WE have had a quiet few weeks at Alpha Contracts as my colleague Alex and I have been driving electric and hybrid electric vehicles. We have visited the Fleet Show at Silverstone, The Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC and the Company Car in Action Show.
‘It’s a tough life’ I hear you say. Well it is tough, trying to get all of the new information together to answer all the questions that will inevitably crop up.
We are getting excited by the possibilities that these cars present for customers.
WE have had a quiet few weeks at Alpha Contracts as my colleague Alex and I have been driving electric and hybrid electric vehicles. We have visited the Fleet Show at Silverstone, The Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC and the Company Car in Action Show.
‘It’s a tough life’ I hear you say. Well it is tough, trying to get all of the new information together to answer all the questions that will inevitably crop up.
We are getting excited by the possibilities that these cars present for customers. Their low CO2 ratings mean that the benefit in kind tax bill drops dramatically for a company car driver, which will please not only them but also their boss, manager or accountant that has to pay for them as there is a corresponding drop in the company expenditure on NI etc.
In addition when you read fuel consumption figures around 149mpg it highlights that for certain drivers these vehicles really should be a consideration when making the choice on their next vehicle. The biggest hurdle to overcome is something called range anxiety, which is the fear of running out of electric charge and being left on the roadside looking a bit silly. Choosing a hybrid car will help remove this problem and the Volvo V60 hybrid or the Mercedes E300 hybrid are the pick of the bunch at the high end of the market. For something more conservative in price, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has just been launched, this one is a petrol hybrid and already getting rave reviews. It was a huge success on the continent in 2013 and looks likely to repeat its performance in the UK this year.
Of course, you could go all electric and, finally, there is some competition for the excellent Nissan Leaf, the trail blazer for so long in this market. There are offerings from Renault, BMW, Ford and VW, all of which tick the box when looking to make your fleet greener. Generally these have a range of about 90 miles, which is more than sufficient for many daily commutes. Charging can be done at home or at a rapid charging point, there are currently at least three of these in the Northampton area. We can also tell you how to get a free charge point at home from British Gas.
We think, though, the best is yet to come – the Nissan eNV200 van. British Gas has finished a long term test of these vans and is sufficiently impressed to order a large number for its engineers. Around 70 per cent of compact vans in the UK will drive less than 60 miles per day, which means they are all within the range of the eNV200, it can carry two euro pallets, has a payload of over 700kg, has two side loading doors and can be fully charged overnight at home. It’s just been launched, rental prices are not yet with us at the time of writing but we think this one will do well.
If you are thinking of going green and saving some money on your fleet and your tax bill then talk to us at Alpha Contracts Leasing Ltd, we can give you the figures and also provide a tax calculation showing the potential savings. Call us on 01604 586653.