Company car with free fuel allowance - wife using car 100%?
Discussion
My company has just introduced a company car scheme where they just had an equivalent cash allowance system in the past. The policy with the car allows for one nominated driver and all private fuel if you opt for that.
My wife works one hour from our home, while I am only around 10 mins away. The scheme looks interesting, if I could take the car and my wife use it as her car. Obviously whatever she drives is using a lot of fuel and getting hammered a lot more than whatever I drive.
So the question to the discussion board - is it acceptable that I do that with the company car, and claim a lot more private fuel than my commute to work would require? One one hand, the car is a benefit for my private use, as is the fuel. On the other hand, I don't want to be sacked for abusing the scheme. It's a bit of a tricky one to ask the HR team!
What do people think?
My wife works one hour from our home, while I am only around 10 mins away. The scheme looks interesting, if I could take the car and my wife use it as her car. Obviously whatever she drives is using a lot of fuel and getting hammered a lot more than whatever I drive.
So the question to the discussion board - is it acceptable that I do that with the company car, and claim a lot more private fuel than my commute to work would require? One one hand, the car is a benefit for my private use, as is the fuel. On the other hand, I don't want to be sacked for abusing the scheme. It's a bit of a tricky one to ask the HR team!
What do people think?
Dombo said:
My company has just introduced a company car scheme where they just had an equivalent cash allowance system in the past. The policy with the car allows for one nominated driver and all private fuel if you opt for that.
My wife works one hour from our home, while I am only around 10 mins away. The scheme looks interesting, if I could take the car and my wife use it as her car. Obviously whatever she drives is using a lot of fuel and getting hammered a lot more than whatever I drive.
So the question to the discussion board - is it acceptable that I do that with the company car, and claim a lot more private fuel than my commute to work would require? One one hand, the car is a benefit for my private use, as is the fuel. On the other hand, I don't want to be sacked for abusing the scheme. It's a bit of a tricky one to ask the HR team!
What do people think?
I'd ask the fleet manager, different firms will have different policies, so I don't see how anyone on here can answer your question. My wife works one hour from our home, while I am only around 10 mins away. The scheme looks interesting, if I could take the car and my wife use it as her car. Obviously whatever she drives is using a lot of fuel and getting hammered a lot more than whatever I drive.
So the question to the discussion board - is it acceptable that I do that with the company car, and claim a lot more private fuel than my commute to work would require? One one hand, the car is a benefit for my private use, as is the fuel. On the other hand, I don't want to be sacked for abusing the scheme. It's a bit of a tricky one to ask the HR team!
What do people think?
Presumably, you've already worked out the cost of the free fuel against the tax you'll be paying on the fuel card.
They will probably frown upon it as you mention "company" and "one nominated driver" - assume she works for a different company and will not be the nominated driver.
Having said that - when I had private fuel included......had a diesel car but could fuel my petrol motorcycle with the Fleet Managers approval.......using the company credit card. Just madness if you ask me but it worked out well.
Having said that - when I had private fuel included......had a diesel car but could fuel my petrol motorcycle with the Fleet Managers approval.......using the company credit card. Just madness if you ask me but it worked out well.
Well officially, it will be no.
But unofficially, I don't see why not. They might get suspicious if they know how close you are, and they think the mileage is suspicious, but I assume you get to use the car at weekends so that should be an easy fix unless they want to see the car in the car park every morning.
But unofficially, I don't see why not. They might get suspicious if they know how close you are, and they think the mileage is suspicious, but I assume you get to use the car at weekends so that should be an easy fix unless they want to see the car in the car park every morning.
This does sound dodgy, especially as they'll expect to be providing a car and fuel for you 10 minutes away, and when they look at the bills they'll have a car gaining 25,000 mile PA and a fuel bill to boot. I'd get a very, very clear answer from the fleet manager before trying a wangle like this.
I used to work for a car manufacturer.
They would have been fine with this.
Running 'company' cars like this gave them a constant supply of quality used cars to feed into the dealer to artificialy inflate second hand value stats.
They wouldn't care about the fuel as such because it was all factored in.
The fact you hit the replacement milage limit in 6 months instead of 12 wasn't a problem.
On the other hand, when I worn d for a book publishers they would have fired you for doing it.
They would have been fine with this.
Running 'company' cars like this gave them a constant supply of quality used cars to feed into the dealer to artificialy inflate second hand value stats.
They wouldn't care about the fuel as such because it was all factored in.
The fact you hit the replacement milage limit in 6 months instead of 12 wasn't a problem.
On the other hand, when I worn d for a book publishers they would have fired you for doing it.
ORD said:
Probably a fraud. Otherwise, sounds great!
It amazes me how many people ask whether or not it's OK to defraud their employer.
How do you come to that conclusion then?It amazes me how many people ask whether or not it's OK to defraud their employer.
OP, have a quiet word with HR/Fleet Manager - No doubt HM Gov will be having their pound of flesh as well with the Fuel Allowance!
750turbo said:
How do you come to that conclusion then?
OP, have a quiet word with HR/Fleet Manager - No doubt HM Gov will be having their pound of flesh as well with the Fuel Allowance!
Obviously not the expected and contractual usage. OP knows that, which is why he hasn't just asked the question. OP, have a quiet word with HR/Fleet Manager - No doubt HM Gov will be having their pound of flesh as well with the Fuel Allowance!
Riley Blue said:
Does your fleet cover insure your wife for commuting to her place of work in your company car?
Last company car I had was very clearly social/domestic use only for spouses. Suspect many more are like that.Irrespective of the company's policy/insurance it'll look like a piss-take to some there. Is it worth the risk that one of the management team gets worked up over it and the whole thing backfires for the OP in someway?
Could well be academic when the OP looks at the benefit in kind cost of private fuel. Need to do a LOT of private miles to make it worthwhile.
Dombo said:
My company has just introduced a company car scheme where they just had an equivalent cash allowance system in the past. The policy with the car allows for one nominated driver and all private fuel if you opt for that.
Does that mean a nominated driver in addition to you? Or literally just one?Dombo said:
It's a bit of a tricky one to ask the HR team!
It's one of those questions that you probably already know the answer to - even if it's technically OK, they're hardly likely to give their blessing.You could keep quiet about it, but as others have pointed out, the insurance for non-employees might be for domestic purposes only - it was when I last had a company car (some staff took the piss big-time though in exactly the way you described).
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