You might have noticed this before, but we do tend to bang on about the green aspect of motoring here at Fleet Alliance and actively encourage the funding and fleet management of low emission and alternative fuel vehicles.
Now, that might have been wasted hot air, but I’m glad to see it’s not: our fleet has seen carbon emissions fall to an all-time low of 116g/km per car, for all the new models ordered for the first quarter of 2015.
So what does this figure mean to us and for the wider business? Well, despite the changes to BIK taxation for the 2015/16 tax year, our corporate customers have clearly seen the long-term benefits of choosing greener models.
Looking closer at our data, it shows that 28% of all those new cars ordered across the 18,000-strong Fleet Alliance vehicle fleet are now sub 100g/km CO2 vehicles, with another 81% producing less than 129 g/km – so the green message appears to be getting through to the drivers and fleet managers.
In fact, the top 10 most popular models on our company car fleet all emit 95g/km of CO2 or less, with the greenest being the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV at 44g/km. On top of this accolade, the latest figures from the SMMT show that this Mitsubishi is also the UK’s most popular ULEV (Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle).
 | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV So why is the Mitsubishi doing so well? Well mainly because of the low tax bands, which will save company drivers a fortune, plus there’s no price premium over the standard Outlander and the hybrid technology works well – particularly around town and there are few compromises over owning the PHEV rather than the standard car. |
 | Lexus CT Hybrid The Mitsubishi is followed by the Lexus CT Hybrid, with emissions of 82g/km. Much more than a luxurious Prius, we now include this car on our own company car policy to encourage staff to take up the green option. |
 | Skoda Octavia Estate In third place, comes the more conventional Skoda Octavia estate, in green and super frugal Greenline III Business trim. It’s not hard to see why. The Octavia estate has an impressive 610-litre boot, has carbon emissions of just 85g/km and is very good value. |
 | Ford Fiesta ECOnetic Ford’s Fiesta ECOnetic comes next, also with carbon emissions of just 85g/km for the 1.6 TDCi engined model. So there’s all the appeal of the UK’s best seller all delivered with a low emission, low tax engine. |
We’re not just advising our clients to take up the option of low carbon-emitting cars that capitalise on savings in tax, National Insurance and fuel costs – we’ve followed our own advice and done it ourselves.
We’ve added two zero-emission Nissan Leafs to our own fleet for testing and review purposes, which can be hooked up to recharge at our free-to-use electric vehicle charging points in the visitor car park at our Glasgow Skypark base.
It’s one thing to be seen to be green; but to make it really work you have to go green.
Now where did I leave my Kermit costume?
You might have noticed this before, but we do tend to bang on about the green aspect of motoring here at Fleet Alliance and actively encourage the funding and fleet management of low emission and alternative fuel vehicles. Now, that might have been wasted hot air, but I’m glad to see it’s not: our fleet … Continued
I spluttered into my cornflakes when I first saw the cost of the new Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell. It’s just over £53k (and that’s with the help of a grant from the HyFive consortium, who are dedicated to promoting hydrogen technology). Will anyone want one of these terrific and innovative cars at this price (as … Continued
Should you worry about or just embrace the raft of new technologies that not only monitor you but your car too? Hmmm, sounds almost like in-car CCTV. Nevertheless, myself and all of us at Fleet Alliance, are always interested in new technologies on cars – even though my lack of ability with a smart phone … Continued
As you’re probably aware, we like to encourage alternative fuel vehicles here at Fleet Alliance. I’ve mentioned before that we’ve been running a couple of all-electric Nissan Leafs and the feedback from our staff has been very positive. So I read with interest in the news that the British Government has made the move to … Continued
I do like the Geneva Motor Show. It’s the first European show on the calendar year, the excitement and chatter is always heightened as a result, and so too are the great cars that go on show. It’s a brilliant way to bridge that dull grey gap between January and spring. So here are my … Continued
Yesssssssssssss! Sorry, I’ll calm down now. Apart from my natural exuberance at seeing my football club win (or beating my personal best over a 10km run, I reserve my special yeses for really big moments. And this is one such. We’ve just won the Fleetye CSI award – for the company providing the best service … Continued
Have you noticed the price of fuel recently? There was talk of it going to 99p a litre – although I didn’t see it quite that low. But it seems like we’ve never had it so good as far as fuel prices are concerned. I mean, with prices this low, how many of you have … Continued
All this talk of driverless cars being tested on UK roads has got me thinking – as a driver, how will their introduction affect me? Imagine a world without crashes, congestion and road rage – heaven, right? But as an enthusiast, like the 350 million or so fans that watch Top Gear, I do wonder … Continued
I’ve been thinking about this quite a lot recently – and not just because we have some electric car points at our new offices, although that does focus the mind. But what if BIK was changed to earmark more of the pollutants that affect air quality – such as NOx from car exhausts as well … Continued
We’re not even a month into 2015 and while the weather might be cold and snowy outside, the news coming from the car makers is all hot, hot, hot. That’s because the first big motor show of 2015 has kicked off in motor city itself – Detroit. So what was making the news Stateside? … Continued