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Vauxhall Insignia

The Vauxhall Insignia is an excellent business saloon that’s available with a wide range of engines and comes generously equipped. It might lack the badge appeal of an Audi or BMW, but it looks good enough, with considerable road presence and a stylish design.

The recommended version for business leasing, hire or buy is the 2.0 CDTi ecoFLEX with Start Stop technology.

This car has a CO2 output of just 98g/km and therefore it is road tax exempt. What’s more, this version of the Insignia will achieve up to 76.3 mpg on a combined cycle, and it sits in insurance group 15E, which means that a whole fleet will not cost your business an arm and a leg.

Standard equipment included in the Insignia depends on the trim level. I recommend Design. This keeps the cost of the car low, but, it still has cruise control and climate control as standard. Bristol Street Motors Carlisle is very excited about the future of the Insignia range.

Volkswagen e-Up

Now, I know what you’re thinking – who on earth is going to go to a business meeting in a tiny electric car? Well, depending on your brand values, and the type of business you work within, a small electric car may very well be perfect.

Due for release in 2014, the Volkswagen e-Up takes what’s awesome about the regular Up (a fun chassis, good refinement, enough space for a week’s shopping), but replaces the tiring 1.0-litre 3-cylinder engine with a 18.7kWh electric motor – this produces only 82bhp, but more importantly, 155lb /ft of torque, which is instant due to the power delivery electric motors have.

The reason the VW e-Up is perfect for businesses is because it’s cheap to buy (it qualifies for a £5000 Government grant) and it’s road tax exempt. If you run a small business with only a few employees, or if your business is in a city centre such as London, this could be perfect.