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BVRLA Fair Wear and Tear

Here is some information on the Fair Wear and Tear policy for your leased car. This information is to be used as a guide of how your car should be returned at the end or your contract to avoid any charges. The industry’s governing body, the BVRLA, sets out their recommendations as part of the BVRLA Fair Wear and Tear guide. Silverstone Corporation Limited t/a Silverstone Fleet Management and all of our lease funding partners are members of the BVRLA and adhere to this guide. A full copy of the guide can be obtained directly from the provider of the lease contract for your vehicle.

The following is a list of things that are acceptable and fall under fair wear and tear:

  • Windscreen and Lenses Small scratches outside of the driver’s line of sight 
  • Wheels and Tyres 
  • Minor scuffing is acceptable up to 25mm in length. 
  • Tyres must meet UK minimum legal requirements.
  •  Door Mirrors Minor scuffing, providing paint is not broken. 
  • Bumpers Minor scuffing is acceptable up to 25mm in length. 
  • Bodywork Small areas of chipping. 
  • Light scratches up to 25mm in length, relative to the vehicle’s age. 
  • Dents up to 10mm providing paint is not broken. 
  • Decals All decals need to be removed and all glue residue removed. 
  • Upholstery Should be clean and tidy, with only slight wear and soiling through normal use

The following does not fall under normal wear and tear:

  •  Windscreens and LensesAny damage within the driver’s direct line of sight.Any chips, cracks or holes in glass or lenses. 
  • Wheels and Tyres Scoring and other damage to wheel surface.
  • Damage to side walls or uneven tread wear. Door 
  • Mirrors Cracked, damaged or missing door mirrors. 
  • Bumpers Dented or cracked areas.Deep scuffs where paint surface has been broken. 
  • Bodywork Stone chips or scratches over 25mm in length that have exposed the bare metal, primer, or have rusted
  • Any impact damage.
  • Multiple dents on a dingle panel. 
  • Decals Any damage caused by the removal of such badges and advertising
  • Upholstery Burns, tears or permanent staining.
  • Any damage caused by the fitting of equipment such as mobile phones. 

Silverstone Corporation Limited t/a Silverstone Fleet Management applies the BVRLA (British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association) guide to Fair Wear and Tear. The aim of the 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. 

The vehicle must have a current MOT certificate. A charge will be applied for vehicles returned without a current MOT certificate as the lease co will have to arrange for the vehicle to be collected by trailer and then tested before sale. Vehicles should be serviced to manufacturer’s service 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, you may be charged for incomplete and missing service histories. 

A charge will be applied for missing spare keys and 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 for 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 interest of the customer to point out any 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. You may be charged for vehicles affected with unsatisfactory in-life body repairs that require re-painting to meet manufacturer’s standards. You may be charged for damage not recorded on collection notes when damage is obviously not new, but has been missed by the collection agent. When leasing companies receives queries, they review 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). For any further information regarding Fair Wear and Tear , please email or telephone one of our team on 0800 612 8901 sales@silverstonefleetmanagement.com

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