Car: Mercedes E-Class CDI 240 Avantgarde

Finance method: dealer finance HP

STUART NEWPORT is the owner and director of SNC Cars, a niche chauffeur drive business based in Tonbridge, Kent, which has been operating since August 1997.

The company currently has the one car it owns, and five further cars owned by the drivers that are engaged to work on SNC Cars.

Stuart says a professional, punctual and discreet service is the hallmark of SNC Cars. All vehicles are Mercedes, and each has a number plate that ends SNC.

Stuart's own car is a Mercedes E-Class. It is, he admits, his concession to the recession, which has seen his business contract by some 40% Previously Stuart drove an S-Class but the new E-Class – just four months old – is the current replacement.

"I'm very keen on the branding of the company," says Stuart. "So all the cars must be Mercedes because customers trust the brand and feel comfortable with it. And all have personalised plates."

Unlike many business cars, Stuart's E-Class works hard for a living, racking up an astonishing 75,000 miles a year for the business.

Finance for the car was supplied by Mercedes-Benz of Tonbridge, the supplying dealer. "I have to use hire purchase," explains Stuart. "The mileage we do is too high to qualify for a lease."

With such high mileage, maintenance is crucial. Again this is carried out by Tonbridge Mercedes.

"The guys there really look after me," explains Stuart. "If I have a problem, they squeeze me in immediately and get the issue sorted."

Stuart says that running his bespoke chauffeur service requires many of the attributes you would expect in any small business. "Minimising your overheads is critical," reckons Stuart, "while providing business continuity, particularly if I'm driving, is another must."

The Mercedes will be kept no longer than three years to ensure it stays within its warranty period. But by then, Stuart is expecting the business to have expanded substantially then as the economy begins to grow and there's increased activity in the City, where most of SNC Cars' business comes from.

"I might be in a Mercedes E-Class for the moment – and very good it is, too – but I'm hoping I'll be back in an S-Class next time!"

More information about SNC Cars

SNC Cars is a specialist chauffeur drive car business providing corporate and business travel. Based in Tonbridge, it provides safe, punctual and efficient chauffeur driven car services between London and Kent, and the major airports. Website: www.SNCCars.co.uk.

Portrait of Stuart: www.MagnusRew.co.uk.