A big thank you to Williams Manchester Jaguar for arranging a test drive and demo for the CarLease UK and Car-E-Lease UK team on the European car of the year and one of the leading electric vehicles to lease in 2019 – the Jaguar I-Pace.
Before we go on to discuss the I-Pace and the significance of electric cars in the UK, we just wanted to express our thanks to the team over at Williams.
As a credit broker, not a lender or franchised dealership, we operate alongside a select number of suppliers who we order vehicles from and deliver the cars to our customers. We have used Williams in Manchester for our Range Rover, Land Rover and Jaguar supply and can wholly say that they provide a first-class service each and every time.
For personal or business customers who need that “one to one” service for their next Jag or RR, just speak to the team there in Manchester. If you need a contract hire quotation, just ask our amazing team to assist.
Moving onto the I-Pace, what makes this such an amazing electric car? In the words of Jaguar, they have managed to produce a car which is truly electrifying to drive, offers “inner peace” through seamless interior design and which is “moving lines” via an aesthetically pleasant (but striking) appearance.
We no longer need to take their word for it; the press have now confirmed that the British car manufacturer has produced a leading car with the I-Pace beating the Alpine A110, Ford Focus, Kia Ceed , Mercedes A-Class and the Peugeot 508 in the recent European Car of the Year Awards 2019.
Based on technical innovation, performance, design and value for money, the I-Pace has been crowned the European champion. Already this crest appears on the Jaguar homepage, which just goes to show what this means to the Jaguar brand. Contrary to popular consensus, the UK automotive is not all about negativity; there are some great signs of innovation, development and change.
The move towards our next-generation of motoring just isn’t going to be an easy one.
Should I lease a Jaguar I-Pace? From our extensive test-drive, customers with a budget for this vehicle will not be disappointed. The new electric SUV offers unlimited style, comfort and design plus amazing performance. However, do ensure you test-drive an electric vehicle before committing to purchase or lease one; they drive and operate somewhat different to the traditional petrol or diesel combustion engine.
Add to that the “charging” obligation on the customer. To confirm, an electric car needs to be sufficiently charged to operate. You do this by plugging the car into a point at your home or business address (or at a service station) and allows the car to be sufficiently charged. If you fail to do so, the car will not operate at all. There is no “back-up” petrol or diesel constituent.
Check our guides on how to charge an I-Pace on YouTube.
For more help and guidance on electric cars (including a decision tree on which fuel choice is best for you/the business), just access our Car-E-Lease section at – https://www.carlease.uk.com/car-e
In terms of the car shown here, the Jaguar I-Pace Estate 294kW EV400 SE 90kWh 5dr Auto, this is based on the following configuration:
· Firenze Red Metallic Paint
· Grained leather – Ebony with ebony/ebony interior + sport seats
· 20″ 6 spoke gloss sparkle silver alloy wheels – style 6007
· Gloss black trim finisher
When customers are looking into the I-Pace, they have three main choices of specification:
1. S – the “base” model offers 18” alloy wheels, LED headlights, manual tailgate, headed door mirrors, Luxtec sport seats, 8-way electrically powered seats, Navigation pro, Meridian sound system, emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, rear view camera, cruise control, parking pack;
2. SE – the “middle” model offers 20” alloy wheels, premium LED headlights, powered tailgate, power-folding and heated door mirrors, grained leather seats, 10-way electric memory seats, drive pack (adaptive cruise control, emergency braking and blind spot assist); or
3. HSE – the “top” model offers 20” dark grey alloys, matrix LED headlights, powered gesture tailgate, Windsor leather seats, 18-way electric front seats with heated rear seats, Meridian surround sound, driver assist pack (steering assist, 360 degree camera).
In terms of the SE shown here, this offers a coil suspension system, powered tailgate/boot lid, body coloured mirrors and externals, climate control, metal tread plates, 20” alloys, 10-way electric front seats, acoustic laminated windscreen, heated washer jets, rain sensing windscreen wipers, solar attenuating front and rear windscreen, ASPC, DSC, emergency brake assist enhanced brake assist, hill launch assist, low traction launch, Apply car play, Bluetooth, InControl remote, 360 parking aid, lane keep assist, park assist, traffic sign recognition, push button 10” touch screen pro, navigation pro, auto dimming rear view mirror, power folding and heated door mirrors, 7kW on-board charger, home and public charging cable, 6 x USB power sockets, DAB, tailgate spoiler, automatic headlights, follow me home headlights, LED tail lights, multifunction steering wheel, heated front seats, LED reading lights, 60/40 split folding rear seats, intrusion sensor and alarm, keyless entry and all wheel driver function. In terms of additional specification consider – privacy glass, carpet mats, head up display, fixed panoramic glass roof and the illuminated metal tread plates.
On the technical-side company car and business users can note the P11d at £70,640.00 and CO2 at 0g/km. The lithium-ion battery will deliver 298 miles on the range (NEDC), 292 miles on a WLTP cycle, 400ps and 0-62 times of 4.8 seconds. Service intervals on the electric car are every 24 months or 21,000 miles, whichever lands sooner.
So would you select the Jaguar I-Pace as your next electric car leasing option? Or would the Tesla Model X, Model S or the new Audi e-Tron get your vote?
Are electric cars for a business only?
NO…
1. While the benefit to a business, in particular a company car driver, is more pertinent there are equally persuasive arguments that a personal driver can benefit from this type of car. For a company car driver, the fundamental benefit is that an electric vehicle produces zero emissions. As the electric Jag can cover more than 130 miles on a full charge, this means that from tax year 2020/2021 the car will attract a BIK percentage of
2. If you compare this this to an F-Pace or Range Rover Sport diesel/petrol, they would attract a BiK rate of 37%. For a company car user, this is a significant tax saving.
For the company, there is an enhanced corporate image from running an electric car plus, on the financial side, the business can reclaim 100% of the rentals as the car will be emitting less than 111 g/km of CO2.
The two main obstacles for running an electric car fleet are 1) cost (the electric car is currently more expensive than a petrol of diesel equivalent); and 2) suitability (most Lithium-Ion batteries can only operate for 250 miles on a full charge).
For some businesses, it may be too expensive for electric cars at present and for high-mileage drivers, covering 20,000 per annum and more, this might not be a suitable proposition.
So how are personal lease customers going to be convinced on electric? The world is changing attitudes towards fossil fuels and customers want to live in an sustainable environment. With the advance of photovoltaic tiles/solar panels, which may be able to provide a renewable solution to our home and automotive energy requirements, each household can contribute to reducing their carbon footprint. Notwithstanding this fact, cities like Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham will be following London’s congestion charge policy (plus its low emission and ultra-low emission charge ones).
For the regular commuter, accessing cities may come at a significant cost if they don’t operate more eco-friendly cars and vans.
Find the web best lease deals on the electric Jaguar i Pace SUV @CarLease UK – or – check out more electric car reviews below.
