Cars for Business

Choosing a car for business is something which is often approached from two angles. Either from the perspective of an individual who is buying a personal car to use for business as well, or a company which is looking to use the car as an asset for purely business use.

For the individual, the car would either be at the upper or lower end of the business spectrum, really depending on whether the car is likely to be carrying children during the weekends. Aiming for the top end does have a danger, in that your customers and suppliers may get the wrong impression. One would be left thinking that they are paying you too much, the other thinking that you are not paying enough. It’s also not a good idea to get a car which is going to act as a black hole for your salary or profits to fall into. If you are doing a lot of driving it is worth considering fuel economy, especially with the price of fuel at the moment. Three hundred miles a week at 40 mpg (combined) would cost you around £40, while a car with 20 mpg (combined) is going to be closer to £80. Obviously fuel efficiency is lower for city driving, so if you spend your working week driving around London or Manchester you need to consider fuel efficiency with more care.

For the company, it is all down to compromise. You need to be sure of the expense that you will be put to. You will find it cheaper to buy bulk, but you may feel that the morale boost given to an employee by letting them pick out their own company car is worth the additional expense. New rules from the tax office make company cars less attractive as perks for those who don’t actually do too many miles in them. So the key advice that we can offer is to check the details and look for any likely expense with whatever car you are looking at.