Ultra low emissions Golf models

[phope]

Some news in my work inbox this morning about changes to our company car scheme from April onwards - a large FTSE 100 company so you be sure others will likely follow with similar restrictions

With changes to tax regulations and National Insurance rates for benefits in kind, the company is not going to permit any new company cars to be ordered after April with over 75g/km of CO2 emissions

Doesn't affect me today but would clearly stop me from getting another GTD when it comes up for renewal

In fact, looking at the price lists, the only Golf variants that are below 75 are the e-Golf and the Golf GTE - everything else is now 100+ on the latest price list

Looks like hybrids and EVs will be taking over the company car market over the next few years!

[fredgroves]

I expect that is because they either can't or won't cope with the new company car tax regime - its complex because its the greater of BIK or Tax&NI you would have paid on the salary sacrifice amount.

Would have been easier to offer a net scheme TBH.

Company cars have been a target for HMRC for a while

The problem, should you ever do it, with electric plug ins is that so far there is no HMRC agreed benefit calculation for employer supplied electricity for your car, neither is there an agreed rate for mileage done in electric vehicles. If you have a hybrid, you claim petrol mileage rates but that won't last long once the adoption increases, which it surely will.

[phope]

It's because they don't want to deal with it - if we want something over 75g/km, it'll be through a personal lease scheme they will be directing people to

I'll just string an extension cable out of my office window down to the car park if I get a plug in hybrid next time lol

[Hertsman]

Some news in my work inbox this morning about changes to our company car scheme from April onwards - a large FTSE 100 company so you be sure others will likely follow with similar restrictions

With changes to tax regulations and National Insurance rates for benefits in kind, the company is not going to permit any new company cars to be ordered after April with over 75g/km of CO2 emissions

Doesn't affect me today but would clearly stop me from getting another GTD when it comes up for renewal

In fact, looking at the price lists, the only Golf variants that are below 75 are the e-Golf and the Golf GTE - everything else is now 100+ on the latest price list

Looks like hybrids and EVs will be taking over the company car market over the next few years!

Moved from a GTD to an R on company scheme and though does cost me a little more in BIK, not as much as would expect as the R matches the likes of Astra at 180g/km - which is further offset by me doing far less mileage. 

Also, work hard, have very little vices, so the R is for me, and while earning its definitely a treat can afford and worth having

Was going to take the cash and purchase myself, but not paying tax, insurance, tyres, and having less worry on theft and redundancy swayed me to stay on company car scheme.

Feel quite lucky that only 3 months in and not having to choose now, as think highly unlikely go company car again, the diesels will not be the blue eyed boy anymore and outcast and the hybrids will definitely step in as the car you should choose.

My thoughts are at present are to buy the R outright at 3 years and just run it myself (hopefully purchase some extended warranty) and then maybe keep as a modern classic second car.

However, hybrid tech is certainly much improved, you only have to look at the BMW i8 to see what can be achieved, and a Golf performance hybrid in 3 years that matches the GTI and R? Would certainly not be put off?

Manufacturers have a big market in company cars and they will change to meet the regulations, but like said, glad have 2.5 years grace to let it all settle before personally have to get involved again.

The hybrids do not need charging, am i right in that? they are self charging via regeneration and petrol unit?

[davyk31]

Hybrids most certainly do need charging, they can produce a little power through regeneration buts its next to nothing so they do need plugged in.

[fredgroves]

I've seen a colleague's GTE on "charge and drive" mode (where the petrol engine is both driving the car and charging the battery) and the MPG is about on par with a Range Rover V8...

Plug it in or forget about the electric thing and just use the tiny petrol engine.

[phope]

Looking around the various car parks in our company, you generally see a lot of German models, especially under schemes like mine where there is virtually no restriction on the manufacturer choice for the end user

VW have 5 model variants on sale today that meet the ULEV definition, i.e. below 75 g/km CO2 and therefore exempt from the congestion charge. Audi currently have only 2, BMW currently have 14 and Mercedes currently have 9. Most other manufacturers have only a handful, if any in their range now.

However, I can't see my budget stretching to a Porsche Panamera Hybrid or a Tesla Model S 

None of the VW 5 are what you can call cheap however, being quite a bit more than the petrol/diesel models. Were I changing today, I'd quite happily have the Golf GTE in all honesty - much more practical day to day than something like the BMW i3

[itavaltalainen]

75g - that is harsh (even for UL models). Basically means you cannot get a car, I am happy that I can at least still get a decent car without limit on CO2 (other than my own pocket and monthly lease allowance).
Plug-in hybrids are just a lie anyway, very (NOT!) efficient to first fire coal in power station to then charge a car with it. And not anywhere near as economic as normal cars in most conditions (my colleague has a huge Mitsubishi PHEV with over 100mpg claimed - he struggles to get 35. 15 less than I do and he pays less than half the tax I do).

My GTD is around 8k in BIK despite me doing 90% of my mileage for work but this is conveniently not reflected in tax calculation since HMRC are nothing other than modern highwaymen.... My company don't even pay anywhere near 8k for a full service lease (40k miles a year!).
Even my freaking personal car was cheaper to run (including depreciation, insurance, rfl and servicing/repairs) than the tax.... Once the HMRC have managed to get rid of all cars over 75g/km they'll start to charge on list price again. It's only a big scam