Motoring is one of the trademark pastimes for British people. The UK is famous for motoring, and is full of passionate automotive experts, both from a research and development perspective and from a manufacturing point of view.

The country used to be full of car manufacturers, both large and small, however with the sale of Jaguar, Bentley, Rolls Royce and the demise of TVR all taking place in recent years, the UK automotive scene is not the same as it used to be.

True, if you were to take a trip over to Northampton in the Midlands, you would find numerous Formula One racing teams, race circuits, automotive and motorsport manufacturing facilities, all within a few square miles of each other – but these small manufacturing facilities are almost all that remains of what was once a world leader of the motoring industry.

This trend has doubtlessly had an impact on the car finance market in the UK. No longer can we choose from an abundance of locally made, affordable British cars, but we have to be more selective about foreign-built cars. Moreover, foreign-built cars tend to be more expensive, due to various taxes and profit margins that get added on by the time they go on general sale in the UK. Has this abundance of foreign cars affected how we approach car finance and car leasing deals?

Generally speaking, buying cars on finance is becoming more popular in the UK, and this may be down to various things, the most obvious being the recent economic climate. People have been spending beyond their means in recent years, and car finance and car leasing plans are an affordable and convenient way of sidestepping depreciation – whilst also having the option of trading your new car in every few years, much like you might with a mobile phone.

The question therefore remains, without many obvious choices of home-grown car marques to pull on the heartstrings of the British public, which car manufacturer is going to become the new UK champion? For a long time Ford proudly filled this void, however, over the last few years BMW have outsold Ford in the key sector of the small saloon car, with numbers of 3-series cars on finance booming, and have now overtaken Ford’s long-standing position at the top.

With the national choice now coming from Bavaria, it suddenly becomes clear why car finance and car leasing deals have become more popular: BMWs are simply more expensive than their rivals from Ford, or what their rivals would have cost from Rover, the British equivalent.

So, whilst the British resident is paying more in taxes to both live in the country and run a car, they also want to own the right car without compromise – and the right car just so happens to be more expensive to purchase.

What all the above means is that without loyalty to any British car manufacturers, UK car buyers are now having to look elsewhere, and they have selected BMW finance to carry the mantle. Taking into account the recent rise in living costs, perhaps the most affordable way of getting the new car you want is by securing one of many available BMW Leasing deals.

By shopping around and comparing prices online, you could save substantial amounts on car finance and car leasing plans – and have your new car delivered direct to your door.