WANT to lower the CO2 emissions of your small fleet? But don’t want to wear a hair shirt?
Then you’d be surprised how many different types of low emissions company cars there are on the market these days. And of course low CO2 emissions equates to a low Benefit in Kind (BIK) for the car, and therefore reduced company car tax.
So cars that might not have made sense as company cars suddenly look pretty good.
It wasn’t long ago when awkward little city cars were about the only vehicles that could drop below 100g/km and hit fuel economy figures of more than 70mpg.
But now there are plug-in hybrids from Vauxhall, Porsche and BMW, and ultra-clean diesels from Kia and Volkswagen that easily eclipse those figures. Here’s our run down of five company cars that are so clean that they could actually save you a bundle of cash.
Your small fleet might never look the same again!
BMW i3
The first all-electric production car from BMW is an absolute corker. The looks may be a little bit divisive but the drive is anything but.
A hi-tech carbon fibre bodyshell keeps weight low, while typical BMW steering and an agile rear-wheel-drive chassis help make this electric car lots of fun.
With a 0-62mph time of 7.2 seconds it’s really quick, too, and can even beat a current M3 from 0-30mph.
Best of all, there’s plenty of room in the cabin and there’s a real sense of luxury that the Nissan LEAF just can’t offer. Go for the full EV rather than the Range-Extender and there’s no company car tax to pay until 2015/16 because the HRMC accepts the Benefit in Kind (BIK) as £0.
Our company car favourite: BMW i3 EV
- Price: £25,680 (after £5000 government grant)
- BIK band: 0%
- Range: Max. 125 miles (real-world 80-100 miles)
- 0-62mph: 7.2 seconds
- Click here for our car review of the BMW i3
Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid
Yes, you really can buy a plug-in Porsche. More efficient than a Toyota Prius, this Panamera pairs a 3.0-litre petrol V6 engine up to an electric motor and a big battery pack to deliver a 0-62mph time of 5.5 seconds, while emitting just 71g/km.
The BIK band stands at just 5% until 2015/16 when it goes up to 9%.
The £88,967 P11D value may be much higher than a £62,922 diesel Panamera but with the low Benefit in Kind the costs are soon cancelled out. The diesel, for example will cost high-rate earners £7047 a year in company car tax, while the hybrid will cost them £1779.
Our company car favourite: Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid
- Price: £88,967
- BIK band: 5%
- Range: 622 miles
- 0-62mph: 5.5 seconds
- More on the Porsche Panamera plug-in hybrid