Not sure what happens after being accepted for finance? Nationwide Vehicle Contracts takes you through all of the next steps to the delivery of your vehicle
Once all the financial checks have been completed, and you have been accepted for vehicle finance, the process of getting your vehicle can proceed - and it is a process that will be as quick as we can make it.
The Processing Fee
The first step towards you driving around in your brand new vehicle is payment of the Processing Fee of £195 (incl VAT), and one of our sales advisors will call to take payment of it.
The processing fee is the broker fee charged by Nationwide Vehicle Contracts for our service and represents the costs incurred for arranging the sale, ordering the vehicle, arranging the finance and organising delivery of the vehicle, and can be paid via BACs, debit card or credit card.
Proof of ID
If you haven't already, you will need to send us proof of ID, as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours. This must be:
- Full UK/EEA Driving Licence photo card showing the date of the licence and photograph, both of which must be in date, or an Old-style paper licence AND UK/EEA Passport - again both in date (Provisional licenses are not acceptable.)
This is sent as a scanned document via email, and this proof of ID will be used to verify the signature on your documents. More information is available by clicking the link here. Please note that if the signature differs once we have received the other paperwork required (below), you will have to provide further proofs or possibly resign the whole agreement. Please ensure your signatures match.
- Proof of address dated within 90 days. This should be either a gas or electricity bill or a bank statement, neither of which can be internet-printed, showing your first name or, at the very least, an initial.
Other documents that, depending on finance provider, may be accepted are:
- Council tax bill/demand letter
- Notification of entitlement to state/local authority benefit
- Notification of entitlement to tax credit
- Local council rent card or tenancy agreement
- HMRC (Inland Revenue) correspondence including name, address, and permanent NI number
Please note that landline or mobile phone bills, insurance documents, card statements or water bills are not accepted as proof of address.
Processing Financial Documentation
Financial Documents for the vehicle are sent to you nearer the due date of the delivery of your vehicle via email. These need to be fully read and signed (either digitally or physically) and returned as soon as possible to avoid delays.
Ordering Your Vehicle
Once the Processing Fee has been paid, and ID received and verified, we move on swiftly to ordering your vehicle.
Depending on your choice of vehicle, Nationwide Vehicle Contracts will place the vehicle order with the dealership that is involved with supply. They then confirm acceptance of the order and will then let us know when the vehicle is expected to arrive with them. We then inform you.
When this is depends on a number of factors that are initially dependant on your personal choice of vehicle, colour, and specification, all of which can affect the Delivery Lead Time of the vehicle. Other factors include:
- Whether the vehicle is 'in stock'
- When the vehicle is due to be available
- The Estimated Build Week
- Whether the dealer has a build allocation for the vehicle
Delivery Lead Time Factors
Delivery Lead Times - the amount of time it takes from order placing to arrival - can vary not only from model to model, but from manufacturer to manufacturer.
And there are plenty of other factors that need to be taken into consideration when a manufacturer gives a delivery date for your vehicle.
- The specifications that you require for your vehicle to make it 'exclusively' yours
- The demand for the particular vehicle that you require. Be aware that there may well be a waiting list, especially if your vehicle is a new launch as opposed to an upgrade or existing model
- The time of year that your vehicle is ordered and the manufacturer's priorities. They may be focusing on other vehicles at a particular time of year such as a new car launch, meaning that your vehicle may suffer as a low priority.
- The fact that your choice may be one of a new vehicle launch and is not due out yet
Delivery Lead Times that we give you are as accurate as the information that the manufacturer gives us, and we are completely at their mercy. We will keep you up to date with any changes to delivery times as soon as we are informed ourselves, but please be aware that the production of vehicles can take longer than estimated.
'In Stock' Vehicles
One way of getting a vehicle delivered quicker is to choose a vehicle that is 'In Stock'.
Stock models have already been built so the delivery lead times are much shorter, with some already having been pre-registered prior to being allocated to customers. This pre-registration means that the warranty has already started, and customers only get the balance of the manufacturer’s warranty and roadside assistance cover rather than the full term.
Vehicles 'in stock' are sold 'as seen' which means that they are sold with existing colours and specifications rather than being 'customer customised', so there is a certain amount of compromise on your part if you decide to select one of these vehicles to get on the road quicker.
In order to see what vehicles are available and in stock, take a look at our Fast Lease delivery service that makes use of a large number and a wide selection of cars that are already in stock and available for delivery within 3 to 4 weeks - with certain models available for delivery in 7-10 days once the contract formalities detailed previously have been completed.
As with all lease vehicles, legally Nationwide Vehicle Contracts can only deliver a lease vehicle once the statutory cooling off period (usually 14 days) has expired, we are in possession of your signed finance agreement, we have received your processing fee, and we have seen a copy of your proof of insurance.
Factory Order Vehicles
If you have asked for your vehicle to be in a specific colour, engine size, or with certain technology to an exact specification, it has to be produced by the manufacturer as what is known as a Factory Order. And lead times for factory orders vary from product to product and can be anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months - and sometimes even longer!
With vehicles being built in essence from scratch for you, you can imagine the time that this can sometimes take, especially if you have requested a large number of technological aids, specific gearbox and engine, and other such specifications.
Delays to a factory Order can be caused by many things, including:
Build Allocation Slot problems: each dealer gets a certain number of build allocation slots from a manufacturer, and if they exceed their order amount, the balance gets shifted to the next slot, which might not be for a couple of months.
At Nationwide Vehicle Contracts we try to avoid this by using a large number of supplying dealers to try and reduce delivery lead times for our customers. It sometimes is not possible if the vehicle is a limited edition.
The Volume of Orders: Sometimes a vehicle is so popular that it exceeds the expectations of the manufacturer, leading to backlogs at factories (not just on that vehicle but other models too) and extensions of delivery times
Geographical Location of Factories: Some vehicles are built in countries that lead to long delivery times, such as the Volkswagen Beetle that is made in Mexico. And then you can add in the fact that sometimes certain car parts are manufactured in differing countries to vehicle processing plants... However, certain Nissan vehicles are made in Sunderland.
Shipping Issues: Adverse weather conditions, road issues, and sometimes logistical problems can lead to delays as vehicles must be properly routed through multiple channels in order to ensure a timely and damage-free delivery.
Damaged or Missing Parts: Once your vehicle has arrived in the country, it goes through a Pre-Delivery Inspection (also known as a PDI check) to ensure it is fit for delivery. This includes a complete and thorough examination of every aspect of the car, including the exterior, interior, mechanical parts, and electrics. If the vehicle is found to be damaged or is missing any parts or equipment (such as an SD card for your Sat Nav system), this can cause a delay to your delivery.
Other unavoidable problems such as driver unavailability and human error can also cause delays, but it is worth noting that while on occasion delays do occur, the chances of your new vehicle being delayed by more than a few weeks is fairly low. In our experience, most vehicles are delivered within two weeks of their estimated delivery lead time, with less than 20% of cars delayed by more than a month or so.
Car Build week
When you order a lease car and the car has not yet been built by the manufacturer, you will be given a car build week.
Whatever build week you are given, you are being an estimated lead time - the time it takes from placing of the order to the manufacturer starting production on the vehicle - a time dependant on how highly specialised your vehicle is or the requirements you request are.
If all is good with your vehicle, then this is the sort of timings you may be lucky enough to follow from ordering to getting it onto your driveway, assuming it is produced away from the UK.
- Week 1 - Order placed with dealer/leasing company, who then orders it from the factory.
- Week 2 - Order slot is confirmed with factory
- Week 3 - Waiting for build slot
- Week 4 - Waiting for build slot
- Week 5 - Vehicle put into production
- Week 6 - Vehicle comes out of production (depending on future driver/owner specifications)
- Week 7 - Vehicle transported to a holding yard near the dock
- Week 8 - Awaiting boat to be loaded
- Week 9 - Vehicle transported from the country of production to the UK
- Week 10 - Vehicle arrives in the UK and is placed in a holding yard
- Week 11 - Vehicle transported to local dealer/leasing company
- Week 12 - Vehicle then has an all-over valet and Pre-Delivery Inspection before being delivered (or collected) by new driver/owner
To help keep customers up-to-date with the progress of their order, Nationwide Vehicle Contracts constantly requests updates from our supplying dealer. If the delivery lead time for your vehicle is put back or brought forward, Nationwide Vehicle Contracts will email you and send you a text message (provided you have opted into this service) with an update. Customers can also log into our Customer Account Area at any time to view the latest due date for their vehicle.
