Empty roads over the last few weeks have been used as race-tracks by some drivers, police have reported. Opportunist thieves and drug running gangs have also desperately used them to quickly move about, despite the risk of being caught by routine police patrols stopping to check on Coronavirus compliant trips. Now company car and van drivers have be warned to take extra care on the roads as … [Read more...]
Challenging times ahead for trade, says analyst
It has been a month of halves with two weeks of unexpected silence in the showrooms resulting in many staff being furloughed in the absence of customers. Service departments and smaller garages are working to keep key workers mobile and safe with their transportation needs and the insurance industry is still largely active. Dealers still have a shop window and many eyes browsing vehicles on … [Read more...]
Lockdown legalities for fleets & users
The handing back of company car and van keys or fobs to employers in order to avoid benefit-in-kind taxation during the coronavirus lockdown needs careful management, the Association of Fleet Professionals has warned. There remained both pertinent questions for HMRC around the issue and a range of potential practical problems to resolve, explained co-chair Caroline Sandall. She said, “During … [Read more...]
Warnings to drivers of furloughed EVs
Electric vehicle drivers may need to unplug their cars and vans during the coronavirus lockdown in order to reduce the risk of battery damage, Arval UK has suggested. David Watts, consultant at the fleet management and leasing company, explained that leaving an EV permanently on charge while the vehicle was hardly being used could cause issues. He explained: “General manufacturer advice is that … [Read more...]
Fleets welcome Clean Air Zone moratorium
The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Associatio has welcomed the Government’s decision to postpone the implementation of Clean Air Zones until 2021. BVRLA Chief Executive Gerry Keaney said, “This is a very sensible decision in the current circumstances. It gives some temporary respite for businesses and individuals trying to come to terms with the current health crisis and gives the … [Read more...]
Cleaner and greener higher tech Insignia signs in
Vauxhall’s new Insignia is on sale from £23,120 and it's very good news for business drivers. With best in class CO2s and economy, the new-look Insignia uses a new range of fuel-efficient powertrains, revised technology and a bold and attractive exterior design. Vauxhall’s new Insignia consumes up to 18 per cent less fuel than the outgoing model thanks to powerful new high-efficiency engines. A … [Read more...]
Tradelines 1 April
Recent prices of new and used SUVs and Crossovers have been tumbling, say analysts at Cazana. With forecourts shut due to the coronavirus epidemic the emphasis has moved on-line and canny buyers are carefully shopping around for the best deal so sellers have to respond or lose the business and Cazana said it may well be a common trend in the coming weeks and will need to be monitored. Aston … [Read more...]
Penalties and problems looming for fleets
Thousands of vehicles and hundreds of fleets will struggle to meet incoming stringent emissions legislation and pay the price, a survey shows. Around 5.3% of company cars and vans being operated by customers of FleetCheck only meet the Euro 4 emissions standard or older, according to a new analysis. A further 18.2% of vehicles from the total sample of 85,792 also fall behind the latest Euro 6 … [Read more...]
Warning over collapsing dealer networks
Localised franchise dealer networks are “likely to remain important to fleets” says fleet software specialist FleetCheck following news that more are to close. Peter Golding, managing director at FleetCheck, said that a long-term situation was being created where many businesses were having to travel further for routine servicing, maintenance and repair. “We’re not picking out any particular … [Read more...]
Tax break to push company car drivers into evs
Eight out of ten business employees who currently opt out of a company car scheme are ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to move back to company cars and these will be electric, according to a survey by DriveElectric, one of the UK’s leading EV leasing companies. The return to company cars rather than employees taking car allowances is being driven by a number of issues; one of the main factors is the … [Read more...]