Relevant Company Cars?

[callahan]

Hi

I currently drive nearly 30k a year in my company Volvo V60 and am looking around for a replacement when it goes back. I have been looking at the Mitsubishi Phev as an option but don't think it's ideal for a lot of motorway use, but are any of them?

I don't think I'll be able to persuade my boss to go down the Tesla route, so are there any good options for this type of usage, enough room for a family of four and boot space, that is also a bit of fun to drive?

The main attraction for me is the tax saving side, but being able to drive into central London every few weeks would be nice without having to pay the CC too.

Any thoughts? It needs to be tempting for my company to lease as well.....

Thanks

[anonymous-user]

BMW i3 REX is the only one that comes to my mind

[pboyall]

Yep, the Outlander would be expensive as you'd just be running on petrol and lugging battery around.

Ampera is not available anymore so i3 ReX is the only choice if you are really keen. Or one of the limited PHEVs like eTron, GTE, V60 ... might as well get a diesel.

[callahan]

Isn't there a C Class option too?

It's odd which cars manufacturers choose to be the EV type option - either small cars or a 4x4. The only mid sized one seems to be the Golf, or perhaps the Prius.

[pboyall]

Not really - the C Class has such a small battery that after 10 miles or so you'll be back to petrol (and hauling the deadweight of the battery around). Same as the GTE and eTron. Really rather pointless unless you only use the car to get to the shops and back. All of them have been built purely to game the emissions regulations (the test cycle is short enough and slow enough for them to run a large chunk of battery and thus get an artificially low Co2 figure)

[s111dpc]

pboyall said:

Not really - the C Class has such a small battery that after 10 miles or so you'll be back to petrol (and hauling the deadweight of the battery around). Same as the GTE and eTron. Really rather pointless unless you only use the car to get to the shops and back. All of them have been built purely to game the emissions regulations (the test cycle is short enough and slow enough for them to run a large chunk of battery and thus get an artificially low Co2 figure)

As a company car driver doing 20k miles per year I'm seriously considering the C350e due to the tax saving. This model has BIK tax at 5% vs 19/20% for the equivalent TDI version. So as a 40% tax payer that's £800/yr vs £3200/yr, so unless I'm missing something the TDI has got to save me more than £200/m in fuel for it it be the better option which is going some.

[pboyall]

In the real world probably about 15 more miles per gallon on diesel.

That's a real guess but based on experience with the Ampera (which gives about 45mpg when running in petrol mode, versus about 60 in an equivalent diesel Astra-ish car) I would guess the 4-cylinder petrol + battery will give around 35-40 and the 350CDI gives you a good 50 in the real world.

So at 20000 miles per year you are looking at maybe £900 difference between the two in fuel?

Probably worth it ... provided the capital cost is okay.

[maffski]

For big miles and the tax benefits of a hybrid the V60 has to be in with a shout? You just need to convince your employer it's worth paying for.

[callahan]

I reclaim all my fuel costs, then they recharge me for personal use at a fixed rate, so the actual fuel consumption doesn't affect me.

The only real cost to me is the cc tax, but the lease costs need to be acceptable for them to pay in the first place.

Aren't the initial costs of leasing a hybrid /ev much lower for the business?

[ZX10R NIN]

I had a look at this earlier this year for my uncle he was in a similar situation to you he you looked at all the options & he chose the Mercedes C300 Hybrid but both the C&E300 are around 39k Retail but it has the 250 Specification Diesel engine.

Both are CC free, they claim an average fuel consumption 74.3mpg/68.9mpg vs the claimed average of 60.1mpg/57.7mpg again both will be around 39k.

It's just weather your company want to spend that much, but it's not far off the price of other Hybrids which are Petrols which means when your fuel bill will be a bit with a claimed Petrol consumption of 50.6mpg.

The cost difference with Petrol at 114.9 Per Litre/£5.21 per gallon Diesel at £5.35 Per Gallon(117.9 Per Litre) £3088.93 Petrol Hybrid / £2160.16 Diesel Hybrid which is no small amount of change.

Here's what he looked at:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

[Jonsv8]

Volvo XC90 hybrid - under 50g co2 so should be low in BIK and a combined 400bhp. A guy a work has just ordered one and I think the total cost to him on the company car scheme (lease and tax) was the same as his outgoing 520d.

[jkh112]

Just remember that if you have the company car on a 3 year lease then look into the tax as it is increasing quite substantially in a couple of years.

[Jonsv8]

jkh112 said:

Just remember that if you have the company car on a 3 year lease then look into the tax as it is increasing quite substantially in a couple of years.

For all cars under 50gco2 inc 0 it's 5% this year, 7% next and 9% the year after. Diesel hybrids are I believe a little higher

[jkh112]

Jonsv8 said:

For all cars under 50gco2 inc 0 it's 5% this year, 7% next and 9% the year after. Diesel hybrids are I believe a little higher

16% the year after, so not quite as soon as I thought.

[callahan]

I think my company are closer to a 320d leasing budget - if that, unfortunately.

You would think that there would be more options in the company car area - Mondeo to 3 series budget - as the bik benefits would make most sense here.

Might have to stick to the V60,or perhaps a Vrs this time round.

[48Valves]

s111dpc said:

As a company car driver doing 20k miles per year I'm seriously considering the C350e due to the tax saving. This model has BIK tax at 5% vs 19/20% for the equivalent TDI version. So as a 40% tax payer that's £800/yr vs £3200/yr, so unless I'm missing something the TDI has got to save me more than £200/m in fuel for it it be the better option which is going some.

I've just ordered a C350e estate company car. It was that or the Golf GTe, but the merc won as the boot in the Golf was too small, the merc also looks a nicer place to be and has decent performance figures

[s111dpc]

48Valves said:

s111dpc said:

As a company car driver doing 20k miles per year I'm seriously considering the C350e due to the tax saving. This model has BIK tax at 5% vs 19/20% for the equivalent TDI version. So as a 40% tax payer that's £800/yr vs £3200/yr, so unless I'm missing something the TDI has got to save me more than £200/m in fuel for it it be the better option which is going some.

I've just ordered a C350e estate company car. It was that or the Golf GTe, but the merc won as the boot in the Golf was too small, the merc also looks a nicer place to be and has decent performance figures

I'm still heading in this direction.. Be really interested to see how you get on with it etc. when are you due to take delivery?

[s111dpc]

48Valves said:

s111dpc said:

As a company car driver doing 20k miles per year I'm seriously considering the C350e due to the tax saving. This model has BIK tax at 5% vs 19/20% for the equivalent TDI version. So as a 40% tax payer that's £800/yr vs £3200/yr, so unless I'm missing something the TDI has got to save me more than £200/m in fuel for it it be the better option which is going some.

I've just ordered a C350e estate company car. It was that or the Golf GTe, but the merc won as the boot in the Golf was too small, the merc also looks a nicer place to be and has decent performance figures

I'm still heading in this direction.. Be really interested to see how you get on with it etc. when are you due to take delivery?

[callahan]

48Valves said:

I've just ordered a C350e estate company car. It was that or the Golf GTe, but the merc won as the boot in the Golf was too small, the merc also looks a nicer place to be and has decent performance figures

Aren't the lease costs between the two a little different? I need to take that into account too, otherwise I'd be asking for a Tesla....

[48Valves]

s111dpc said:

I'm still heading in this direction.. Be really interested to see how you get on with it etc. when are you due to take delivery?

I only put the order in to fleet on Friday so I don't know when I can expect delivery.