Even if you’ve decided that you want a BMW 1 Series as your next company car, that really is only half the battle. There is a plethora of trim levels, engines and options to choose from, so which should you go for?
The 1 Series has been selling well in the company car world for many years now offering a practical premium solution for fleet drivers.
With a wide variety of engine choices and trim levels, picking the car that is best suited for your lifestyle yet has low enough tax costs and high fuel efficiency is a difficult balance to get just right.
We believe the five-door is the most practical choice, and when doing the sums a diesel makes the most sense.
To make the choosing process a little easier for you, we have picked our favourite 1 Series coupled with the engine and trim that offers the right balance of power and equipment.
The sensible choice …
116d Efficient Dynamics
For a fleet manager this BMW 1 series ticks all the boxes with impressively low CO2 emissions, good fuel economy and a competitive price.
With 114bhp also available there should be enough power to satisfy most of us too.
The Efficient Dynamics trim is well equipped and comes with DAB, leather interior touches, front armrest, Thatcham alarm system, automatic lights and rain sensors, Bluetooth and USB port all available as standard.
If you have some spare allowance then opting for the BMW Business Media Package which costs £990 is a good optional extra offering value for money. Highlights include an iDrive control function knob, a 6.5-inch screen, enhanced Bluetooth and radio with sat-nav and a BMW emergency call button which is especially useful for that extra piece of mind when out on the road.
Figures at a glance
Price: £21,095
CO2 emissions: 99g/km
2013/14 BIK Tax Band: 14 percent
Official combined MPG: 74.3mpg
Monthly tax for 20 percent tax payer (not including optional kit): £49.22
The one we would buy …
Although the 116d Efficient Dynamics is by far superior on paper for company car drivers, we would be after a little more performance for our money; it is a BMW after all.
Our BMW 1 Series of choice would be the 120d SE which still has the low running costs needed to keep within your allowance and only costs a shade over £2,000 more and less than £20 extra in tax per month.
With a huge 181bhp on offer coupled with a 0-62 time of 7 seconds and a top speed of 142mph, if you are after more of a ‘driver’s car’ then this is the BMW for you.
When it comes to kit this model in SE trim comes with DAB radio, Bluetooth, leather interior touches, front armrest, Thatcham alarm system, automatic lights and rain sensors, USB port all available as standard. Again the BMW Business Media Pack is worth a look.
Figures at a glance
Price: £23,690
CO2 emissions: 114g/km
2013/14 BIK Tax Band: 17 percent
Official combined MPG: 65.7mpg
Monthly tax for 20 percent tax payer (not including optional kit): £67.12
