Diesel may be still the number one choice for many companies here in the UK, but fleet managers are starting to consider petrol as fuel economy and CO2 emissions become far more competitive.
With around 10p difference at the pump too, petrol could end up saving company car drivers a lot of money over the course of three years, especially if the tax costs are in line, or in some cases less than the diesel alternative.
So we wouldn’t be surprised if petrol options start making their way onto your company car choice list in the near future.
With this in mind, we’ve picked our favourite petrol company cars that could save you money.
Audi has spent a lot of time and money investing in petrol engines and its new Cylinder on Demand (CoD) technology is one of its most impressive.
This clever technology shuts down two of the engine’s four cylinders if they are not needed – usually at light or constant throttle use – saving fuel and reducing CO2 emissions. If you opt for the manual, CO2 emissions are at 112g/km, but the S-Tronic automatic gearbox drops these to only 109g/km and costs less per month because of it.
Fuel economy, at 58.9mpg is impressive, and on the road you’ll soon notice the extra performance of the 1.4TSI’s 138bhp verses the diesel 1.6TDI’s 103bhp.
Ford’s 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine has won its fair share of awards since being launched, and for good reason – its fuel economy and CO2 emissions are incredibly impressive. It’s especially suited to the Fiesta, but even in the larger Focus it performs well.
Available with two power outputs – 123bhp and 99bhp – the 1.0-litre EcoBoost delivers 56.5mpg and emits 114g/km in its most powerful form. That means a 15 percent BIK tax band while the lower powered unit manages 58.9mpg and 109g/km – meaning it sits in a lower BIK band.
Ford’s diesel option, the 1.6TDCi Econetic is also an impressive choice with only 88g/km of CO2 placing this car into a 14 percent BIK tax band for the 2014/15 tax year and an official fuel economy figure of 85mpg while it has 104bhp available.
There is still the additional premium over the petrol model though, which depending on trim level chosen can be over £1,000 more. Take into account the difference at the pumps and the 1.0-litre EcoBoost looks like a more cost effective choice.
Volkswagen is removing the 1.2-litre diesel BlueMotion engine and later in 2014 will replace it with a 1.0-litre petrol version instead.
There’s good reason for this – the impressive new engine has an official fuel economy of 68.9 mpg and emits 94g/km of CO2. That means an 11 percent BIK tax band for the 2014/15 tax year.
There are diesel options in the range still, but none that can match this clever engine’s credentials. Once again it’s the petrol that’s the hands-down winner if you’re looking for a Volkswagen Polo as your next company car.
Full details will be available when the 2014 Polo opens for ordering in the UK in April. First deliveries are expected in late July.