What Is an Operating Lease and How Does It Work?

An operating lease is a long-term car rental solution that lets you use a new car for a fixed monthly payment without having to buy the vehicle or sell it later. With Mobire’s operating lease, you choose the car and rental period, while arranging services such as insurance, maintenance and tyres yourself.

From September, operating lease is also available from Mobire, complementing our existing full-service lease solution. This gives both private and business customers more flexibility: you can choose whether to manage car-related services yourself or include them in one monthly payment with a full-service lease.

Below, we explain what an operating lease is, how it works, and how it differs from traditional leasing and full-service leasing.

What Is an Operating Lease?

Mobire operating lease is a long-term car rental with a fixed monthly payment. Instead of buying the car, you pay to use it for an agreed rental period.

The Mobire operating lease period is 36–60 months, and the agreed monthly payment remains fixed throughout the rental period. The monthly payment is not affected by fluctuations in Euribor.

At the end of the rental period, you return the car to Mobire and can choose another new vehicle if you wish. With Mobire operating lease, there is no obligation or option to purchase the vehicle.

The idea is simple: you pay for using the car, not for owning it.

Explore Mobire operating lease

How Does an Operating Lease Work?

The Mobire operating lease process is straightforward:

• Choose a suitable car. Find a new vehicle from Mobire’s selection that meets your needs.
  
• Choose the rental terms. Select the rental period, annual mileage and initial rental payment.
  
• Submit an enquiry and sign the agreement. Once the agreement is signed, you can start driving your new car.
  
• Use the car during the agreed period. With an operating lease, you arrange insurance, maintenance, tyres and other car-related services yourself.
  
• Return or change the car. At the end of the rental period, return the car to Mobire and choose another new vehicle if you wish.
  
• You can also start a Mobire operating lease with a €0 initial rental payment. If you want to reduce the monthly payment, you can choose to make a larger initial rental payment at the start of the agreement.
  

What Are the Benefits of an Operating Lease?

An operating lease is particularly suitable for people and businesses that want to drive a new car without necessarily owning it.

The main benefits of Mobire operating lease include:

• a fixed monthly payment throughout the rental period;
  
• the monthly payment is not affected by Euribor;
  
• the option to start with a €0 initial rental payment;
  
• a rental period of 36–60 months;
• a new and well-equipped car;
• 24/7 Mobire customer support;
• no need to worry about selling the car later;
• an easy way to switch to another new car at the end of the rental period.

Because you arrange insurance, maintenance and tyre-related services yourself, you can choose from suitable professional service providers that meet the required standards, while still having more control over how these services are managed and paid for.

Operating Lease vs Traditional Leasing – What Is the Difference?

Although the term “operating lease” is also used in financial leasing, Mobire operating lease is a long-term rental service, not a bank financing product.

With traditional leasing, a bank or leasing company finances the vehicle, and the agreement may be linked to interest rates, Euribor and the residual value of the car.

With Mobire operating lease, you pay a fixed monthly fee for using the vehicle. At the end of the rental period, you return the car to Mobire, so you do not have to deal with selling it or worrying about its future market value.

Operating Lease, Full-Service Lease or Traditional Leasing?

All three solutions allow you to drive a new car, but they differ in terms of what is included in the monthly payment, which car-related responsibilities remain with you, and what happens to the car at the end of the agreement.

With an operating lease, the monthly payment is lower because services and costs such as insurance, maintenance and tyres are arranged by you.

With a full-service lease, most of these services are already included in the monthly payment. This means less administration and more predictable car-related expenses.

With traditional leasing, the main purpose is to finance the vehicle, while insurance, maintenance and other car-related services usually need to be arranged separately.

See the full comparison of operating lease, full-service lease and traditional leasing

Operating Lease or Full-Service Lease?

If you have decided that you would rather use a car long term than own it, the next question is: should you choose an operating lease or a full-service lease?

The main difference is how much you want to manage yourself.

Operating Lease

With an operating lease, you get the use of the car for a fixed monthly payment, while arranging services such as:

• insurance;
• scheduled maintenance;
• repairs and wear parts;
• summer and winter tyres;
• tyre changes and storage.

This option is suitable if you want a lower monthly rental payment and more control over car-related services.

Explore Mobire operating lease

Full-Service Lease

With a full-service lease, use of the vehicle and many car-related services are combined into one fixed monthly payment. Depending on the package, Mobire arranges insurance, maintenance, tyres and other services related to operating the vehicle.

This option is suitable for individuals and businesses that want to minimise administration and keep car-related costs as predictable as possible.

Explore Mobire full-service lease

In simple terms: with an operating lease, you manage car-related services yourself; with a full-service lease, Mobire takes care of them for you.

Who Is an Operating Lease Suitable For?

An operating lease can be suitable for both private individuals and businesses.

It is worth considering if you:

• want to drive a new car;
• prefer a fixed monthly payment;
• do not necessarily want to own the vehicle;
• want to avoid dealing with selling the car later;
• prefer to arrange insurance, maintenance and tyres yourself;
• want to switch to a newer car every few years.

With Mobire operating lease, you can choose an annual mileage of 10,000, 20,000 or 30,000 kilometres, making it possible to select an option based on your actual driving needs.

For businesses, an operating lease can be a suitable solution when new vehicles are needed for employees but the company prefers to manage vehicle-related services and costs itself.

Is an Operating Lease a Good Option for Getting a New Car?

If you want to regularly drive a new car and it is not important for the vehicle to become your property, an operating lease is one way to do so.

The cars available through Mobire operating lease are new, and many models are available immediately or with a short delivery time.

At the end of the rental period, there is no need to sell the vehicle or find a buyer. You simply return the car to Mobire and can choose another new vehicle if you wish.

View available operating lease vehicles

New at Mobire: More Flexibility in How You Use a Car

The launch of Mobire operating lease in September means that customers can now choose between two different long-term rental solutions when looking for a new car.

• If you want a new car with a fixed monthly payment and prefer to arrange insurance, maintenance and tyres yourself, an operating lease may be the right choice for you.
• If you would rather have as many car-related services as possible included in a single monthly payment and handled by Mobire, a full-service lease may be a better fit.

The basic idea behind both solutions is the same: you do not have to own a new car in order to enjoy driving one.

View Mobire operating lease vehicles

Frequently Asked Questions About Operating Lease