By choosing a long-term vehicle operational lease from Arval, You are choosing peace of mind. In order to be able to deliver a unique mobility experience, Arval would like the Authorized Driver to read the usage guidelines below. However, these guidelines may be amended by Arval and are therefore provided for information purposes only.
We hope that Authorized Drivers enjoy reading this document. Fasten your seat belt and have a safe drive!
Authorized Driver Guidelines
You or Your employer have signed a long-term vehicle operational lease agreement with Arval which sets out both Parties' mutual rights and obligations, in particular in its General Terms and Conditions, with these two documents (the Lease Agreement and the General Terms and Conditions) which shall jointly form an indivisible whole: the Lease Agreement. These "Authorized Driver Guidelines" shall also form part of this Lease Agreement and are more specifically aimed at the Vehicle's Authorized Driver. This is an abridged version of the contractual rights and obligations, which shall also apply to the Authorized Driver and are supplemented by practical and useful tips on how to use the Vehicle. Should there be any contradictions between these Authorized Driver Guidelines and Arval's General Terms and Conditions, Arval's General Terms and Conditions shall prevail.
How Using the Vehicle?
Use Your Vehicle with due care, as a "prudent and reasonable" person, pursuant its agreed purpose and taking into account the Vehicle manufacturer's instructions about using and maintaining it, as well as any applicable rules and laws. As an Authorized Driver, You must ensure that maintenance is performed on the Vehicle in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and with a service provider that is a member of the network of approved service providers. You can also find practical instructions about using Your Vehicle in the instruction manual issued by the Vehicle manufacturer.
The Vehicle must be presented by the Authorized Driver in good time for each technical inspection, as required by law, irrespective of whether or not having received the notification from Arval to have the vehicle technical inspection performed. Arval declines any liability in relation to this.
The Authorized Driver shall be liable for any damage caused to the Vehicle as a result of his negligence, lack of proper maintenance, carelessness, misuse, poor handling or incorrect decision-making.
Should a warning light on Your dashboard come on (due to a fault or required maintenance), please contact a member of the network of approved service providers immediately.
Please note! You notice that, during the Lease Term, You have driven more or fewer kilometres than the Annual Mileage that You chose under Your Lease Agreement, or You receive a notification from Arval about this? Should this have occurred, please contact Us. We shall work with You to find the most suitable solution for Your actual situation so that there are no surprises for You or Your employer at the end of Your Lease Agreement during the Mileage Settlement. An amendment to the agreement shall be proposed to You or Your employer, with an adjustment to the Annual Mileage and new prices (monthly rental price and settlement prices for "km+" and "km-", as well as for "days+" and "days-"), which You or Your employer shall be free to accept or not.
Maintenance
In accordance with the General Terms and Conditions, the costs for regular maintenance (the lubrication costs and the costs for oil changes and filters) recommended by the Vehicle manufacturer, as well as the costs for technical repairs related to normal use of the Vehicle, the options and/or Accessories included in the Lease Agreement shall be paid by Arval.
A faulty odometer must be reported to Arval within twenty-four (24) hours and, should Arval agree to it, must be repaired immediately.
Any repair costs incurred when driving the Vehicle abroad must generally be paid by the Authorized Driver himself. In this case, Arval's prior written approval must be obtained beforehand in order for the repairs to be performed. The official invoice must always be drawn up in Arval's name. If Arval has not given its prior consent, You or Your employer shall be charged any additional costs on top of the basic costs, in accordance with Belgian standards.
What does making an active contribution regarding maintenance of the Vehicle involve?
- Regularly check the engine-oil level in Your Vehicle and top it up if necessary, using a member of the network of approved service providers. Please note that driving when the oil level is too high/too low or using a wrong oil type can cause substantial damage to Your Vehicle.
- Regularly check the tyre pressure. A too low tyre pressure increases the wear and tear on Your tyres and can cause an accident. If the tread depth is less than 2 mm, the tyres must be replaced. Tyres must only be replaced at a tyre centre within the network of approved service providers, which shall provide You with immediate and very professional assistance.
- Make sure that You always use the right energy resources specified by the Vehicle manufacturer.
- Clean Your Vehicle regularly, both inside and outside. This creates a more pleasant driving experience.
Winter tyres (if included in the Lease Agreement)
The winter season runs from mid-November to mid-April. As long as You have the Vehicle, all tyre changes shall be carried out by a member of the network of approved service providers, so that You can drive safely. Arval shall usually send You an e-mail in mid-September and mid-March to remind You that You need to change Your tyres. You must arrange a slot to have the tyres changed with a member of the network of approved service providers Yourself. Your summer tyres shall be stored at that location during the winter period. The same process shall be followed for changing from winter to summer tyres.
Energy supply for Your Vehicle
In order to make driving hassle free, the Authorized Driver shall be able to order an NFC fuel card (Network Fuel Card) for internal combustion vehicles from Arval. This service shall be free of charge.
An electric vehicle charging card can also be ordered. A fee is charged for this service.
Please note that You or Your employer shall pay any energy supply costs (such as fuel, electricity, hydrogen and gas) for Your Vehicle, for the AV and/or the RV, in all circumstances. Therefore, each month, Arval shall charge for the actual costs of the energy consumed (such as electricity, fuel, etc.), in addition to the Rental Price.
Driving abroad
You may only use the Vehicle in the countries outlined in Your insurance certificate (formerly known as the "green card") provided by Your insurer and in accordance with any car policy that Your employer may have.
In order to enter countries outside of the European Union and the Schengen area or in international transit areas of ports, stations and airports, You or the Authorized Driver must have a "Drive Certificate". If You or the Authorized Driver cannot present this Drive Certificate to the competent authorities, the Vehicle may be seized. You can easily obtain this Drive Certificate, at Your expenses, by submitting an official application on this website. It may take three (3) to five (5) working days to process Your application. However, this Drive Certificate is not issued automatically and shall not in any way change the territorial cover in force under Your Civil Liability Insurance and/or any potential car policy that Your employer may have.
Guidelines should an incident or theft occur
Any incident, even if Your Vehicle is not damaged, must be reported to Arval immediately, within one working day of its occurring at the latest, using the European Accident Form. The accident report must clearly state the cause, circumstances and presumed consequences of the accident, as well as the full names and addresses of any witnesses and injured parties.
Please fill in the first page of the accident form in full together with the counterparty. Most importantly, please do not forget to:
- Tick one or more situations under heading 12 (circumstances), if possible.
- State Your date of birth.
- Drawn the situation as clearly as possible.
- Check the details provided by the counterparty carefully.
- Make sure that both parties sign the front page.
- Give a copy to the counterparty so that the incident can also be reported to the counterparty's insurance company.
- Fill in the back of the accident report in full and send it to Arval immediately.
- Fill in all of Your driving licence details.
Please contact Arval as soon as possible in order to arrange repairs on the Vehicle. If You took out the Replacement Vehicle (RV) option under the Lease Agreement, please contact Us as soon as possible in order to arrange providing this RV.
You must always notify the police of any accidents that cause any personal injuries.
You must immediately report any (attempted) theft, vandalism or break-in, or theft of the Vehicle's keys, to the local police. Fill in the accident report stating the facts and the report number, and send it immediately to Arval.
Should the Vehicle, the Vehicle documents (registration certificate, certificate of conformity and vehicle technical inspection certificate) or the number plate registered abroad be lost or stolen, You must report it to the competent local authorities or submit a complaint to the Belgian authorities.
Any correspondence, documents (such as legal documents and summonses) and information received relating to the accident must be submitted to Arval as soon as possible, with no response provided.
By following these rules, the claim can be quickly dealt with and efficiently.
Any repairs or replacements as a result of glass breakages must be carried out by a repairer member of the network of approved service providers.
Assistance Vehicle (AV)
Should the Vehicle become immobilised or should an accident occur involving the Vehicle, Our European Roadside Assistance service provided in Your Lease Agreement shall provide You with an "Assistance Vehicle" (AV) for five (5) calendar days if the Vehicle cannot be repaired at the location by a member of the network of approved service providers. After these five (5) calendar days have passed, a fee based on the standard Short Term Rental tariffs (which can be sent to You upon request) shall be charged for the AV unless the "Replacement Vehicle" (RV) option was taken out by You or Your employer pursuant to the Lease Agreement, in which case You may keep the vehicle for more than five (5) calendar days, in accordance with the RV provisions in the General Terms and Conditions (see below).
Replacement Vehicle (RV)
Should Your Vehicle become immobilised (damage or repairs), if You or Your employer have chosen for the "Replacement Vehicle" (RV) option pursuant to the Lease Agreement, a Replacement Vehicle shall be provided to You in accordance with the provisions of the General Terms and Conditions on Replacement Vehicles, and if Your Vehicle is immobilised for more than twenty-four (24) hours.
Please note: this RV may differ from the type of vehicle leased under the Lease Agreement. The RV must not be confused with the vehicle that may be provided to You as part of Our European Roadside Assistance (AV) (see above).
Returning the Vehicle
Returning Your Vehicle is a critical time. When returning the Vehicle, You as the Authorized Driver or Your employer must contact Arval at least five (5) working days in advance in order to come to a mutual agreement with Arval on the desired date, time and place for transporting Your Vehicle. You or Your employer shall then be contacted by Our external partner in order to confirm the appointment so that Your Vehicle can be actually returned and the vehicle condition report can take place.
During this appointment, Our external partner shall put together a detailed Vehicle condition report for Your Vehicle with You present (please note that You or Your employer must be present). Once this Vehicle condition report (Car Condition Report) has been put together and signed by You, Arval shall send You a detailed and costed inspection report as soon as possible (Arval Inspection Report). This inspection report shall outline in detail any damage to the Vehicle as a result of normal wear and tear, which shall be covered by Arval, and any damage as a result of abnormal wear and tear, which shall be charged to You or Your employer.
We shall assess normal and abnormal wear and tear based on the Renta sector standards (further information is available on the Renta website: www.renta.be/en). This assessment shall take the Vehicle's age and mileage into account.
Please note that this inspection report (Arval Inspection Report) shall be validated by an expert/ partner of Arval approved following the standard rules of the Belgian Institute of Automotive Experts.
More information on returning Your Vehicle
In short, Arval shall charge You or Your employer for any capital loss that would have been deducted by a private or professional purchaser if You or Your employer were selling Your Vehicle. In any event, Arval shall guarantee a fair and just assessment of the cost of any damage at the end of the agreement. If You have any questions about this, We shall be delighted to guide You.
Any Vehicle documents, including the fuel card and/or the electric charging card provided by Arval, must be handed in together with the Vehicle, in accordance with the General Terms and Conditions.
You can remove any Accessories that You may have fitted Yourself, provided that this does not cause any damage to the Vehicle.
If the documents (registration certificate, certificate of conformity and maintenance certificate) or keys are missing when the Vehicle is returned, or if We notice any damage (other than damage caused by normal use), Arval shall charge You or Your employer for the costs and decrease in value, as well as the resulting damage suffered by Arval.
Personal data
Arval shall collect personal data about the drivers of the vehicles that it leases with a view to improving the services that it offers, its own fleet management, the management of its customers' fleet, claims management and how it manages its customer database, as well as for internal and external accounting use, and shall process the following data for this purposes : the driver's address, incident and claims history, fuel consumption, parking costs and, finally, road fines and driving offence information, with this information collected in particular in view of Article 67ter of the Belgian Law of 16 March 1968 on road transport police, which obliges Arval to disclose, when the events occur, the identity of the Vehicle’s driver to the judicial services. This list is not exhaustive.
By using the Vehicle, You agree to Arval collecting and processing these "personal data" and disclosing them to the Lessee of the Vehicle that You are using – as well as to any individuals that it has authorized – for the purposes of managing its car fleet and the lease agreements signed with Arval.
These personal data shall be processed and used in accordance with the provisions and requirements of the Belgian Law of 8 December 1992 on the Privacy Protection.
Provided that You can prove Your identity and Your request relates to Your personal data that are being processed by Arval, You are entitled to request and obtain access to this information. You can also request corrections to these data at any time. More information about this is available in our Data Protection Notice.
