Circle Leasing has launched a series of five best practice guides to help bodyshops minimize running costs for courtesy cars.

Covering delivery, hand-over, fleet management, fixed penalty ticket administration and end-of-contract issues, the guides were developed together with Robert Hadfield of Auto Body Projects.

Aidan Minogue, managing director at Circle Leasing, says that putting off courtesy car administration can lead to an unnecessary increase in costs rather than creating a profitable asset.

“We are committed to helping our customers identify these issues and to assisting them in implementing sensible policies in all areas of their courtesy car operation,” he says.

Minogue advises that how customers are informed and dealt with is also paramount.

He says: “Implement and maintain a watertight policy that will deter your customers from damaging your courtesy cars or thinking they are exempt from traffic fines and charges; continually monitor the utilization of your cars and deal with damage issues immediately to avoid costly end-of-contract charges.”

The guides also feature suggestions from Circle customers, who give examples of where they have saved money with efficient courtesy car administration.