FAO Coops

[Neath_Jack]

If memory serves, you're the man regarding electric cars, apologies if not.

I'm teetering on going for a company car (full electric) and two of the options are a BMW i4 or the Tesla Model 3.

What you saying?

A couple of colleagues have had the Tesla and they think they're outstanding, I've got a moral dilemma with them purely o=because of Musk. Nobody in the company has got an i4.

 

[Smurph]

If memory serves, you're the man regarding electric cars, apologies if not.

I'm teetering on going for a company car (full electric) and two of the options are a BMW i4 or the Tesla Model 3.

What you saying?

A couple of colleagues have had the Tesla and they think they're outstanding, I've got a moral dilemma with them purely o=because of Musk. Nobody in the company has got an i4.

I've been looking as well. We have a salary sacrifice scheme with Octopus energy.

It's the range anxiety that is putting me off.

 

[Neath_Jack]

I've been looking as well. We have a salary sacrifice scheme with Octopus energy.

It's the range anxiety that is putting me off.

Yeah that’s one of the reasons I’ve swerved them as well to be honest. I toyed with having a plug in hybrid but it’s too much of a tax burden.

 

[Smurph]

Yeah that’s one of the reasons I’ve swerved them as well to be honest. I toyed with having a plug in hybrid but it’s too much of a tax burden.

My last works car was a hybrid, it drank petrol, just glad I wasn't paying for it. I wouldn't recommend a hybrid based on that experience. I'm sure others have had much better experiences though.

My tax threshold took a massive dip whilst I had it as well.

The electric was only thirty odd miles and I never got the full thirty miles of a charge, just seemed to disappear.

The thought of pulling in to a service station and having to wait there while the car is on charge gives me shivers.

 

[monmouth]

The BMW will be better put together, and as you say…Musk…

Tesla has the better public charging network, but I’m not up to date if they had to make that available to others. If not, that’s what would probably sway me. You want the maximum flexibility on charging.

 

[Neath_Jack]

My last works car was a hybrid, it drank petrol, just glad I wasn't paying for it. I wouldn't recommend a hybrid based on that experience. I'm sure others have had much better experiences though.

My tax threshold took a massive dip whilst I had it as well.

The electric was only thirty odd miles and I never got the full thirty miles of a charge, just seemed to disappear.

The thought of pulling in to a service station and having to wait there while the car is on charge gives me shivers.

I think all the plug in hybrids give around the 30 mile range, seems pretty pointless to me. But like I say it was the tax that made it a no go for me.

 

[Smurph]

I think all the plug in hybrids give around the 30 mile range, seems pretty pointless to me. But like I say it was the tax that made it a no go for me.

If I had the choice again, I wouldn't go for one. It wasn't very economical on fuel and the tax is an issue.

Let us know if you do decide to take the plunge and go fully electric

 

[Cooperman]

You’re on the right lines, NJ. It was car leasing that I commented on a few times and I work in the EV powertrain industry. So somewhere in the middle of what you were thinking, like a hybrid

I don’t have an EV and yet I work in the industry. My mates and my old man can’t quite get their head round that, but it simply doesn’t work for me. My weekly mileage is either 50 miles of pottering or 450 miles of Heathrow round trip and the pottering. Until Heathrow and back on a charge becomes possible I won’t be touching an EV. The reason why I commented on leased vehicles is because I came out of the company car scheme and ploughed the money into my own private lease, and have done now for the last five cars. I have a 5 Series mild hybrid diesel that can do 900 miles on a tank, so two normal weeks of my 450.

Just changed my wife’s car and didn’t go EV, so maybe another clue as to where I am with it.

Questions you might want to ask yourself:
Do you need a company car or can you DIY, like I have done?
Do you have a regular journey which would mean a charge en-route, and if so are you ok with it?
Can you charge it at home/will you need to charge it at home?

As for the two cars, the Tesla powertrain (best in class) and the tech is superb, no denying this. However I’m not a fan on styling, but that’s subjective. Bits will also fall off the Tesla much quicker than they will the Beamer, but maybe that’s not a worry as it’s not your car. If the company car route is the way you want to go then I’d take the BMW. Personal preference based on 1. Not as common as Tesla and first one in the car park, 2. Styling, 3. Sytner’s on your doorstep, 4. I don’t like Elon Musk.

 

[Neath_Jack]

You’re on the right lines, NJ. It was car leasing that I commented on a few times and I work in the EV powertrain industry. So somewhere in the middle of what you were thinking, like a hybrid

I don’t have an EV and yet I work in the industry. My mates and my old man can’t quite get their head round that, but it simply doesn’t work for me. My weekly mileage is either 50 miles of pottering or 450 miles of Heathrow round trip and the pottering. Until Heathrow and back on a charge becomes possible I won’t be touching an EV. The reason why I commented on leased vehicles is because I came out of the company car scheme and ploughed the money into my own private lease, and have done now for the last five cars. I have a 5 Series mild hybrid diesel that can do 900 miles on a tank, so two normal weeks of my 450.

Just changed my wife’s car and didn’t go EV, so maybe another clue as to where I am with it.

Questions you might want to ask yourself:
Do you need a company car or can you DIY, like I have done?
Do you have a regular journey which would mean a charge en-route, and if so are you ok with it?
Can you charge it at home/will you need to charge it at home?

As for the two cars, the Tesla powertrain (best in class) and the tech is superb, no denying this. However I’m not a fan on styling, but that’s subjective. Bits will also fall off the Tesla much quicker than they will the Beamer, but maybe that’s not a worry as it’s not your car. If the company car route is the way you want to go then I’d take the BMW. Personal preference based on 1. Not as common as Tesla and first one in the car park, 2. Styling, 3. Sytner’s on your doorstep, 4. I don’t like Elon Musk.

Thanks, I was nearly right (story of my life!)

Answers to your three questions:
I’ve got a 21 plate A3 saloon, which is paid for so I’d have to sell that if I take the company car.

Furthest work journey I do is Aberystwyth or Pembroke Dock at the moment, once a month or less. Both the electric cars advertise a range of 300 miles give or take, but been told to forget those figures? So not sure if I’d need to charge on those journeys? I’d be pissed off if I had to stop on the way home, definitely.

I don’t have a charge point at home but the company would pay to have one installed for me. We’ve got charge points at my office which are free to use for company car owners at the moment, but I can see that changing if more and more take up the electric car option.

 

[Cooperman]

Thanks, I was nearly right (story of my life!)

Answers to your three questions:
I’ve got a 21 plate A3 saloon, which is paid for so I’d have to sell that if I take the company car.

Furthest work journey I do is Aberystwyth or Pembroke Dock at the moment, once a month or less. Both the electric cars advertise a range of 300 miles give or take, but been told to forget those figures? So not sure if I’d need to charge on those journeys? I’d be pissed off if I had to stop on the way home, definitely.

I don’t have a charge point at home but the company would pay to have one installed for me. We’ve got charge points at my office which are free to use for company car owners at the moment, but I can see that changing if more and more take up the electric car option.

A point to check, call your insurance company and ask them what their stance is concerning no claims discounts for someone coming out of a company car scheme. When I did it I found that many companies wouldn’t honour the NCD that I had built up whilst inside the car scheme. This was some years back though and things may have changed.

Aber and back will be fine in terms of range. 300 advertised miles will probably give you 240, somewhat less in winter, but still well above the 150 round trip.

Re your Audi, any likely takers to sell it privately? If you go somewhere like WBAC dot com you will lose three or four grand over what you could get privately, but you’re paying for the hassle free route, much the same as part-ex.

 

[Neath_Jack]

A point to check, call your insurance company and ask them what their stance is concerning no claims discounts for someone coming out of a company car scheme. When I did it I found that many companies wouldn’t honour the NCD that I had built up whilst inside the car scheme. This was some years back though and things may have changed.

Aber and back will be fine in terms of range. 300 advertised miles will probably give you 240, somewhat less in winter, but still well above the 150 round trip.

Re your Audi, any likely takers to sell it privately? If you go somewhere like WBAC dot com you will lose three or four grand over what you could get privately, but you’re paying for the hassle free route, much the same as part-ex.

I didn’t think about the insurance angle! No doubt I’d have to start from scratch again knowing those bunch of shysters! That would be a massive no no if that is the case.

I did look on the motorway selling site and I was pleasantly surprised by their minimum offer.

Your insurance point is going to tip the balance I think. Thank you.

 

[Cooperman]

I didn’t think about the insurance angle! No doubt I’d have to start from scratch again knowing those bunch of shysters! That would be a massive no no if that is the case.

I did look on the motorway selling site and I was pleasantly surprised by their minimum offer.

Your insurance point is going to tip the balance I think. Thank you.

Have a ring around, try yours and a few others and see what the general consensus is.

 

[Cooperman]

Did a quick Google and found this on Compare The Market.

https://www.comparethemarket.com/car-insurance/content/ex-company-car-insurance/?amp

 

[Smurph]

I didn’t think about the insurance angle! No doubt I’d have to start from scratch again knowing those bunch of shysters! That would be a massive no no if that is the case.

I did look on the motorway selling site and I was pleasantly surprised by their minimum offer.

Your insurance point is going to tip the balance I think. Thank you.

We used The Motorway to sell the wife's car, first guy pulled out of the sale after agreeing to buy the car initially which was a little frustrating.

Second attempt was much better the guy honoured the agreement turned up for the the money was transferred in to her account within seconds before we handed the keys over.

All in all it was pretty seamless process and the money received for the car wasn't to be sniffed at.

Would use them again.

 

[MajorR]

We used The Motorway to sell the wife's car, first guy pulled out of the sale after agreeing to buy the car initially which was a little frustrating.

Second attempt was much better the guy honoured the agreement turned up for the the money was transferred in to her account within seconds before we handed the keys over.

All in all it was pretty seamless process and the money received for the car wasn't to be sniffed at.

Would use them again.

I’d also recommend Motorway. Sold a car for a relative earlier this year and it went for over the reserve price and was a lot more than the price we’d been offered by a dealer.
The buyer put a deposit down, traveled down from Reading, looked at the car, transferred the cash there and then and took it away. Job done.