Which Nissan Juke makes the best company car?

Love it or loathe it, there’s no denying that Nissan’s Juke is a striking small car. The amount of them you see on the roads suggests it’s a popular choice too, both with private buyers and fleet customers alike.

Although some Jukes are available with four-wheel drive, it’s not a 4x4 in the strictest sense of the word. This is what the industry refers to as a crossover, meshing together elements of a regular hatchback, a tough 4x4 and even a dash of people carrier in there too.

Nissan offers a wide range of petrol and diesel Jukes across a wide spectrum of trim levels offering something for most buyers. So which are the versions that we’d suggest for company drivers?

Our heads say…

With ever-increasing bills it makes sense to choose a diesel engine. There’s only one such option under the Juke’s bonnet, but the 1.5-litre dCi motor is a good one which can also be found powering various Dacia, Mercedes-Benz and Renault models.

It produces a reasonable 108bhp which endows the Juke with reasonable rather than scintillating performance, and is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox to maximise its fuel economy potential.

We’d pair the dCi diesel with the N-Tec trim level which features an array of extra features to make the Juke feel more special.

Standard equipment on the N-Tec includes gloss black interior and exterior trim, rear privacy glass, 18-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, CD/radio with Bluetooth connectivity and USB/AUX-in sockets, colour touchscreen, sat-nav and a reversing camera.

Figures at a glance: Nissan Juke 1.5 dCi N-Tec

• P11D value: £17,635
• CO2 emissions: 104g/km
• Official combined mpg: 61.4mpg
• 2013/14 BIK tax band: 15 percent
• Monthly tax (20 percent rate, excluding options): £44

Our hearts say…

As unusual as the Juke looks, it appears to be an unlikely starting point for a small performance car – but that’s exactly what the Nismo version is.

Nismo is Nissan’s performance arm and after years of building a reputation in Japan, it’s now possible to buy cars fettled by the specialists here too.

Powering the 197bhp machine is a turbocharged version of the 1.6-litre petrol engine, giving a top speed of 134mph and sprinting to 62mph in 7.8 seconds. A four-wheel drive version is also available but it loses appeal with its CVT automatic gearbox.

It’s well equipped too, building on much of the N-Tec’s package with additional Alcantara faux-suede trim details, heated front seats, keyless entry, automatic lights and wipers and red exterior accenting.

On the downside, it’s more expensive to run than the diesel N-Tec but considering the extra fun and performance the Juke Nismo offers, it may well prove tempting.

Figures at a glance: Nissan Juke Nismo

• P11D value: £20,165
• CO2 emissions: 159g/km
• Official combined mpg: 40.9mpg
• 2013/14 BIK tax band: 23 percent
• Monthly tax (20 percent rate, excluding options): £77