the car is
So, these can all play a part in how much the cancellation fee will be.
Who should I contact if I change my mind about my lease agreement?
If you change your mind about your agreement then you need to speak to your broker. They will advise you on what happens next. If you have taken delivery of the car then you should contact your broker but also the finance house. This is because, due to the Data Protection Act, your broker cannot end the contract on your behalf; you have to do it yourself.
What should I consider before cancelling my lease agreement?
Cancelling or changing your lease agreement can be long and arduous, and sometimes it’s not worth it. When you are thinking about cancelling or changing it, you should consider the following:
- Do you genuinely want to change your agreement or vehicle?
- You need to take everything into consideration, and not just go with a gut feeling.
- Is it financially viable for you to pay the cancellation charges?
- Do you have an alternative?
- There isn’t always going to be another car waiting for you in the forecourt. So, before you change your mind you need to make sure you have an alternative.
- Can the reason you’re cancelling your car be easily fixed?
- Sometimes people want to cancel their agreement because they can’t sell their old car. While we understand why people would want to cancel, but this can easily be fixed.
- The best thing to do before you decide anything is to speak to your broker. Then, they can advise you on the best route to go down.
So, you can change your mind. Depending on when you choose to cancel or change your order depends on what actually happens. The best thing to do if you are having second thoughts, however, is to talk to your vehicle broker. They will be able to advise you on the best route to go down.
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22 Comments
Hi, I am wanting to know if you have ordred a lease vehicle and it keeps getting delayed are you able to cancel without paying the fee?
Hello Chris, thank you for your comment. You can cancel a lease vehicle before delivery, however this may incur cancellation charges. Whether you are charged or not will depend on the contract you signed, so please read this carefully. We hope this helps your situation.
Hi there, I ordered a car at the beginning of July 2021 and they told me it would be delivered end of October. It was then delayed till November and has now just been delayed again until January 2022. Should I be able to cancel with the constant delays?
Thank you.
Hi Adam,
You are within your rights to cancel a vehicle before delivery but this may incur cancellation charges. This will depend on the terms of the contract you signed so you would need to read this carefully. I hope this helps.
I have just taken delivery of a new Ford Ranger – June 2021. Within a few days we realised my wife (who has mobility issues) cannot get into the vehicle without assistance. This is not a problem we had with the previous vehicle and therefore it didn’t occur. What are my rights in this case
Hi Rob,
Thank you for your question. There are different ways that you can reject a car depending on how it was purchased (main dealership or distance selling). The first thing you will need to do is check the smallprint on the Finance documentation. If it has passed the 14 day cooling off period then you can potentially go down the fit for purpose route, however you will need to give the dealership one opportunity to fix the vehicle before this can happen.
We would recommend you seek independent legal advice if you are in doubt.
Recently taken out a FL van , the sales pitch telling me I can sell it back to them in a year if I wanted to end the 5 year lease early and simply walk away. After 5 years a 7k balloon payment is required or to sell it back to them and again, end of lease. However here’s my issue, I’ve now discovered I have been entered into a 5 year , no get out, unregulated agreement with a 10k balloon payment at the end. I have also seen the broker has stated I earn 45k a year ( I wish ) and trading as a business which is not correct. I am a sole trader not a business and have no employees. Can I hand this vehicle back and walk away ? I am within the 14 days cooling off period. Is this mis-selling ?
Hi Sally,
Thank you for your question. First of all we need to state that we are not legal experts and you should seek your own independent legal advice on this matter. However, if this were us, we would contact the Finance House directly and say that you want to register a complaint against their broker as they have mis-advised the Finance House of your personal circumstances, which you were unaware of until after the agreement went live. It is your belief that their broker has mis-sold the product and because of this, the product is not suitable for your requirements and you wish to return the vehicle, cancel the finance agreement and be put back in your original position.
It’s important you follow the Finance House’s official complaints procedure, as you are unable to go to the FCA until you have completed this (to make a formal complaint), which the Finance House will not want you to do.
It is probably not the right time to say this, but we are assuming you will still be in need of a vehicle. Once you know what is happening with the above, we would love the opportunity to show you how the experience should be. Please reach out to Amanda on 01903 223391.
Hi. I just signed a finance HP agreement form for a used car today. I am to receive the car on wednesday. I have changed my mind and not interested in continuing with the purchase. How easy would it be for me to get out of it? The car was purchased from a car dealer and a vehicle order form was signed. Can it be cancelled as I have not taken the car yet?
Hi Ibrahim,
If you are a regulated customer (sole trader, private individual or company with three directors or less) then you have rights to cancel within 14 days.
We can’t give you legal advice, however, we would recommend that, subject to reasonable administrative costs which will have been referred to in the terms and conditions you signed at the dealership, you can hand the car back and cancel the agreement.
If you have any legal concerns, please take advantage of an independent legal advisory service (such as the CAB).
If you are still looking for a new car, please get in touch with Amanda on 01903 223391 and she will be able to refer you to one of our helpful vehicle specialists who will help you to find the right car for you.