NOT too long ago, it was a very costly affair taking on an SUV as a company car – especially for the driver, where benefit in kind tax implications were extremely high.
In many cases, they were so high that choosing a 4×4 SUV was almost instantly dismissed by many company car drivers wishing to avoid high a BIK bill – many vehicles in this sector were taken out personally as a result.
However, the face of SUVs – or should we say the engines of SUVs – is changing. New engines are being introduced by many manufacturers that make vehicles in this sector much more affordable to run as a company vehicle.
Both the New Range Rover Evoque and the Land Rover Discovery Sport are examples of engines being tweaked to offer much lower CO2 emissions and better economy
In addition to lowering CO2 emissions, manufacturers have in many cases also tweaked economy figures to make the SUVs less costly to run.
Simon Wroe, marketing director at Lease4Less, said;
“Both the New Range Rover Evoque and the Land Rover Discovery Sport are examples of engines being tweaked to offer much lower CO2 emissions and better economy. The introduction of the new ingenium engine has meant that both vehicles are much more viable as company vehicle choices to individuals who may not have considered them before.
“As an example, the 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Diesel 2.0 Ed4 150ps Se 5dr 2wd has a CO2 emissions rating of 113g/km, meaning that a 20% tax payer would pay just £1,106.82 per annum in 2015/2016. This model also boasts 65.6 mpg so it is an efficient addition to any fleet, too.”
Other manufacturers are making attempts to follow suit, too. In a popular sector, it makes sense to ensure that SUVs – compact or otherwise – can appeal to the company car driver.
Simon continued;
“The Mitsubishi Outlander hybrid is another example of frugal SUV motoring. Although the vehicle itself is not cheap, the Outlander 2.0 PHEV Gx3h 4wd 5dr Auto boasts a combined cycle mpg of 148 and with CO2 emissions of 44g/km, a 20% tax payer would currently pay £338.49 per annum benefit in kind tax.
“Volvo is sharpening up their range with the XC60 in particular, and there are some strong leasing deals in this sector to reflect the impressive residual values that we are seeing.
“You can view SUV deals, along with CO2 emission, P11D information and economy figures on our website www.lease4less.org.uk, along with suggestions of other vehicles in the SUV sector that may suit your requirements.”
