Mercedes-Benz is to launch a new service plan programme to help bring customers into the franchised network.

Service Care from Mercedes-Benz is a new pay monthly budgeting plan that allows owners to cover servicing costs from £22.50 per month.

The programme has been developed to bring customers back into franchised workshops and customers can cover payments on a monthly basis or as one off lump sum. The plan is transferable when the car is sold on, providing it has been paid for up-front.

The scheme covers all manufacturer-recommended service items like brake fluid, spark plugs and filters. Service Care plans can cover either the next two or three services over a length of time to suit the customer, according to how long the customer intends to keep the vehicle, and what their anticipated annual mileage is.

Angela Shepherd, customer services director, said: "Owners taking out a Service Care are protected against inflation, so if the cost of parts, oil or labour should increase in the future, the price of their servicing will remain the same, throughout the life of their plan."

Service Care is available on models aged up to seven years old. Models covered by the scheme are A-Class, B-Class, CLC-Class, C-Class, SLK-Class, CLK-Class, E-Class, CLS-Class and M-Class. AMG models excluded.

• For more on Mercedes' plans to focus on aftersales this year see AM's interview with Mercedes-Benz UK president and chief executive officer Wilfried Steffen in the March 26 issue.