Best Environmentally Friendly Cars for Your Company
Environmental issues are a hot topic. There’s a huge range of subjects to discuss, from global treaties to local air quality. We’re all becoming more conscious of our impact on the environment and it’s particularly important when you’re planning your fleet purchasing. Switching to more eco-friendly vehicles will help to minimise harmful pollution in city centres and across the road network. So, what are the best environmentally friendly cars you should get for your company fleet? Here are our top picks:
Toyota Prius
We couldn’t write about eco-friendly vehicles without including the Prius. It’s the original hybrid and still one of the best. It’s an expensive choice but if you wait for the new plug-in hybrid version to be released, you could benefit from a massive 282mpg. You only get around 35-40 miles range when in electric mode, which might be enough to get you to the office and back, but only just. If you can charge at the office then it works out great! If you run out of miles you automatically switch over to petrol motoring. It may not be the most practical choice for most business journeys if you’re looking for the cleanest motoring, especially when you factor in the weight of the car on top of the low miles.
In fairness, the CO2 emissions are incredibly low, between 22 and 76g per km. However, the company car tax on hybrids is higher than the electrics, so that is something you may want to consider if you’re also looking to save. Here is an example of how much tax you might be paying for a Prius, depending on the model.
Overall, it’s a good option if you want split motoring. However, for the best environmentally friendly car, we’re not sold. Toyota does have a fully electric model coming out in Mid-2022. You can find out about it on the EV-database site.
Lexus GS300h
The Lexus is eye-wateringly expensive, so you won’t want to take this option across the fleet. However, if you’re looking for a luxury option, it’s a great choice. It offers a level of comfort to compete with less eco-friendly luxury cars and feels almost sporty in its performance. The higher level of performance is reflected in its fuel economy and emissions. Its CO2 emissions are around 106-115g per km. That’s comparable to a much smaller standard car. The manufacturers also estimate that you’ll get 62mpg which is around double what you’d expect from a standard version.
Nissan Leaf VS Renault Zoe
We’ve often wondered what the difference is between the Nissan Leaf and the Renault Zoe. Well, here’s your answer! 2 of the first fully electric cars have come a long way since their invention in 2011 and 2014 respectively.
The official range of the Nissan Leaf (2018 model) is 168 miles, but the realistic range is more along the lines of 140 miles. Prices start from £25,995 to buy, but by leasing or salary sacrificing, the cost can be up to 45% less! As it is a full electric, you would pay no car tax and only a couple per cent in Benefit in Kind! What’s more, zero-emissions means zero congestion charges!
The official range of the Renault Zoe (2020 model) is up to 245 miles, but the real-world range is 195 – quite a bit more than the Leaf. Prices start at a similar level to the Leaf with a tag of £26,795. Remember, depending on the car, you can get plug-in grants from the government allowing you to subsidise some of the cost of the car!
Tesla Model 3
How could we not mention the Tesla Model 3? It’s the most popular electric car in the world! The regular model has 235 miles, the Long Range model has 280 miles range, and the Performance model has 290 miles range. The performance has a 0-62 mpg in 3.3 seconds and its top speed is 152 mph. Obviously, you don’t want to be going that fast, but you can tell this performance model sure does live up to its name! Even the standard model has a 0-62 mpg in 2.1 seconds and a top speed of 140! The price ranges from £44,990 up to £59,990 – this can work out to be as little as £400 on a salary sacrifice scheme!
Let’s Talk Vans
We’ve had a look at some cars, now it’s time to take a look at some proper work vehicles.
Renault Kangoo Z.E.
The Kangoo, Renault’s first all-electric van, is incredibly popular on the continent where it represents around a quarter of all-electric vehicles on the road. The new Kangoo Z.E. 33 launched in 2017 and improves on the previous version by offering a longer distance between charges of up to 168 miles. As it’s electric-only it also has zero emissions. The Kangoo is compact but has a loading area of up to 4.6m3, carrying up to 650kg so is an ideal choice if you’re operating in urban areas.
Nissan e-NV200
The Nissan is snapping at the Kangoo’s heels – it was the best-selling electric van in Europe in both 2016 and 2017. It currently has the largest load space as well, carrying a payload of up to 662kg. The latest version has a new, larger battery pack which increases the distance between charges to around 174. They estimate that if you’re operating mainly in cities that could even increase to 188 miles between charges.
There aren’t any hybrid vans available in the UK yet, but we hear that Ford have one in development. Watch this space…
