Manufacturers’ finance schemes are only good for dealers if they accept the customers who apply, said broker DSG Finance director Tim Marlow.

“A dealer’s customer had £25,000 as a deposit on a new Range Rover, over 20% of the price,” he said. “Land Rover Finance wanted £40,000 but we arranged a loan based on £25,000.”

Marlow said this allowed the dealer to sell the car and earn a finance commission: “Without a lender such as DSG, this deal might not had happened. Our finance was also more competitive on rate.”

Relationships with brokers enable dealers to cover all opportunities if a deal is not straightforward.

“We have customers offered more competitive quotations from banks than manufacturer schemes provide,” said Marlow.  “Our key is having the flexibility to structure a deal, often outside the norm.”