Insights.

This is where you’ll find all of our blogs, articles, insights and general musings around the world of business vehicle leasing, purchasing and management.

Featured article - Industry News

The semiconductor chip shortage’s impact on leasing

In the press recently has been the news of a worldwide microchip shortage. Similarly to in a mobile phone, laptop or games console, all cars have them as part of their circuitry. They act as the “brain” of the vehicle, pulling together all of its electronic processes and gadgets, such as infotainment screens and cameras. 

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Written by Jamie Lingard

Vehicle Consulting Group | Now proud sponsors of Vale Studios

Car Leasing People are proud to announce we are now sponsors of the Vale Studios in support of their bid to make it to the Dance World Cup 2022.

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Written by Jamie Lingard

Vehicle Consulting Group acquires Cheshire leasing broker Total Vehicle Leasing

Vehicle Consulting Group are thrilled to announce that we have acquired Knutsford-based leasing broker Total Vehicle Leasing taking over all staff, customers, data, supplier relationships and digital assets. The Total Vehicle Leasing team has significant experience in the automotive and financial sectors and has built an admirable reputation on expertise, trust and sterling customer service.

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Written by Jamie Lingard

The OZEV home charger grant is ending

The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), often known as the OZEV Grant, is a scheme by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) which offers a grant of up to £350 off the purchase price and installation cost of a home charge point. Most electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles are eligible for the grant and you can claim the grant once per vehicle (up to two per house hold).

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Written by Jamie Lingard

The sustainable cars manufactured using recycled & vegan-friendly materials

Climate change, the environment and a sustainable future matter now more than ever. Just see the effect Greta and other young voices are having. Around the globe we reportedly generate well over 2.1 billion tonnes of ‘municipal solid waste’ every year and only 16% of it is recycled.

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Written by Vehicle Consulting

New Appointment – Sales Support Team Leader

Vehicle Consulting Group are delighted to announce the appointment of Maria Caballero to the role of Sales Support Team Leader. Maria joined Vehicle Consulting back in 2012 and has been in a number of different roles from Managing Directors Personal Assistant, Operations Administrator and most recently Sales Support. 

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Written by Jamie Lingard

New Appointment – Commercial & Operations Director

Vehicle Consulting Group are thrilled to announce the appointment of Gareth Richards as Commercial & Operations Director. Richards joined Vehicle Consulting Group as Business Consultant back in Autumn 2020, from his previous role as Global HR Talent Project Manager at GE Healthcare.

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Written by Jamie Lingard

Looking ahead to BMW’s tardy but exciting electric saloon and Munich’s bang-on-trend 2 Series Gran Coupe

With the arrival of the original Model S and Model X from Tesla feeling like a lifetime ago, the Jaguar I-PACE since having been joined by Mercedes' EQC and the Audi e-tron with a Sportback variant on the way, and Elon's Model 3 proving a runaway success in both the retail and leasing segments, fleet favourites BMW may seem a trifle slow in some minds to enter the larger, premium EV scene.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

The present and near future of plug-in hybrid and electric vans

When it comes to cars, there's no doubt that motorists are being encouraged to switch to plug-in hybrid and all-electric models as soon as possible by all manner of voices and there is certainly plenty of choice out there. In the light commercial vehicle (LCV) world, though, PHEV and EV vans are far from ubiquitous, electrified offerings having been slower to emerge. We look at electric van developments and available models so far, along with what's on the horizon.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

Smart motorways and the safety of at-work car and van drivers including grey fleet

Some drivers love them while others hate them, but we concur with the South East Local Enterprise Partnership's robust description of motorways as "the backbone of the country and key to driving a successful economy" and agree that a motorway utopia would entail reliability, reach and safety.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

Fleet management in today’s landscape of ADAS, CAZ and GDPR

The number of the UK's company cars per se is unarguably reducing and stood at around a million vehicles at Lex Autolease's most recent count, but the overall number of 'fleet' vehicles is growing and has likely exceeded fifteen million. This is primarily down to the trend in employees opting out of BIK-heavy company cars and either buying, financing or leasing personal vehicles or continuing to run their existing 'grey fleet' cars.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

Company fleet manager? Cash allowance opt-out taker? Is a self-charging hybrid car you don’t plug in right for you?

Interest in buying and leasing hybrid vehicles continues to grow amongst company car drivers seeking to reduce their benefit in kind (BIK) tax liability or avoid the 4% diesel surcharge, fleet managers striving to enhance their organisations' environmental standings, and scheme opt-out cash allowance-takers; but deciphering the jargon and lingo can be confusing.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

What’s different about the new BMW 3 Series? Get the lowdown before leasing one

The sixth generation BMW 3 Series has aged very well indeed and still looks quite contemporary today, but with the latest version of the larger 5 Series having been doing the rounds for a couple of years, Munich's mid-size compact executive saloon was definitely due a new model. How does the F30, which is new from the ground up and now available for leasing on business contract hire, compare?

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Written by Oliver Hammond

Audi ‘TFSI e’ plug-in, Peugeot ‘e-‘ electric and Volvo ‘B’ mild hybrid models provide hope – at least for certain drivers

Headlines like Auto Express' 'Latest diesel cars emit almost no NOx according to new research' and Fleet News' 'New diesels proven to be as clean as petrol models' will undoubtedly leave some fleet managers and personal contract hire customers scratching their heads – but manufacturers or 'OEMs', with the exception of clever Mercedes, seemingly have a one-track mind.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

RED2-compliant, Euro 6d lease cars that avoid the 4% diesel surcharge tax

The advent of the 2018/19 tax year saw the 3% diesel surcharge rise to 4%, which might not seem much in itself, but against a backdrop of increasingly punitive measures by HMRC, CO2 re-categorisation as a result of WLTP pushing many models up a band, and the Government's recent dilution of the Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG) to ironically exclude hybrids and benefit only electric cars, every pound matters to company car fleets.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

New Scala hatchback broadens SKODA’s offering for company car fleets

The hatchback segment has long been defined by the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Mercedes A Class at the 'premium' end, with the Vauxhall Astra, Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf accounting for most other private purchases and corporate fleet leases. Recent years have seen ŠKODA become a resolutely more desirable brand with models that attract on many levels, but until now the Czech marque's lineup has lacked a genuine contender in the hatchback arena, whether family or corporate.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

A couple of bits of good news for anyone thinking of going electric

For those who've been mulling over buying or leasing an electric car, 'range anxiety' has typically concerned some – and who can blame them? After all, driving to visit relatives, enjoy a day out somewhere or perhaps to fulfil a work commitment while smugly emitting zilch out of the back is one thing, but running out of juice and becoming stranded is quite another.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

Do all your company car and van fleet drivers meet UK laws on eyesight?

Not every small and medium-size business has a specialist fleet management provider like Vehicle Consulting caring for their at-work drivers and company car and van fleets, the role often handled part-time by someone in HR or finance, or by the business owner.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

WLTP and what you need to know if you’re comparing which car to lease

As well as welcoming in the latest '68 number plates, last month also marked a much more serious change in the world of cars and vans. Acronyms are easily missed but the four-lettered abbreviation WLTP, standing for Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure, has been having quite an impact on individual personal contract hire (PCH) car leasing customers and fleets alike.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

Let’s hope Brexit doesn’t stop the UK getting these fully-electric panel vans through LeasePlan

With diesel proclaimed as dead by so many voices, partly fuelled (ahem) by ever-increasing concerns over public health linked to emissions, van manufacturers the world over are busy beavering away at developing commercial vehicles with mild and conventional hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell powertrains, but fully electric vans didn't seem to be within reach – until now.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

Why managing grey fleet vehicles is so important

Any private vehicles not owned or leased by a business or other organisation but used for regular or even occasional 'at-work' journeys by their owners come under the definition of grey fleet, including cars leased by staff under their own personal contract hire (PCH) arrangements perhaps by means of cash allowances in lieu of company cars.

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Written by Lee Wolstenholme

After a week living with a 365bhp rear-wheel drive Kia Stinger GT S, what’s our verdict?

The Kia team have clearly found a taste for Carlsberg and having set out to create a five-door, rear-wheel drive grand tourer inspired by the French Riviera and hoping to inadvertently scalp a few sales away from Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes and the like, they've come up with an absolute cracker as far as the visuals are concerned.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

Danni Bagnall spends a week road-testing a Vauxhall Vivaro van to review its pros and cons

The very first edition of this well-known van remained on sale for 13 years, so it's no surprise that Vauxhall has stuck with the same saleable formula for its successor… with a few upgrades, of course. Danni Bagnall explains.

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Written by Oliver Hammond

Need to lease a van with a gross vehicle weight over 3.5t but don’t want a 7.5t truck on your fleet?

Vehicle Consulting can help by identifying the most cost-effective business contract hire (leasing) packages for your fleet or sole trader business from the growing number of 'halfway house' vans being introduced with increased gross vehicle weights and therefore payloads.

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Written by Lee Wolstenholme

Road-testing the Maserati Quattroporte GT S

From national flags and football team crests to religious symbols and even jewellery designers' hallmarks, the mere glimpse of certain icons can awaken emotions. The MY15 Maserati Quattroporte in Grigio Maratea proved equally arresting and soul-stirring as it prowled the streets of Skipton before being unleased in the Dales, with the unmistakable Trident on its grille, flanks adorned with triple air vents, gorgeous alloy wheels, Rosso brake callipers and sleek headlights.

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Written by Lee Wolstenholme