Company car - advice please

[Beef farmer]

Hence the OP’s question about his forthcoming company car

Top end cars to spend 40k miles a year in are going to cost. It's all built in to the prices charged anyway.

 

[Scribus]

As a 40% tax payer that would cost me £900 per month in BIK tax alone.......

Are you looking for sympathy?

 

[Scribus]

Three years ago our company car allowance bought you a reasonable spec diesel car, you rang the fleet administrator told her what you wanted and she gave you a list of cars available in your price bracket. This year my car is up for renewal, new computerized system with a choice of 1100 cars you could pick from, but guess what when you started to pick what you wanted they were all out of your price range. As I started to chip away at picking a car I realized all the diesels were very expensive and you could have a high spec petrol instead. Apparently the leasing companies are worried that in three years time they will be selling worthless diesel cars onto the second hand market due to changes in regulation/taxation.

For the first time in twenty five years I am reverting to a petrol car as it is two thirds of the bik of the equivalent diesel and I can get a high spec model rather than a basic diesel which matters when you do around 35k miles per year.

So the more efficient diesel is getting priced out of the market.

Honestly, you couldn't make this stupidity up!

 

[Beef farmer]

Are you looking for sympathy?

It was his chest out moment.

 

[JP1]

Three years ago our company car allowance bought you a reasonable spec diesel car, you rang the fleet administrator told her what you wanted and she gave you a list of cars available in your price bracket. This year my car is up for renewal, new computerized system with a choice of 1100 cars you could pick from, but guess what when you started to pick what you wanted they were all out of your price range. As I started to chip away at picking a car I realized all the diesels were very expensive and you could have a high spec petrol instead. Apparently the leasing companies are worried that in three years time they will be selling worthless diesel cars onto the second hand market due to changes in regulation/taxation.

For the first time in twenty five years I am reverting to a petrol car as it is two thirds of the bik of the equivalent diesel and I can get a high spec model rather than a basic diesel which matters when you do around 35k miles per year.

Ford started with this with tiny boosted petrol cars

Then Volvo compelled their products to be fossil fuel free from x

Then all car manufacturers compelled by EU

The crazy thing is for all family and commercial travelling outside of cities a small diesel hatchback is your best bet

Politicians could be far more practical within cities . Good, cheap mass transportation (tbf London has some a lot), target and eliminate road bottlenecks and road closures , better road junctions etc

But they won’t

The number of folks I hear who go off on a shoot with more than 500 mile round trip - they’d first have to check their charging points before acceptance in future ......

 

[ollie989898]

Buy your own car and get paid more money. Make company pay mileage.

If I was that important and doing that kind of miles Id want a Volvo XC estate car.

 

[JP1]

Top end cars to spend 40k miles a year in are going to cost. It's all built in to the prices charged anyway.

I don’t disagree

I can see why some folks that REALLY travel eg long distance across Europe and filling their week with much out of hours driving go for Merc E or even S-class but most of us just do a lot of miles

I see folks on other threads needing this or that. The truth is you can do high mileage in anything these days, solo even a Corsa or Fiesta is a perfectly acceptable place to be

Cruise control and a radio is all I ask for

To the OP I still don’t think you can beat wheelbase for a long distance motorway type ride so I’d opt for a Mondeo or a Superb with the same engine as a smaller hatchback and accept it’s got slightly less poke away from the lights

 

[ollie989898]

I don’t disagree

I can see why some folks that REALLY travel eg long distance across Europe and filling their week with much out of hours driving go for Merc E or even S-class but most of us just do a lot of miles

I see folks on other threads needing this or that. The truth is you can do high mileage in anything these days, solo even a Corsa or Fiesta is a perfectly acceptable place to be

Cruise control and a radio is all I ask for

To the OP I still don’t think you can beat wheelbase for a long distance motorway type ride so I’d opt for a Mondeo or a Superb with the same engine as a smaller hatchback and accept it’s got slightly less poke away from the lights

Fudge that. If an employer is expecting me to virtually live in a car you won't get me in a Corsa that is for sure.

 

[Robt]

Are you looking for sympathy?

No, it’s just the question is from a BIK paying company car driver. I’m merely pointing out how much one of the suggestions costs. Are you looking for an argument?

 

[66Longhorns]

Fudge that. If an employer is expecting me to virtually live in a car you won't get me in a Corsa that is for sure.

My car got pranged and I had to use a 1 litre Mazda for a fortnight. Could only just get my knees under the steering wheel.

 

[Robt]

It was his chest out moment.

It wasn’t. This forum saddens me sometimes. People jump at the chance to take a cheap shot or gain some points. I’m am incredibly fortunate to earn decent money, I know that very well.

 

[JP1]

Fudge that. If an employer is expecting me to virtually live in a car you won't get me in a Corsa that is for sure.

You’ve driven one right?

I used to quite like flying and hiring a car and seeing what I would get for the sector car (it was never an actual smart car or a Polo)

I have an Octavia estate and it’s perfect for what I need

 

[An Gof]

Averaging over 60mph, and doing that for over 16 hours in a single day? There’s no way you could be safe and acceptably aware, regardless of what you think. Sure, you might have managed it, but your reactions would have been severely compromised by the end. If you were doing it as an employee, then as well as being unsafe it would be questionably legal too, and certainly not in the UK where alternatives exist.



Your wife wasn’t working for a very responsible employer at that, but there’s a difference between 500 miles and 1,000.

Asda offices at Leeds 666 mile round trip

Tesco at Cheshunt 540 mile round trip

Co-op at Manchester 600 mil round trip.

The price you pay being based in Cornwall and at the beck and call of Supermarkets.

 

[Chae1]

Why would you drive round in a pick up if you didn't actually need one though?
Not even sure the op needs 4wd with the amount of motorway miles he's doing. Most arable areas in the UK aren't exactly difficult to access.

Loads of people do choose pick ups over cars though.

Pretty sure pickups outnumber cars in the US by a large margin.

 

[puntabrava]

40k miles per year . Lot of hanging about away from home charging the thing

Can you not get a small Ifor with some batteries as a sort of towable juice pack.

 

[76masseyman]

Buy your own car and get paid more money. Make company pay mileage.

If I was that important and doing that kind of miles Id want a Volvo XC estate car.

Sadly, some companies won’t do that. If the one in the car is doing a big annual mileage, it’s cheaper for the company to own the car.

 

[ollandroverman]

Audi a6 allroad. Got one here, ticks all boxes

Including the low BIK tax rates for the O.P. and doing over 45mpg? (actually 45mpg or better, not what the over optimistic dash gauge says)

 

[Beef farmer]

Including the low BIK tax rates for the O.P. and doing over 45mpg? (actually, not what the over optimistic dash gauge says)

Wouldnt have a clue on mpg. When its empty it get filled.

 

[ollie989898]

Sadly, some companies won’t do that. If the one in the car is doing a big annual mileage, it’s cheaper for the company to own the car.

So you are obliged to either pay ship loads of tax or drive a Corsa 30K a year. I would buy my own. Any employer must understand the position the OP is in.

 

[76masseyman]

So you are obliged to either pay ship loads of tax or drive a Corsa 30K a year. I would buy my own. Any employer must understand the position the OP is in.

Pretty sure some employers do. But one I know has several staff on the road, all doing 35,000 + miles per year, and the cars are all company owned, not leased, owned.
The staff have full private use, but after being on the road all week, would you want to drive much at the weekend ? l wouldn’t.