New company car time - help me choose

Do Toyotas still use that vile CVT gearbox? If so, avoid!

DSG is really good...

They are CVT which is one of my concerns with the Corolla. I know that the DSG will be fine. I’ve requested a test drive of a Corolla and will also test drive the Octavia.
 
The benefit in kind situation surely has much more influence over whether you go PHEV or Diesel unless you do so many miles that the mpg difference is a bigger priority?

I understand you've probably already checked this but as we are talking quite literally hundreds of pounds monthly (particularly in 40% bracket) it seems strange that you'd even consider the diesels when a PHEV will cost maybe £80 BIK Vs £250+

If it has no influence whatsoever I'd probably go Octavia as it's a smart car and has plenty of space - the Toyota is a nice car too but smaller. Otherwise a PHEV would be my choice

I’m in the 20% bracket. I’d say a lot of my journeys are 100 miles, I go to Bristol a lot. Also I don’t think my work will pay anything back towards the charging and I don’t see many charging points at the places I visit.
 
They are CVT which is one of my concerns with the Corolla. I know that the DSG will be fine. I’ve requested a test drive of a Corolla and will also test drive the Octavia.

Eek... yeah, test drive for sure - but as you mentioned gearbox in OP, I'll be very surprised if you pick that one haha.

Had to drive an Avensis (I think) for work for a few months, many moons ago... very odd sensation... feels like the clutch is constantly slipping and the revs it holds under acceleration is an oddly static drone... did not win my affection.
 
I’d rather have a manual than a bad auto, I drove a couple of auto Mondeos and they were awful, I’d much rather drive the manual version I have now. I also read about the droning of the CVT, I think a test drive is the only way to know if I find it acceptable or not.

I kind of feel like the Octavia is a safer option. I heard there’s a facelift coming next year but I can’t wait that long. They have given us a higher budget until the end of the year with no guarantee it will continue after that.
 
They are CVT which is one of my concerns with the Corolla.
nonetheless they're not cvt in the conventional sense - with a belt , chain
-> linked before https://youtu.be/O61WihMRdjM?t=1102
compared to the primitive aspects of the DSG, slipping clutch in town traffc - give me a zf like the peugots

toyota is down or torque versus the turbo in the vw/skoda 170 vs 250, so overtaking would be interesting to evaluate in test drive ... and the drone.
 
If you like cars then avoid CVT. I have a 330e Saloon. With a charge i get 55mpg on 250 mile journey, same return journey with no charge, i get 45mpg. Thats sticking to the speed limits. The HMRC AFR pays for the fuel and electric (if charging at home).

In the summer i get 33 mile range on a charge, in the winter its as rubbish as 22.

The VAG 1.4 phevs are better for range and economy according to some of my colleagues. Its a no brainer when you look at the BIK savings.
 
I personally don't think I'd bother with a company car that wasn't hybrid, preferably plug in these days (ignoring EVs as I'd guess you don't have many appealing EV options in that price bracket). That being said, I've always preferred to take a cash allowance instead anyway.

My other half has a Yaris Hybrid, I'm pleasantly surprised by the CVT box for regular driving. It's clearly not suited to spirited driving or booting it everywhere but just driving around normally, it's very smooth and much quieter than I expected it to be. I imagine this is only improved in larger models with a bit more soundproofing. Worth a test drive to make up your own mind.

Consider lead times too - the Octavia supply chain has had issues (factory that supplied the door cards burnt down I think, something along those lines). A quick look at the 'delivery times' thread on Briskoda would suggest it wouldn't be entirely out of the question that an Octavia ordered now would be delivered in 2024, some people are still only just getting build slots for cars ordered mid 2021.
 
Also I don't get the paying for fuel and then claiming back at the government allowance. I presume this is at the 15p for a petrol and 12p or whatever advisory rates they currently are for diesel/petrol. If so you'd be paying BIK and the PHEV are significantly cheaper per month which should outweigh any additional mpg costs, and you'd be able to claim back any miles done on electric at the full rate which with most PHEVs would work in your favour even with the current high prices for electric.
 
Also I don't get the paying for fuel and then claiming back at the government allowance. I presume this is at the 15p for a petrol and 12p or whatever advisory rates they currently are for diesel/petrol. If so you'd be paying BIK and the PHEV are significantly cheaper per month which should outweigh any additional mpg costs, and you'd be able to claim back any miles done on electric at the full rate which with most PHEVs would work in your favour even with the current high prices for electric.

This. AFAIK with hybrids you get to claim back at the petrol or diesel govt figure so the more you use cheap electric the more you win. At the moment petrol and diesel are both the same for 1.4l to 2l engines at 17p per mile and assumes you get 44 mpg with petrol and 49.8mpg with diesel.

Any car doing better than this and you will make a profit.

company car tax at 20%

Octavia (assumes 150bhp model but looking at the cost of the other cars on your list I suspect its only the 115bhp model as its on par price wise) £1800

Golf £1657

Corolla Hybrid - from £1743 depending on model

Kia Sportage PHEV - £645

So you are already £1000 a year up with the hybrid before you get to fuel so unless you are going to make a lot of profit on fuel with one of the others then you really should have a hybrid still on your list IMO

If you look at official fuel figures

Octavia 65.7

Golf 61.7

Corolla 62.7

Sportage 87 mpg on mixed as the car battery can do 47 miles on electric alone.

Yes it will all depend on how your miles are made up and how many per year you do but at first glance the car which will make you the most profit is the Sportage hybrid followed by the Corolla. The Octavia has the highest company car tax but the best diesel fuel economy but diesel is 20p per litre more than petrol atm and you get paid the same rate - 17p per mile no matter which one you have.

If you dont want the faff of the plug in hybrid the none plug in hybrid corrola is the winning as far as making money goes. It has the same fuel economy as the diesel estates but you will be paying 13% less for your fuel.
 
This. AFAIK with hybrids you get to claim back at the petrol or diesel govt figure so the more you use cheap electric the more you win. At the moment petrol and diesel are both the same for 1.4l to 2l engines at 17p per mile and assumes you get 44 mpg with petrol and 49.8mpg with diesel.

Correct, many companies have been paying employees extra to comensate foe high fuel prices.

The VAG phev offerring is pretty decent, only downside being that engine size is less than 1400cc so you get the lower rate. The Pug Phevs are decent as they are 1600cc engines. MPG when not coupled with battery charge, does suffer, it just means you have to drive sensibily. If i drive 80-90mph on the autobahn, then the mpg will drop below 40mpg, but on a run, ive still not had it lower than 38mpg. Round town its low 30's, which is to be expected. Overall, including the cost to charge at home, the numbers do make sense for me, ive not been out of pocket from a fuel POV.
 
phev is still more expensive £34K/vag versus £27K toyota hybrid, so if it is available to you, you have a bigger salary sacrifice, reduced pension contribution?, as an offset to bik/fuel

maybe £60p/m premium on a octavia phev https://leasing.com/car-leasing/skoda/octavia/?fuel=Plugin+Hybrid&finance=business

 
phev is still more expensive £34K/vag versus £27K toyota hybrid, so if it is available to you, you have a bigger salary sacrifice, reduced pension contribution?, as an offset to bik/fuel

maybe £60p/m premium on a octavia phev https://leasing.com/car-leasing/skoda/octavia/?fuel=Plugin+Hybrid&finance=business

Exactly. Based on the selection available I wouldn't have thought a PHEV was even a consideration. Therefore the hybrid Corolla seems to be the best choice from a running cost and BIK perspective.

Also, and this is a big assumption, if the current car is a 2017 then I'm going to take a punt on the company owning their company cars outright as opposed to leasing.
 
Exactly. Based on the selection available I wouldn't have thought a PHEV was even a consideration. Therefore the hybrid Corolla seems to be the best choice from a running cost and BIK perspective.

Also, and this is a big assumption, if the current car is a 2017 then I'm going to take a punt on the company owning their company cars outright as opposed to leasing.

My car is a lease, through Arval. I don’t know how they’ve managed to run so far over, it was due replacement in April 2021.

I can post pictures of the list later and can expand to show the specs of cars if people want to see. None of the phev options seem that good, I don’t want an SUV.

The Corolla does seem like a solid choice.
 
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With the Octavia ES L I can get the 2.0 150 DSG and it will let me add every option.

My colleage has been to look at some cars today, he was very impressed with the Corolla, then he went to look at the Lexus ES300, he tried to put all his tools and equipment in the boot and it all fitted easily, he said he wants it now.
 
With the Octavia ES L I can get the 2.0 150 DSG and it will let me add every option.

My colleage has been to look at some cars today, he was very impressed with the Corolla, then he went to look at the Lexus ES300, he tried to put all his tools and equipment in the boot and it all fitted easily, he said he wants it now.

AT nearly £200 BIK a month? is that worth it compared to other options listed. Id rather take the ugly Sportage at a quater of the montly bill.
Or if you can make a full EV work... that ID.4 would be my choice. Less than 10% the montly cost...

Does the company own these cars outright? Seems some of them are much older than others. E-nv200 is from 2014???
 
Aren't most of those electrics sub 200miles cold weather 70mph, so I'd think they are all out, if your job covers the UK ... the car list is not really adapted to OP's needs,

and ID4's going to be more expensive than a PHEV, who seem, conspicuously missing (do lease companies see them as having unpredictable depreciation).
 
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