320d M Sport vs 330e - Business Lease

[C.A.R.]

Evening all,

I'm about to start a new job and was hesitant about accepting Car Allowance so they have kindly looked into getting me a 320d MSport Auto company car - the suggestion really caught me by surprise as it's way more car than I ever anticipated being offered! I'm not afraid to admit that I was even a little excited about the prospect!

But then it dawned on me- the BIK is significant. So significant that it absorbs the 5% salary increase the role also brings about.

I really, really don't want to rock the boat or come across as looking ungrateful- it's a desirable car.

But...

My limited research suggests the 330e is about the only compact executive hybrid with considerable savings in BIK. Is there anything out there which is comparable to the monthly lease cost of a 320d M Sport Auto? The cheapest I found for the latter was around the 230 pcm mark which seems amazing value.

Alternatively I could just accept the suggestion but I'd be slightly worse off in my take-home salary (currently drive a GTD Golf company car).

What's out there?

What are the best business lease companies or websites to start researching?

I'm pressed for time as the car needs to be ordered....

[ZX10R NIN]

IS300H/Mercedes C350e must be good alternatives?

[Big GT]

This is a problem at the moment.

Most 2.0 diesels now are near 30% BIK . 320d , v60 d4 Octavia vrs merc 220, xe etc.
This is 300-£400 per month for a 40% taxpayer.

Answer for BIK is hybrids.

Another big problem here is we cant order one from merc, vw, volvo (apart from t8 with 6 months delivery time) the only hybrids i found available to order were the iconics and 330e 530e.

I would go for the 330e as lease deals were very good for deliveries this year.

[jonwm]

When I ordered my 330e through the company car scheme the 320d M Sport was around the same monthlies as my 330e sport after i added heated seats, HK audio and a few little things.

BIK as a 40% tax payer makes the biggest difference along with the reduction in fuel BIK, i'm a good £300 better off I reckon.
I was going to remove the fuel card but when I do long distances on the motorway it can sometimes creep over the allowance mileage rate i can claim back.

[ZX10R NIN]

Mondeo Vignale Hybrid is another good shout.

[C.A.R.]

This is turning into a bit of a nightmare.

I requested cars available with lower BIK and got offered-
KIA Niro
Toyota Auris
Golf SE 1.6TDI

Of which none interest me in the slightest. My current GTD has all the toys you could ever want and is reasonable on tax costs, so how about a new one?
Well they don't offer the GTD currently (as per recent PH thread) but they do offer the GTD Blueline- so far so good, lower CO2 = lower BIK.

Only the delivery quoted was 31 weeks.

I start the job in 3 weeks. Happy to wait a month or two but there must be something in stock out there which doesn't cost a fortune on BIK. The alternative is to ask about going over to a Car Allowance instead, but I'm really worried about the financial liability whilst serving a probation period and having no savings for a deposit at the moment, severely limiting my options!

[thecremeegg]

What's the difference in the payment? For a 20% taxpayer it's just £40 a month, base spec comparison?

[C.A.R.]

Been offered a Mini Countryman PHEV Hybrid just now.

Cooper SE is listed as the spec "with Nav" so I'm assuming this is going to be fairly basic on spec? With black metallic paint and black cloth interior.

Cheap on the BIK and a misleading 224hp figure (petrol engine is a 3 cyl turbo 136hp)

I'm contemplating this but don't want to regret it.

Alternatively I could ask them to look into the Ioniq for me but this is going to be very hum drum compared to my GTD...Anyone else have experience of them?

[ZX10R NIN]

Isn't the Mondeo Hybrid on you list of cars you can choose from? They come with loads of kit & are the best FWD steer in class so are worth a look.

[Chestrockwell]

Just get the 330e, every car you’ve suggested is a step down to the Golf apart from the Mini, and that’s if it is nicely specced. Minis come with next to F all standard.

[ninjag]

My 330d was business lease and even though it was only 139 emissions the combination of lease payments, bik tax, class 1a, 10% vat disallowance and 15% CT disallowance made the ba**ard thing over £30k by the end of the 3 years and you have nothing to show for it. If I took the same car for the next three years it would be a effective total cost of £38k. The BMW 330e would be an effective total cost of £23k but if they aren't offering it then that sucks a little.

Sod that, take the car allowance if it's available and have far less restrictions on your choice. Company cars are fast turning into a joke now, even lower emissions ones can still catch you out due to the list price. Besides, you also have to look ahead because each year the charges keep going up whereas with your salary the personal allowance and higher rate thresholds keep increasing each year so you'll be far better off.

Edited by ninjag on Friday 9th November 10:26

[C.A.R.]

So no decent (150+ hp) diesels available to order at a respectable BIK. I found the Peugeot 308 GT - currently in production for January delivery.

Thing is, they stripped a load of the goodies from the standard spec and made them options. It seems they've done this whilst simultaneously offering the panoramic roof as standard. As nice as it is, is have preferred them to have left in the heated seats and active cruise control instead - these are the things I like on my GTD.

So with that in mind I've gone full circle - what's the most gadget-laden car I can get whilst saving the most on BIK?

I've ordered a Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid - Premium SE. BIK savings are not to be sniffed at - effectively gave myself a £3k payrise, that's how significant the difference is. It changes marginally for the 19/20 tax year before going down again for 20/21; which shows what a mess the WLTP rulings have made.

I'm still second-guessing myself, the power and torque of the GTD is fun. The Hyundai has only a combined output of 141hp. But, it's top spec and has loads of toys, while the extra ££ in my salary will go towards a nicer family car.

I even turned down the optional 17" wheels as these change the CO2 from 79 to 92. Madness.

Are there any other petrolheads who've gone from something brisk to a hybrid?

I hope I've made the right decision...

[ninjag]

C.A.R. said:

I'm still second-guessing myself, the power and torque of the GTD is fun. The Hyundai has only a combined output of 141hp. But, it's top spec and has loads of toys, while the extra ££ in my salary will go towards a nicer family car.

Are there any other petrolheads who've gone from something brisk to a hybrid?

I hope I've made the right decision...

I was a little concerned about going from my 330d x-drive to a n/a petrol CRV because of the rather major drop in performance. But I find other things to enjoy instead such as a quiet engine which also sounds nicer when pushed and it's actually not all that bad for performance above 4000rpm and lots more and useful toys compared to the BMW. Other stuff such as more space, commanding view, comfort on our crap roads etc won't be so relevant to you as I went from a saloon to an SUV.

I've had a 2018 Mercedes GLE350 over the last few days which is fast, especially for a 2.2T car and a colossal amount of turbo lag, but there's hardly any roads decent enough, empty enough, safe enough and plod free enough to actually relax and enjoy the performance. The car is a pile of crap anyway, not worth half of the £63k. It's quiet though.

[bolwin1]

Have you done the detailed sums comparing costs of taking the company car v.s. taking the car allowance & leasing exactly what you want ? Unless the cash allowance is really stingy, you are doing huge miles or going for a hybrid, you'll probably be better off taking the cash.

[C.A.R.]

The car allowance would have made me better off, but I was worried starting a new job and taking on the liability of a lease contract in case things didn't work out.

This way I get worry free motoring, just have to change my driving style somewhat!

[The Voice]

Unless you’ve got a very low car allowance, it’s almost always better to take the cash these days. Company cars just don’t make sense financially, plus you are then at the mercy of the fleet department regarding when you can charge cars etc. You’re stuck with it for 4 years usually.

If you’re worried about your probation period, take the car allowance and buy something cheap to see you through it - once you’re out of probation, get something ‘proper’?

[ST270]

C.A.R. said:

So no decent (150+ hp) diesels available to order at a respectable BIK. I found the Peugeot 308 GT - currently in production for January delivery.

Thing is, they stripped a load of the goodies from the standard spec and made them options. It seems they've done this whilst simultaneously offering the panoramic roof as standard. As nice as it is, is have preferred them to have left in the heated seats and active cruise control instead - these are the things I like on my GTD.

So with that in mind I've gone full circle - what's the most gadget-laden car I can get whilst saving the most on BIK?

I've ordered a Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid - Premium SE. BIK savings are not to be sniffed at - effectively gave myself a £3k payrise, that's how significant the difference is. It changes marginally for the 19/20 tax year before going down again for 20/21; which shows what a mess the WLTP rulings have made.

I'm still second-guessing myself, the power and torque of the GTD is fun. The Hyundai has only a combined output of 141hp. But, it's top spec and has loads of toys, while the extra ££ in my salary will go towards a nicer family car.

I even turned down the optional 17" wheels as these change the CO2 from 79 to 92. Madness.

Are there any other petrolheads who've gone from something brisk to a hybrid?

I hope I've made the right decision...

I went from a Merc c coupe 250d to a Lexus IS 300h..... in pretty much everyway the Lexus is better. Interior fitment, seat comfort, toys, it is pretty much as quick and fun to drive in EV even if only for short distances. In terms of MPG most of my driving is city commute so the Lexus is better here too.

Lastly - my BIK halved and the care is holding more of it's value due to being petrol and hybrid which are more in demand now. Win win.

[Martyn76]

ST270 said:

I went from a Merc c coupe 250d to a Lexus IS 300h..... in pretty much everyway the Lexus is better. Interior fitment, seat comfort, toys, it is pretty much as quick and fun to drive in EV even if only for short distances. In terms of MPG most of my driving is city commute so the Lexus is better here too.

Lastly - my BIK halved and the care is holding more of it's value due to being petrol and hybrid which are more in demand now. Win win.

What sort of figures are you getting from the IS300h and how is performance compared to a fairly pokey derv? Looking at one for personal use so interested in real world feedback.

[ST270]

Martyn76 said:

ST270 said:

I went from a Merc c coupe 250d to a Lexus IS 300h..... in pretty much everyway the Lexus is better. Interior fitment, seat comfort, toys, it is pretty much as quick and fun to drive in EV even if only for short distances. In terms of MPG most of my driving is city commute so the Lexus is better here too.

Lastly - my BIK halved and the care is holding more of it's value due to being petrol and hybrid which are more in demand now. Win win.

What sort of figures are you getting from the IS300h and how is performance compared to a fairly pokey derv? Looking at one for personal use so interested in real world feedback.

Best on the IS is 75 mpg this was on a mix of A road & motorway. If using just a roads lets say a mix of between 40-65 you will be looking at around 42mpg. Commuting (nose to tail) will be around 28-34 but this rises quickly if you have a full battery.

The electric only works up to a max of 30mph and you have to be super soft on the throttle otherwise the engine fires up. But your driving style adpats - the best way to use this is not to use pure battery to get it going from stationary, but rather move away briskly using both engine and battery then let of the throttle and coast on to battery - this yields the most range and best mpg in city driving. The car is quite heavy so the less you use the battery to get it moving the better.

The recharge cycle is good and fast - braking or using the paddles to "engine" brake really returns good charge. When you are coasting to come to a stop the "engine braking" is actually coming from the electric motor & the petrol engine isn't even running.

The power delivery os good once you get used to it - as it has a CVT there is an elastic feel to the torque delivery and it gathers speed very well - the numbers say around 8.3 0-60 but it feels faster with very sharp throttle response in sport mode.

In direct comparison with the Merc I had i would say that you don't get the meaty shove from the turbo d but the power is linear and creeps up on you a bit.

The only downside is the cvt and the way in which the speed "catches up" with the revs - in practice the cvt suits the car and is very relaxing and responsive but when pressing on the engine revs high and sounds a bit monotone. There is a sound processor which you can adjust for more normal gear sounds but it can get a bit droney on the motorway so i switch it off.

Hope this helps - i have ranted a bit

[dmsims]

If there are any Golf GTE's left it will leave the GTD for dead in GTE mode