Company Car Tax

[turbo-ww]

For a number of years I've been entitled to a Company Car. Working in central London it was always a no-brainer to take the allowance.

There is a possibility that I will now be travelling about the South East and will need a car to do it.

Can anyone help with the pros and cons of still taking the allowance against a fully expensed company car?

Thanks in advance.

Martyn.

[Maxf]

I cant recall the figures, but when we looked at it (again, living in central London) it was a no-brainer to take the car. The company sorted insurance which was a killer, being parked on the road in London, and that alone would have eaten a large % of the cash allowance for anything semi-decent.

I suppose if you lived somewhere more insurance friendly the choice might not be so clear though.

Edited by Maxf on Thursday 1st April 19:33

[turbo-ww]

I live just outside Windsor with the car on the drive so insurance not massive (Well, not compared with London anyway!)

[bogie]

surely depends on how the allowance and car compare in value?

then work out the maths - www.comcar.co.uk has company car tax sorted etc

some people seem to get a £30K car or say £700 a month allowance ...others maybe a £30K car or a £300 a month allowance

I always take the allowance, and run my own, older car, rather than just pay loads of tax and be limited to a choice of mundane turbo diesels, but everyones circumstances are different

[audi321]

bogie said:

I always take the allowance, and run my own, older car

Be careful on this one, most companies these days are applying a 'minimum age' criteria to running your own car....there was this involuntary manslaughter case recently which has scared the life out of company directors!

[bogie]

audi321 said:

bogie said:

I always take the allowance, and run my own, older car

Be careful on this one, most companies these days are applying a 'minimum age' criteria to running your own car....there was this involuntary manslaughter case recently which has scared the life out of company directors!

I dont mean a £1000 banger though ...just 3-5 year old stuff ...for the last 3 years a V8 Vantage

[audi321]

My company has just introduced the minimum age of 3 years, and I know of 4 mates from other companies that have just introduced the same.

[bogie]

so your company enforces the age of the car that they wish you to drive?

what if you have more than one car in the family, must they all be under 3 years old, just in case yours is in the garage and you borrow the missus car?

[audi321]

Don't know TBH. They just started to get really cautious and asking to see insurance certificate to check business use, then getting me to sign disclaimers re car been under 3 years old, and will be kept serviced, etc, etc.

As said before, companies getting scared re this manslaughter case. Haven't seen it myself, but I think some guy died behind the wheel in a car 'unsuitable' for business use, his family sued the company and the directors were done for involuntary manslaughter.

[tr7v8]

Technically our cars have to be under 5 years otherwise anything goes. Some push the boundaries, I ran a 1987 944 for 18 months on it & did 38K & no one questioned it. In theory they are meant to average 25MPG& quite a few don't witness the amount of Porsche Cayennes & Jeep V8s!

[bogie]

well we have to provide an insured vehicle for work use...thats all it says in our contract. Can be a 2 seater convertible or a mini bus I guess ....its left up to common sense, never heard of anyone having anything enforced

I guess its another nail in the coffin from the nanny state....so if you have to provide a vehicle, but you fail to maintain it, you have an accident in it, yet its the companies fault ?! ...seems like the US litigation culture is getting worse every day over here