FAQ - Subscription

Our car subscription offers you flexibility, with most operating costs covered. It includes service, maintenance and replacement tyres (when worn through normal use).
Your contract will run for 5 years. However, you will only need to give us 3 months’ notice if you would like to change your car or cancel your subscription.

Private customer:
To apply for a car subscription, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Reside in the UK at point of delivery
• Hold a valid full driving licence
• Have a UK income paid in GBP
• Have a UK bank account

Volvo Car UK Limited is working with an independent asset owning company called UK Automotive Solutions Limited (UKAS) that will be the owner and registered keeper of the cars for the Subscription and Lease (PCH/BCH) offers.
This means that UKAS hires the car to you under the Hire Agreement but will appoint Volvo as an agent to perform services on their behalf. 
Overall, this will have a limited impact on you as a customer since Volvo and our authorised Volvo retailers will be responsible for your customer experience and be your point of contact, but you will notice the following when subscribing or leasing a Volvo:

1. The Terms & Conditions will be split into a Hire agreement with UKAS and Services agreement with Volvo – meaning that you as a customer need to accept two agreements when you sign up to a subscription or a lease.
2. The payments you make for a subscription or lease will be split between Volvo and UKAS, which will be displayed in check-out and on the invoices.

As part of the application process, Volvo Car UK Limited will perform a creditworthiness, affordability and identity-verification assessment.
For private and sole trader applicants, the creditworthiness and affordability assessment are performed on your personal financial position. 
We use a third-party credit-reference agency, Experian, as part of our creditworthiness and affordability check. This process will involve a hard credit search and leave a footprint on your credit file showing that we have reviewed your credit report.
If you’d like an understanding about your credit file and the information held within, we encourage any of our private or business applicants to contact Experian. 
You can contact them via: Telephone: 0800 013 8888 Website: www.experian.co.uk

If the delivery of your order surpasses 90 days from your application date, we will complete two credit risk assessments. This is to ensure you remain eligible for our products according to Volvo Car UK Limited's credit criteria, ultimately ensuring that we are providing credit responsibly.
The first credit assessment will be conducted at the point of application, and this will be a hard credit search that will leave a footprint on your credit report.
The second credit assessment will be conducted shortly before handover, only if the delivery of your vehicle takes longer than 90 days from application submission. Rest assured, this will be a soft check that will not impact or leave a hard footprint on your credit report.

Private and Sole Trader applicants.
You will need to provide the following: 

• Your full name, address and date of birth. 
• Your personal gross annual income, number of dependents and living arrangements.
• Your personal sort code and bank account number details. This is where your monthly subscription payments will be deducted from.
  To give you the best chance of quick acceptance, you should:
• Ensure your address is accurate and up to date.
• Use your full legal name.
• Use a UK bank account which is registered in the same name as the applicant.
• If asked for proof of income, identity or banking details during the application process, provide all required information in the requested format within the requested timeframe.<br> In some cases, we may ask you to provide additional documentation to substantiate the information provided. Examples of these requests could include the following*:<br> A copy of your driver's licence, passport or other documentation to prove your address: e.g. your most recent payslips, an employment contract, HMRC tax return, pension P60 or statement, or registered accountant letter.<br> \* *Note: The documents listed above act as a guide only; it is not an exhaustive list. Volvo Car UK Limited reserves the right to decline applications if applicants are unable to satisfy our lending criteria.*

Volvo Car UK Limited works with the credit bureau Experian UK. The credit decision is based on our internal assessment, part of which takes into consideration the data provided to us by Experian. It is important to understand that the credit score itself is only one factor among many in the assessment of an application, and that our Customer Relations agents do not have access to the factors by which decisions are made.
To give us the best chance of accepting your subscription, you should:

• Register to vote. By being visible on the Electoral Register, you will increase your chances of a lender confirming your identity electronically. 
• Ensure your credit information is up-to-date and accurate. 
• Check your credit score regularly and ensure it is as high as possible.

One of the requirements set by our regulator (the Financial Conduct Authority) is for lenders to act responsibly. As a responsible lender, we have a duty to ensure that our subscription is affordable and fits into an applicant’s financial life comfortably.
Personal and Sole Trader applicants:
The creditworthiness and affordability assessment for a private or sole trader applicant determines if an applicant’s monthly disposable income can support the selected subscription product.
The monthly disposable income is calculated using a combination of the information provided by the applicant in their application, along with data provided by Experian. We assess all the information you provide within your application, any additional information you provide at our request and all the information received from Experian to determine whether your monthly disposable income can support the selected monthly subscription fee.

Your application may be referred for several reasons. For example, we may not have been able to verify your identity electronically. Referrals require a manual review by our credit risk analysts. As a responsible lender, we want to take steps to ensure we continuously comply with the FCA’s requirements, and it is of equal importance that we understand our customer’s financial position.
Our Underwriting team will contact you if they need any additional information or documentation from you to progress your order. For your vehicle to remain reserved, we ask that you provide your documents within the requested time frame.

While we’d love to help all our applicants drive a Volvo, certain circumstances can prevent us from progressing with some applications. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide individual feedback about why an application has been declined. This is because our specific lending criteria, and the information we receive from Experian about an applicant, is classed as being both commercially and personally sensitive data.
We understand that this may be disappointing. However we have a duty to act responsibly and adhere to regulatory guidelines as set out by the FCA.
As our Customer Relations team is unable to comment on the decision, you may wish to contact Experian instead to learn more about the information held by them. You can view their ‘Credit Refused Guide’ via the link below, or contact them directly using the details provided:
https://www.experian.co.uk/consumer/guides/refused-credit.html
Telephone: 0800 013 8888 Website: www.experian.co.uk

Absolutely.

You can share your car with whoever you wish, as long as the person is named on an applicable fully comprehensive insurance policy. For avoidance of doubt, as the subscriber you are responsible for ensuring all drivers of your car comply with the terms. Holders of a provisional valid driving licence may use the car, provided that such driving takes place in a non-commercial setting.

You will select an annual mileage allowance when you take out your subscription. You may request to change your mileage allowance at any time if you think you will exceed or fall short of your mileage allowance. If you change your mileage:
(i) Before the 25th of the month, your new mileage bucket will be adjusted in your next month’s subscription fee.  (ii) On or after the 25th of the month, your new mileage bucket will be adjusted in the following month’s subscription fee. 
A mileage change will recalculate your total mileage. Your new total mileage will be recalculated as the weighted sum of the selected mileage buckets throughout the duration of your contract (see examples below). If you exceed your new total mileage when you return or switch your subscription car, you will be charged an excess mileage fee of £0.20 per mile. Please be aware that you will not receive a reimbursement for mileage you do not use. 
Example 1: If you choose an annual mileage allowance of 6000 miles (monthly average of 500 miles) and decide to return your car after six months and 15 days, your mileage allowance up to this point would be  (500 miles x 6.5 months) = 3250 miles If you exceed 3250 miles when returning your car, you will be charged for the excess mileage. 
Example 2:  If you choose an annual mileage bucket of 6000 miles (500 miles/month) for the first 12 months, then upgrade to an annual bucket of 18 000 miles (1,500 miles/month) for 6 months, then downgrade to an annual bucket 12 000 miles (1,000 miles/month) for 18 months and then return your vehicle; your total allowed mileage at contract termination will be calculated as:  (500 miles x 12 months) + (1,500 miles x 6 months) + (1,000 miles x 18 months) = 33,000 miles
If you exceed 33,000 miles when returning your vehicle, you will be charged for the excess mileage.

You are allowed to enter and/or transit the vehicle to the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus (applies only to areas under the control of the Republic of Cyprus), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Iceland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom. If you wish to travel to a country not listed, please contact our Customer Relation Centre in advance.
If you take your subscription car abroad, you must make sure; the insurance includes foreign comprehensive cover, you have the required documentation and you have our written permission. Please provide a minimum of two weeks’ notice and send the following information in your request to volvo-support@volvocars.com
Vehicle registration mark: Your name: Date of travel from: Date of travel to: Additional driver’s name (if applicable): Your current address:

Yes, you are allowed to carry animals in your subscription vehicle. However you are liable for any damage they may cause (for example a rip in the material). On selected cars we offer a pet package that contains accessories that will help you transport your pets safely.

Yes, we offer different packages and a range of individual accessories that you can add to your car. Some you will pay for and keep (outright purchase). Other accessories will remain with the car, and these will be added to your monthly payment. If you wish to buy more accessories, these can be purchased directly from the retailer and will not be included in the subscription.

You can add accessories that will remain with the car (packages and optional equipment) while configuring your car. During the next step in the order process (additional) you can add essential accessories that you will pay the full price for and own afterwards.
A summary of the above will be listed before you complete your online order, and will be classified and listed in the order confirmation email.