Thank you to one of our leasing company representative for allow us to test and review their latest company car – the BMW 5 series estate.
The luxury estate/tourer class is absolutely jammed packed with fantastic options, with the Volvo V90, Mercedes E-Class, Jaguar XF Sportbrake and the Audi A6 Avant; making a firm decision is actually now a very difficult thing to do!
Going through the choice of your next company car has, unfortunately, become a far more complicated process over the years. Once you know the type of vehicle you want i.e. estate/saloon/hatchback, you then need to make a series of careful decisions to ensure you have a car which is suitable for your needs and requirements (and for the business too).
In most cases, the first consideration will be the parameters set by the company. In some instances this will be a monthly budget set on certain conditions, i.e. a 1 + 35, 30,000 mile per annum funder-maintained contract hire agreement. What this means for the driver is that when you are researching online make sure you aware of the budgetary restrictions. If you see an advertised rental which is within your budget but this is a based on a 6 + 23, 10,000 mile per annum driver-maintained agreement, this is simply not going to work. To save your time, and that of your credit broker, ensure you know the budgets.
In addition, some companies may set restrictions based on a brand or car size. This can cause more confusion in our industry as it is not always a logical situation i.e. it is not always the case that the bigger the car/the more luxury the brand the more expensive a car will be. For example, a BMW 5 Series could be cheaper per month than a Ford Mondeo! This is a matter of fleet discount and residual value. However, just because a car fits within the budget, this may not meet the requirements of the company.
Once you have established the above, the next predicament will be your “company car tax” position. When you use a company car, you must calculate your tax position as the driver, which is a calculation based on the P11d value of the car, the CO2 and your income tax bracket. In this example, the more expensive and more polluting a car is, the more you will pay in tax. Additionally, for diesel vehicles there is currently a 3% supplement. What is confusing matters even more is the changes under Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).
ANY car registered on or after 1 September 2018 will have to adhere to these new testing conditions and with only BMW and Volvo on this regime, this means most manufacturers can only supply accurate data for cars supplied on or before 31 August. If you are a company car driver with a long-lead time, it is simply not possible to ascertain the emissions and efficiency of the vehicle. This is making some drivers take delivery of vehicles in August, well in advance of when the existing vehicle is due off contract.
Finally, you have a conundrum on fuel choice – petrol, diesel, petrol hybrid, diesel hybrid and fully-electric!
All of the fuel choices offer advantages and disadvantages to the customer. Based on mileage, driving choice, budget and tax position, a business user needs to carefully consider their options. Before making a firm decision, speak with your fleet management or leasing company to understand the complete position.
In terms of the car shown here, the BMW 5 SERIES TOURING 520i M Sport 5dr Auto (Petrol), this is based on the following configuration:
· Metallic – Blue stone
· Dakota leather – Black/Black world with exclusive stitching
· Aluminium rhombicle interior trim with pearl chrome finish
· 19″ M double spoke light alloy wheels – style 664M
· Head up Display
· Electric front seats + driver memory
As standard the car includes M Sports suspension, 18” alloys, air conditioning, cruise control with brake function, KLED headlights, Bluetooth, sports seats, heated windscreen washer jets, dynamic traction and brake control, hill start assist, BMW remote services, 20GB hard drive, digital cockpit, navigation (professional), iDrive with 10.2” screen, electric and heated door mirrors, DAB radio, ambient interior lights, Thatcham cat 1 alarm, immobiliser and heated front seats. For a perfect car, consider adding – the BMW display key, sun protection glass and the M Sport plus pack.
On the technical-side, company car and business users can note the P11d of £42,430.00 and CO2 of 136g/km. The 1998CC 8 speed auto engine delivers 47.8 combined MPG, 184ps and 0-62 times of 8.2 seconds. Service intervals on a petrol 5 series are every 24 months or 18,000 miles, whichever lands sooner.
So would you select the BMW 5 Series as your preferred leasing option? With great nationwide lease car options including the Audi A6, Mercedes E-Class and the Volvo V90 the customer is spoiled for choice!
Find the webs very best deals on the awesome BMW 5 series RIGHT HERE @CarLease UK —> http://bit.ly/2JGSFRo
