You won’t get lower dealer, finance charges if you don’t challenge them; Jaguar gives longer range to its I-Pace EV

I’M JUST saying – for the umpteenth time, admittedly – that you should check the small print of any motorrelated deal you have done or are considering.

And I am not just talking about finance.

I happened to be browsing one particular dealer’s offers for a friend recently.

I discovered that delivery/ related charges came to €1,000. Yes, €1,000.

For a popular mainstream small car that seemed steep to me. And you, I suspect.

Especially when you consider that the likes of Volkswagen say on their promotional material they charge a maximum of €800.

That is enough too, but a lot less than the €1,000 for a new Supermini at the (non-Volkswagen) dealer I was researching.

No wonder we get emails here on a regular basis from people who are confused about such amounts.

Now let me make it absolutely clear.

Dealers are entitled to be paid for having a new car delivered and for working on it so you drive away in a sparkling new vehicle.

Equally, you are entitled to query if it costs €1,000 to do just that.

It’s worth asking anyway. I’ve known of cases where the dealer lowered the charge a bit.

And on PCP deal offers, will you please check the interest rate? Some lenders are charging 4.5pc and maybe a smidgen more.

Why don’t you see if you can get them to do better than that?

As ever, you really should check around on such items.

If you don’t challenge the prices, then those offering won’t lower them of their own accord – that’s for sure. Think outside the box, too. Is there a better all-round deal at your local credit union?

I am fearful of being boringly repetitive by raising these issues again and again but you could be pleasantly surprised at how charges can be lowered, so long as you don’t take them for granted.

:: Jaguar has revised the electric I-Pace by adding free software updates that, it claims, will improve battery performance and increase its range by up to 19km.

However, that doesn’t change its official WLTP figures.

According to a spokeswoman in Dublin, Jaguar retailers here are contacting I-Pace customers directly to notify them of the free update.

There are also changes to the all-wheel drive and management systems.

Interesting to learn that the automaker has analysed data from 800km of real-world journeys and has brought in changes that include improved regenerative braking and more accurate range calculations.

The brand is inviting I-Pace owners to take their cars to retailers to receive the free update, which will also enable enhanced over-the-air functionality.

More electronic modules will be able to receive remote updates, but Jaguar says it is “unable to specify which additional modules at this time”.