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...]
Avoid being driven to distraction
IAM RoadSmart has called for businesses to urgently tackle the issue of distracted drivers at the wheel and overhaul their safety at work policies – to help stem the tide of avoidable crashes on our roads. The UK’s biggest independent road safety charity has just published a white paper called Driving While Distracted: Challenges and Solutions, which examines the reasons why so many motorists’ … [Read more...]
BMW drivers are UK’s worst, says insurer
GoCompare Car Insurance says BMW drivers are the worst in the UK. They are most likely to speed, run a red light or make an at-fault claim, according to data held by the insurer. A study by GoCompare Car Insurance has found that BMW drivers are the most likely to be convicted of an offence and cause a collision on the road. More than one in six BMW 4 series drivers (17.1%) have at least … [Read more...]
Extending ‘company car’ benefits
Interest is growing from businesses looking to provide vehicle solutions to their entire employee base including those not entitled to a company car, reports Arval. The vehicle leasing company says that employers increasingly want to offer a broader mix of vehicle solutions to more employees – and that a range of products including personal lease and salary exchange can effectively meet this … [Read more...]
SUVs’ abilities need explaining to company users
Company car drivers may need to be warned of the limitations of their vehicles in winter driving conditions, Arval is warning, highlighting SUVs as a prime example. These vehicles are increasingly attractive to fleets and their drivers for many reasons but the company says that some drivers mistakenly believe that relatively lightweight, two-wheel drive SUVs of the type that are becoming common … [Read more...]
BIK burden soars for company cars
Data experts cap hpi revealed the tax burden on company car drivers has soared over the last decade. The study looked at the popular fleet vehicle the BMW 320d SE and found that while the list price of the vehicle had risen by 23%, the BIK had risen 105% since 2009. In the same period, real wages have only risen 20%. The company is calling for the government to rethink its approach to taxing … [Read more...]
Fleet car risks poorly considered, say analysts
Risk management of cars is being “given much lower priority” than vans across a wide range of fleets, says management software specialist FleetCheck. The reasons, explained Peter Golding, managing director, were that vans tended to be viewed more as working tools that were often treated roughly by their users, while cars were seen more as personal transport that would be cared for by … [Read more...]
Fleet numbers will grow, predict Arval
Despite uncertain conditions, a net 20% of businesses believe that the number of vehicles they operate will grow in the next three years, according to new research by Arval. The figure – which shows those companies predicting an increase minus those who foresee a decrease - is virtually identical to last year when a net 21% of fleets said that they were optimistic about growth prospects. The … [Read more...]
Confusion over emissions tests will hit values
Uncertainty surrounding the new emissions-test system could help to create a degree of unpredictability in the used car market towards the end of this year and into 2019, warns the Vehicle Remarketing Association. The organisation, which represents businesses that together process more than 1.5 million used vehicles every year, says that there are two main factors the WLTP test might affect … [Read more...]
Home, office, diner, the role of the company car
The average business driver will spend nearly three years of their working life sitting in their car, according to a study. Researchers for Skoda took an in depth look into life on the road for the nation’s company car drivers and revealed the average worker spends over two-and-a-half hours in their car on a typical working day – that’s 13 hours a week or 26 days every year. Over a standard … [Read more...]
