PCH - Personal Contract Hire

This will depend specifically on the terms of the agreement you have signed. It is very unlikely that you will be able to terminate the agreement early without some form of penalty payment. In the worst case you may be required to pay all the outstanding rental payments.

If you are considering this because you are having problems meeting your monthly payments then you should talk to your finance company in any case.

If you have paid more than 50% of the total amount payable ("tap") then you have the option of handing back the car and walking away - so-called voluntary termination. But you will be required to pay a penalty sum that should be specified in the contract.

If you want to more flexibility in terms of contract terms you may be better off considering PCP instead.

Road tax should be included in the monthly fee. In the case of servicing you may find that you have the option of deals with and without servicing included - you can then compare and decide whether including servicing makes financial sense. Insurance is not included in the monthly fee simply because premia vary enormously by individual.

It is possible to get a lease on a used car, but if you are thinking that this will keep the monthly costs down then you may be surprised. It is true that used cars will have already suffered their largest drop in value, but there are other reasons why new car costs may not be as high as you think.

With new cars leasing companies are able to negotiate substantial discounts - both through the sheer scale of their purchases and because of short term promotions and rebates. And with a new car you'll get the full benefits of the vehicle warranty.

So, if you are thinking of leasing a used car make sure you also get a quote for a new car too - then you can see the difference.

In simple terms there is no difference - personal contract hire is simply a form of car leasing i.e. long-term rental.