Bank of Ireland launches Personal Contract Purchase for second hand cars

Bank of Ireland Finance today (Wednesday, 30 July 2014) announced that, together with its franchise partners, it is launching a new Personal Contract Purchase* (PCP) product for second hand cars from Friday, 1 August 2014, the first Irish Bank to offer this product for the purchase of second hand cars. This is an extension of their current PCP offering on new vehicles and will enhance and support the growth of the PCP product through its franchise dealers.

The Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) is a customer friendly product that allows consumers to drive a new car without the associated costs of ownership of same. Traditionally only available for the purchase of new cars, the extension of the PCP to second hand cars significantly expands the reach of the product across the market. Qualifying second hand cars will include vehicles up to 18 months old. Bank of Ireland has established itself as the market leader in the motor finance industry, partnering with 14 leading motor franchises in the Irish market.

Pat Creed, Managing Director, Bank of Ireland Finance, said: “Conditions in the motor industry have been very challenging since 2007 when new car sales decreased from 152,830 to 74,300 in 2013. Consumers postponed the purchase of a new car which in turn led to a much older car pool in Ireland. It also means that the cost of purchasing a new car is now much greater with less equity in the older trade in.

“However, Bank of Ireland’s range of products – including PCP and low rate subsidised offers – are helping customers get their new car with affordable repayments and rates from as low as 0% APR.

“With more than twice as many 142 cars registered on the first day of the new registration plate compared with the same day last year, it is evident that a significant number of consumers are returning to the market. The growth in the popularity of PCP and low APR rates has been such that over 71% of all new cars purchased by consumers are now selecting these forms of payments. We are seeing very strong approval rates for PCP and low APR rates, with 90% of applications being approved for finance.

“2014 is proving to be the best year for new car sales since 2008 and looks set to achieve sales of 90,000 vehicles by year end. This strong performance, whilst coming from a low base, tends to be a lead indicator and reflective of the re-emergence of consumer and business confidence. This is the second year of the dual registration plate, which has also helped change the traditional seasonality where vehicle purchases would be frontloaded in the first quarter. This has ensured that there is a more steady flow of business throughout the summer months which historically would not have happened prior to the 132 plate launch last year.

“Another impact of the recession was the shortage of used cars for the industry to sell which has resulted in a significant number of cars being imported to supply the demand. It is estimated that the importation of second hand cars will reach 50,000 by the end of this year. The growing popularity of PCP will now ensure that there is a strong supply of good three year old second hand cars coming back to the market on an ongoing basis.

“Interestingly, we are seeing a slightly younger customer profile on our PCP deals. Industry research supports this as it shows that younger customers prefer the lower monthly payment and are also very used to the ‘tariff’ type concept where they pay for the use of an item and upgrade as with their mobile phones.

“New business in the commercial motor market has seen strong growth in the first six months compared to the same period last year, again a positive indicator of renewed confidence amongst SMEs. The agri sector is also buoyant with a 6.8% increase in tractor sales year to date.

“The C02 changes implemented by Government in July 2008 have been instrumental in influencing consumer purchasing decisions. The last seven years have also seen a significant change in the shift from petrol to diesel purchases and this is reflected in that 71.7% of vehicles purchased in 2007 were petrol and this compares with 73% of cars purchased in 2014 being diesel. Similarly the level of low emission purchases in C02 Band A has increased from 1.42% in 2007 to 67% in 2014.

“The introduction of a PCP product for second hand cars should further drive growth in this market for the second half of the year.”, concluded Pat Creed.

Ends

Note to Editors

A Personal Contract Purchase is a form of vehicle finance for individual consumers who are looking to pay a fixed, relatively low monthly payment for a set contract period of somewhere between 24 and 36 months with the right to drive the vehicle while ownership is retained by the funding company. It is similar to contract hire or leasing, however, in the case the customer has to option to ultimately acquire the vehicle at the end of the finance term for a previously agreed amount which is set at the outset of the contract.

Bank of Ireland Finance provides motor finance to the following motor distributors; Toyota, Ford, Lexus, Hyundai, Opel, Kia, Peugeot, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar, Suzuki and Mitsubishi.