Guide
Long-term rental with a buyout? 5 myths about a purchase on preferential rent terms
The most persistent myth about Buy&Rent is the assumption that it is rental. Buy&Rent is a car purchase on preferential rent terms — ownership is the default path here, not an option at the end of the contract. The other beliefs do not survive contact with price lists and regulations either. A mileage limit is a market standard, not an obligation. Servicing outside the authorised network (ASO) does not void the warranty, because the EU block exemption regulation (GVO) forbids it, and that regulation runs until 31 May 2028. A lease or rental contract signed in 2025 is not protected by the old expense limits. Below are five myths and what you can verify in each of them.
Myth 1: “Long-term rental always comes with a mileage limit”
In most offers on the market this one is true. A standard long-term rental contract in Poland gives you 10,000 to 30,000 kilometres a year, and for every kilometre above the limit you pay 30 to 70 groszy on return. Drive 10,000 kilometres too many and the final bill grows by 3,000 to 7,000 złoty.
In Buy&Rent we do not count mileage. There is no threshold, no charge per kilometre and no odometer reading at the end of the contract.
Myth 2: “It is throwing money away, because nothing is left at the end”
Ask first who pays for the loss of value. A new car loses 15 to 30 percent of its price in the first year, and after three years it is often worth 40 to 50 percent of what it cost in the showroom. That bill lands on the owner, whether the car was bought for cash or on credit.
A purchase on preferential rent terms (zakup z preferencyjnym najmem) arranges this differently. A deposit from 10 percent counts towards the price of the car and locks that price in for the whole rental period. You repay the capital quarterly, and the rent (czynsz) falls with each quarter. If after a year you decide this is not your car after all, you hand it back instead of hunting for a buyer after the most expensive year in a car's life.
Myth 3: “Servicing outside the authorised network (ASO) voids the warranty”
It does not, and this is not a matter of the manufacturer's goodwill. The EU block exemption regulation (GVO, no. 461/2010) stripped authorised stations of their monopoly on warranty servicing, and the European Commission extended it in 2023 until 31 May 2028. A manufacturer cannot make the validity of the warranty conditional on you driving only into its own network.
The conditions are workable. The workshop follows the manufacturer's recommendations and service schedule, uses parts of a quality at least equivalent to the originals, and you keep the invoices and the entries in the service book. If a manufacturer wanted to refuse a repair, it is the manufacturer who has to show that the fault was caused by a specific operation carried out outside the network.
During the rental period the servicing rules are set out in the contract, because the car is still ours at that point. After the buyout the warranty travels on with the car, and you pick the workshop yourself.
Myth 4: “A contract signed before 2026 is protected by the old expense limits”
This myth can cost you. From 1 January 2026 the limit for booking a passenger car as a business expense depends on CO₂ emissions: 100,000 zł at emissions of 50 g/km and above, 150,000 zł below that threshold, and 225,000 zł for electric and hydrogen cars. The Ministry of Finance (Ministerstwo Finansów) confirmed that the transitional rules do not cover operating leases, rental or leasehold. The date the contract was signed changes nothing here, because such a car never enters your fixed asset register.
Protection stays only with cars you own outright and entered into the register by the end of 2025. Do you account for a car in your company? Run the numbers with your accountant before you set this year's budget.
Myth 5: “No check in the credit register (BIK) means this is a last-resort offer”
The association is understandable, because a sizeable market in Poland advertises itself with the phrase “no BIK”. It finances cars up to seven years old, and the contract usually runs for 36 or 60 months. That is an address for someone who will not get financing anywhere else. Separately there are platforms selling cars online: new cars, a short procedure, except that their consumer leasing still ends with a check of your credit history.
With us both the offer and the reason look different: new or nearly new cars, under an active warranty, a contract from 2 to 18 months. We do not grant credit, so there is nothing to check. You sign a rental contract for a car that stays ours the whole time, and you pay rent for using it. We are not turning a blind eye to anyone's history. A different type of contract simply means different questions at the start.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Does long-term rental with a buyout come with a mileage limit?
In most offers on the market yes, 10,000 to 30,000 kilometres a year, with a surcharge of 30 to 70 groszy for every kilometre above the limit. At CARMA we do not cap mileage.
Will I lose the warranty if I service the car outside the authorised network (ASO)?
No, as long as the workshop follows the manufacturer's recommendations and uses parts of comparable quality. You are protected by the EU block exemption regulation (GVO), which runs until 31 May 2028.
Does renting always work out more expensive than buying?
Not always. With a single car kept for eight years, cash or credit comes out cheaper. Over shorter use that advantage melts away, because a car sheds the largest part of its value in the first three years.
Can a private individual use rental with a purchase option?
Yes. You need neither a registered business nor creditworthiness, because rental is not a credit product.
