Dave Timmis on 22 years of Leasing.com

SINCE Leasing.com was launched as ContractHireAndLeasing in 2000 – the go to place for leasing offers before most brokers had websites – a lot has changed. Including ContractHireAndLeasing which rebranded to Leasing.com.

“We started in a bedroom office, moved to a handful of people working in a barn and now, 22 years later, operate out of a purpose-built office in Cheshire,” explains founder and CEO Dave Timmis. “We’ve helped millions of consumers secure a great deal on a new car and won a few awards along the way.”

With the leading market aggregator for car deals reaching its 22nd birthday, and as the switch from car ownership to usership accelerates, we asked Dave Timmis to reflect on devising, developing and maintaining the UK’s biggest and most popular car leasing comparison website.

It all started in a small office

“Having been involved in print sales and advertising, I noticed that car leasing companies and consumers were getting frustrated with traditional offline advertising,” says Dave. “By the time their deals had gone to print they had inevitably expired, prices had changed, or the stock was gone.

“As the year 2000 was still the early days of household internet, we identified a gap in the market which could allow leasing companies to update deals in real time and ensure customers had the timeliest offers.

“Websites were incredibly basic back then (rather like my office!) and there weren’t many consumers online, but it struck me as a great idea to be able to bring together all of the best car leasing offers in the market and put them on one website for people to compare.

“As more and more businesses and consumers started to put an emphasis in online, the site quickly became the go-to place for the latest car deals.”

How has leasing changed in the intervening years?

Dave says that when the business first launched it did so with around 300 offers advertised from some 30 companies. But as word spread, so did the site.

“We quickly gained an enviable reputation within the industry and attracted a sizeable audience of in-market consumers looking to lease cars and vans. We now have the widest selection of deals from the widest range of advertising partners, with our focus not only on the quality of the offers but on the quality of these partners too. We introduced our strict Advertising Code of Conduct about seven years ago.

“As leasing has become more popular, the make-up of advertisers has also changed. We launched what is now Leasing.com in February 2019. The biggest difference is that ContractHireAndLeasing.com began with just brokers. Whereas now we count brokers, dealers, OEMs and funders as partners. As the trend from ownership to usership continues to gain momentum, it’s little surprise – leasing is consistently growing.”

It’s not only acquisition methods that have changed. ContractHireAndLeasing being online meant that you had to endure the pain of slow dial-up connections. Dave admits that internet advertising then was a “bit of a slog” but that has changed as broadband became more prevalent and faster, making researching a new car online the first step for consumers.

“Now we’re on the cusp of another big change, but this time it’s around the vehicles themselves. The sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles could be banned as early as 2030. We’re already seeing that leasing, with its simplicity and low initial payments is an easy, low-risk way that people can make the switch to an EV, all the while not having to worry about a car’s future value as technology improves ever further. We are helping drive the switch from combustion to electric power.”

What’s the story behind the success story?

Timmis says that while challenges remain in the current climate, the business has grown more than 15% in 2021 and 18% in 2022 at a time when the new car market is at a 30 year low. Where does this success stem from?

“Hard work, significant investment in our team, marketing, the website, and of course having the right idea,” he says.

“Relaunching as Leasing.com in 2019 was ultimately about ensuring that getting a new car is as simple as possible. When you think of leasing, just think of Leasing.com, the car leasing comparison site. What could be simpler than that?”

Dave also says that the company has invested significantly in marketing. The current mix includes TV, radio, national billboards, a vast partner network, social media and so on.

“We’ve had several notable sponsorships over the years. We are proud to currently support our local football team, Macclesfield FC, at the Leasing.com stadium. It’s been a great way to give something back to our local community, while also bolstering recognition of our brand on a national level.

“In 2020, we were also the Official Title Sponsor of the English Football League Trophy (Leasing.com Trophy), and also the headline sponsor of the London Motor Show in 2019.

“Both these projects were a great way of introducing the new Leasing.com brand and raising awareness to the public at large. We’ve also pioneered innovative on-road advertising in partnership with DrivenMedia, which saw our vibrant ‘Say goodbye to buying’ campaign advertised on trucks going up and down the country on some of the busiest motorways.” (See picture below.)

What does the future hold for Leasing.com?

As you might expect, Leasing.com will continue to provide the best lease deals on the market from brokers, dealers and OEMs – what else would you expect Dave to say?

But Dave says innovation will continue to make the customer journey easier.

“We’re always working hard to refine our website and ensure our offering is as fresh as the deals we promote. Take our new ‘Find your dream car’ tool as an example. This new feature simplifies the process of selecting a vehicle, and guides consumers towards their dream vehicle.”

Along with that, there are more service offerings available on the website, from selling an existing car to installing a charger for your new EV.

“Over the last 22 years we’ve helped more than a million people find their ideal car leasing deal. That’s why we’re the car leasing experts. Who knows, within the next 20 years we could have helped 20 million people do the same.”