Cazoo monthly subscription car customers who are being asked to hand back their vehicles after having their contracts terminated early are being offered a potential lifeline.

One of the company’s rivals, the FlexiFleet car subscription service, is offering them a 10 per cent discount for six months.

FlexiFleet is operated by Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK and all Cazoo customers have to do is to contact them to apply for a discount.

Thrifty Car & Van Rental operates long-term flexible rental schemes for car and van hire from more than 100 locations nationwide, including Bristol, Salisbury and Swindon.

Cazoo customers will need to show FlexiFleet evidence of their car subscription being cancelled early, according to a report in Car Dealer magazine.

The magazine quotes Stuart Russell, director of FlexiFleet at Thrifty Car and Van Rental, as saying: “It is shocking that many motorists will be suddenly left without a car owing to the early termination of their Cazoo car subscription.

“We hope that this gesture makes their lives a little easier and shows them that car subscriptions can be reliable, trustworthy and hassle-free.”

Car Dealer reported last week that Cazoo customers received emails out of the blue from the online used car seller, telling them their deals would be terminated within 90 days.

One customer was allegedly told by Cazoo that ‘the economic situation’ had led it to ‘dial back’ on its monthly subscription accounts.

Customers have been asked to return cars to a Cazoo customer centre – 15 out of 22 of which are earmarked for closure as part of recent cuts.

If they don’t return the cars, they’ll be forced to pay to have them picked up by the company’s own operatives.

Cazoo recently announced that sales forecasts for the UK for this year would be slashed to just 40,000 compared with about 65,000 in 2022.

The company is also consulting 3,000 employees about potential redundancy as it trims back its network of centres.

They include around 150 people at Cazoo’s vehicle preparation centre in Westbury, which is earmarked for closure on March 4.

The 10 per cent discount being offered by FlexiFleet is apparently available across the company’s complete range of vehicles.

The discount is available until midnight on May 1. Terms and conditions apply. Cazoo customers should call FlexiFleet on 01392 203041 to apply.