Is Defra right to ditch the diesel?

While you must applaud Defra for its commitment to low emission technology – with a plan to replace 400 diesel vehicles with Toyota Auris Hybrids – I wonder what message this sends out to businesses?

And it’s all to do with the government’s strident anti-diesel rhetoric. It’s all about clean air. It’s all about not taking into account the much cleaner emissions from current Euro 6 technology diesel engines.

Take this instance.

I met an acquaintance at a party recently who told me that he had gone from an Audi Q3 diesel to an Audi Q3 petrol in the autumn because he felt pressured to do so.

What he hadn’t taken into account was the sort of journey he was often undertaking to the Continent. “I used to be able to get to Switzerland on a tank of diesel; now I have to stop. And there’s also the extra cost of fuel because of that,” he told me. “I feel out of pocket.”

It’s really dependent on the type of driving you do. I’m currently driving an Audi A5 Sportback (pictured left). Not only is a great car to drive, but I can get over 65mpg on longer journeys; I don’t reckon I’d get anywhere near that with a current hybrid.

Going back to my fellow party guest he now feels shortchanged. And quite rightly too. Although perhaps if he’d come to Business Car Manager earlier we would have given him some points to consider rather than going with the consumer knee-jerk reaction.

It seems, that this reconsideration by the public and businesses is beginning to filter through, though. The Vehicle Remarketing Association believes that consumer fears of a crash in used diesel car values – prompted by emissions scandals and confused Government policy – “should now have passed”.

Glenn Sturley, VRA chair, added:

“There was a brief moment last year when this concern may have had some foundation, but it passed very quickly. What we now know is that there has been a relatively slight adjustment in used diesel car values which has stabilised and used diesel demand is currently very, very healthy. Any worries should really now have passed.”

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for choosing low emission and green technology. But diesel can be that choice too. More on Defra ditching diesel for hybrid here.

Change in the lease rental restrictions

If you are considering leasing a car then you should know that there have been several changes to rental restrictions that you can claim against tax.

The changes took effect this month and apply to all new car leases. The key tax break has been moved downwards from 130g/km to 110g/km. Read more information about the changes here: Lease rental restrictions.

Golf is top of the pops but Velar is the surprise climber

You might expect the Volkswagen Golf to be the number one leased car for Quarter 1 according to figures from leasing/dealer procurement platform Fleet Procure.

But what you might not expect is the Ranger Rover Velar (above) to be in third place! The Velar is one of six SUVs in the top 10 most leased cars for Q1. Check out more here

Don’t miss the CV Show

That brilliant commercial vehicle bun-fight, the NEC’s CV Show, is taking place from April 24-26. There’s everything from the updated Ford Transit Custom, the UK debut of the longer range Nissan e-NV200, to some cracking pick-ups like this Isuzu D-Max Arctic Trucks AT35 pictured above. There’s plenty more – check out our preview stories on Business Vans