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Evening all.
My wife has to pick a company car for use in the UK. The max budget is 800 euros/month, and she wants to minimise the overall BIK tax.
"Aha" I hear you cry, "A small electric car then."
No, because the company specifies that it must be of executive appearance (?), NOT full electric or plug in hybrid (due to high mileage), and she would like an estate or SUV to fit the dog crate in.
Presumably a hybrid that charges itself regeneratively would be the way to go?
Can I find a site to allow these criteria to be specified? Can I eck as like.
Any ideas?
Autotrader will show what is available with most options search but Self generating hybrids are of limited used (no use over 18 mp/h) not many estates either.
Com car seems to be the go to site where you can apply your criteria it seems to be a bit objective being executive In appearance my superb estate is huge and very comfy bik is about 8k so about 140 tax per month Its not very executive ☹️But neither am I
I'm not sure why you are discounting electric options.
Merc and BMW do hybrids that should work?
But there's going to be a trade off between MPG and BIK. A BMW 330e doing high miles will have a lower MPG than 320d. Swings and roundabouts. Look at real MPG figures here - https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/real-mpg/
I can point her to executives who use true electrics if that is what she wants! If she is doing long mileage though it probably pushes her towards a Tesla anyway which also must tick the “don’t we pay our staff well” image criteria. Of course it might not fit a big dog cage etc - but then that’s why you have to pay BIK - because you are getting a vehicle for your lifestyle not your job.
Why is an EV out due to high-mileage? A Tesla would seem to hit your other requirements spot on apart from this. BIK goes to 0% next month, executive looking, etc.
Loads of people at our place have them that do lots of miles. Just need to plan around the supercharger network but shouldn't add too much (any?) time into long journeys above and beyond sensible rest stops, providing you can charge fully at home overnight. I think the Model X (SUV) even extended the free supercharging deal for a time as well.
I'm getting a Model 3 so will need to pay for supercharger use but the car itself is less expensive than the S/X..
Got to be a passat GTE id have thought? Or the similar volvo maybe. Covers image box, dog box, low bik box.
As long as shes not paying for fuel then the worse fuel economy than a diesel on long miles wont be an issue, The hybrid just gets you the lower bik. Im looking at similar, wont charge it up not really fussed on the ev bit i just want the bik savings. I wouldnt personally be relying on our ev charging network for business use just yet.
I'm not sure why a plug-in hybrid is not allowed, gives the low BIK and you can use the electric bit when possible.
Volvo V60 T8 is really smart, or the BMW 330e Touring is launched this summer, both on my list of possible options.
Not charging a hybrid just seems stupid, why carry all of the extra weight if you aren't going to at least charge at home. Unfortunately it's that attitude that will kill off the low BIK rates for hybrids when they are the ideal transition. We think we'll be able to do most commuting electric.
By the time we get around to ordering may go full electric anyway, interested to see the Polestar 2 in the flesh.
Not sure that budget will get EV with actual high mileage use when you include service costs?
Find out what her colleagues have plumped for as a starting point?
The other issue for plug in hybrid (even if she could swing it past the employer) is that we don't have a drive, it's an old cottage that is straight onto the pavement and main street. With a pub next door I can't see the charge lead NOT being tripped over or unplugged 🙁
She would cheerfully keep her metallic turquoise Roomster with it's mighty 1.2L 3cyl TD, stop-start, and dog-box friendly boot but it's not considered exec enough by her company when she rolls up to customer's facilities - it's really not our lifestyle that we are getting the car for 😉
So, ignoring all the brilliant plug in hybrids, what else?
I’m not sure why a plug-in hybrid is not allowed, gives the low BIK and you can use the electric bit when possible.
Because if you do significant miles, a diesel is more efficient.
Lexus and Toyota do currently lead the market in self-chargers. Get one of them.
BIK is based on emissions, and petrol and diesel make shed loads more emissions than hybrid, and then full electric. Therefore BIK rates are silly expensive.
Without any charging my 330e will do about 40mpg, BIK was zero when I got it but gone up a fair bit now.
Just google BIK table to see how much tax she will pay.
I can see though that she will end up in some under powered thing that will be horrendous to drive long distance