A big thank-you to our existing business leasing customer, House Network for sending through pictures of the latest addition to their green fleet – the BMW 5 Series Saloon.
One of the interesting changes across the fleet of vehicles at House Network has been their move to the “greener” vehicles. Having received a BMW i3 94Ah (with Range Extender) back in September, the team are moving many of the employees towards electric and PHEV-type vehicles. This represents huge commitment by any organisation, not only from a financial one (as electric / PHEV are generally more expensive) but also from a driver behaviour standpoint.
To get the most from your electric vehicle, your need to educate drivers to think carefully about charging vehicles, which inevitably means the setting-up of charging points at home and work. For those using the PHEV approach, there needs to be a real drive to utilising the electric component of the vehicle and not just a reliance on the petrol element, otherwise you will essentially have a petrol vehicle being run!
For companies, the move to these vehicles does have some corporate image benefits and, when it comes to environmental matters, we all need to take responsibility for the future of planet earth. For the company car driver, more selfishly, the operation of these types of vehicles can present a better company car tax experience. For any driver using a company vehicle, they must pay company car tax due to the vehicle being a “benefit in kind” (BiK). For cars this “BiK” is calculated based on the tax threshold of the individual, the P11d value of the vehicle and the CO2 the vehicle emits. In essence, the more expensive and more polluting a vehicle is, the more tax the individual driver will pay. Electric vehicles emit very little CO2, if any at all, and so will result in a lower tax exposure to the driver. That being said, as electric vehicles are more expensive, due to costs of production and technology, the individual driver will need to ensure the car fits within their rental bandings.
In terms of the car shown here, the BMW 5 SERIES SALOON 530e SE 4dr Auto, this is based on the following configuration:
· Blue Stone Metallic Paint
· Dakota leather – Ivory white/ Black world
· Aluminium fine cutting interior trim with pearl chrome finish
· 18″ light V spoke alloy wheels – style 684 light
Manufacturer Options on this BMW 530e included
. okelloy wheels – style 684
· Enhanced bluetooth with wireless charging
· Wifi hotspot preparation
· Electric folding auto dimming door mirrors with memory
· Model designation deletion
· Driver + front passenger electric lumbar support
· Through load system
· Front sports seats
· Driving assistant plus pack – 5 Series
· Apple CarPlay preparation
· Reversing camera
As standard, the BMW 5 series includes leather upholstery, LED headlights, dual zone air conditioning, part electric front seats, 18” alloys, cruise control, rain sensing wipers, dynamic brake control and stability control, hill start assist, front/rear parking sensors, 20GB hard drive, digital cockpit, navigation (professional), e-drive services, i-drive controller with 10.2” colour display, electric and heated door mirrors, Bluetooth, LED daytime running lights, multifunction steering wheel, crash sensor, heated front seats, engine immobiliser, run flat tyres and a Thatcham cat 1 alarm system. For additional factory options, do consider the sun protection glass, the BMW display key and the advanced loudspeaker system for a complete car.
On the technical-side, company car drivers can note the P11d of £44,710.00 and CO2 at 46g/km for a standard car. The 1998CC 8 speed auto engine is coupled with a 9.2 kWh Lithium-ion battery. This offers 252ps, 0-62 times of 6.2 seconds and combined MPG 141.2MPG. Service intervals on the BMW PHEV are every 24 months or every 18,000 miles.
So would the 5 series e range be your preferred electric car leasing option? Or would be heading to the Porsche Panamera e-Hybrid or the Volvo V90 Hybrid, perhaps a Tesla might be your choice for a luxury electric lease car?
Let us know your thoughts on which electric car you would choose to take home this Christmas!
Check out the best BMW 5 Series leasing deals for business or personal use by TAPPING HERE on CarLease UK!
A Shout out to House Network!
House Network are one of the foremost online estate agents in the UK. Based in Essex, the growing business now reaches every corner of the UK, as customers look for quicker, cheaper and better experiences when selling their homes. House Network have already acted for two employees of CarLease UK, so when we recommend their services, this is very much from our own experience with the team there. Additionally, check out their Truspilot scores which, like ours, shows a plethora of happy customers. It has been a pleasure to work alongside the House Network team and manage their fleet for the last 7 years. We look forward to be being part of their continued journey.
