News

The recent sharp rises in energy prices had threatened to bring electric car charging costs closer than ever to the price of petrol and diesel refuelling.

However, this worry was somewhat alleviated when the government announced its Energy Price Guarantee, capping energy prices at 34p per kilowatt hour (34p/kWh) – rather than doubling to the previously announced figure of 52p/kWh.

Nonetheless, the cost of EV home charging is likely to increase by as much as 20%  this winter – while already, public electric car charging stations cost up to 42% more now than they did just four months ago.

What does that mean for electric car running costs?

Fleet News reports that the typical charging cost of electric cars at home will go from around £7 for each 100 miles of charge added to the battery, to £8.50. That’s based on a vehicle that travels around four miles per kWh.

When you consider that the average range of EVs is now reported to be around 260 miles, that means a total 0-100% charge cost of around £22. That’s significantly cheaper than the RAC Foundation places the average cost of filling up a petrol (£89.91) or diesel (£99.24) tank at the time of writing.

Of course, while the prices for charging at-home (or indeed, at your fleet’s home depot) are more affordable, fleet drivers – particularly ones who make frequent long journeys – are more likely than your average commuter to use roadside public charging networks. And those networks are experiencing sharp increases.

The most extreme example of these price hikes comes from charge network provider Osprey, which recently increased its prices by 35% from 66p/kWh to an unheard-of £1/kWh in response to the energy crisis.

While Osprey may be an outlier, it’s clear that at-home charging will be by far the most cost-effective way to charge an EV for the foreseeable future. Business fleets should therefore make smart use of tools like Zap-Map by planning ahead on long journeys to locate and use the most cost-effective charge points, helping to lower fuel expenditure on a consistent basis.

The expenses impact on fleets and fleet drivers

One thing the government has still to address is the advisory electricity rate (AER), which is the pence-per-mile (ppm) rate that the government recommends fleets use to reimburse drivers for charging costs of electric cars used for business.

Fleet News reports that drivers whose vehicle manages three miles per kWh are likely to pay around 11ppm – six pence more for each mile travelled than the government’s sanctioned amount.

Understandably, being able to claim back less than half of their business fuel expenses is likely to impact drivers negatively, and could cause some resentment. It’s a cost that could run into hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds across a working year.

If you run a business fleet, one answer to appease drivers could be to set your own reimbursement rate more in line with current energy prices – something the majority of fleet owners feel should be around 15ppm.

However, as EV charging specialist Mina warns, fleets should do this with caution, and be willing to substantiate to HMRC that you’re paying the actual cost of the electricity being used. Get this wrong and you’ll at the very least incur benefit in kind charges on the reimbursement, but could even end up with the taxman taking a closer look at your business.

Making electric car charging costs more manageable

For the majority of lease hires and company car drivers, home charging will be the main method of filling up the battery to get from A to B. Thankfully, there are certain energy tariffs that can help them get the most for their money.

With a compatible EV charger installed at your property (something that renters, flat owners and landlords can get a significant discount on), an EV tariff could help you make a quite sizeable saving when charging your electric vehicle between certain times – most notably overnight.

Indeed, Fleet News suggests that the Intelligent tariff from Octopus Energy, which has an off-peak rate of 7.5p/kWh, could lead to a 100-mile charge cost of just £1.80. Considering the average UK driver travels around 6,800 miles annually, that makes for a charging cost as low as £127.50, based on a vehicle travelling at least four miles per kWh. That’s four times less than the new 34p/kWh price cap.

Whichever way you look at it, then, even with the electricity price hike, EVs are still the smart choice when it comes to business fleets saving fuel money.

Need a new EV on lease hire?

You’re in the right place. Even in a tricky climate for vehicle availability, our team of industry experts have the means to find you an electric vehicle that will fit your needs, ensuring you can enjoy the benefits of lower electric car running costs vs petrol and diesel vehicles.

To find out more about EVs check out the blogs below. To see how we can help you find a suitable EV, take a look at our post ‘The WVL Leasing Difference’ or get in touch with us to find out more.

More recent posts

•   The WVL Leasing Difference
•   What Does Current Vehicle Availability Look Like?
•   EVs for Long Drives: Better Than You Think!
•   What You Need to Know About Charging Electric Vehicles
•   Is an EV Really Cheaper To Run?
• Electric, Petrol, Diesel and Hybrid Vehicles: Benefits & Drawbacks

One of the most common questions we get asked on a regular basis is some variant of: “What do I need to know about EV charging?”

So, we thought it would be a good idea to put the most pertinent information all in one place!

This is everything to know about charging electric vehicles.

A complete guide to electric car charging

You need a home charge point installed

We begin our guide to charging electric vehicles with the main way you’ll actually charge your vehicle – at home!

There are many, many different manufacturers of these charge points, so you’ll want to shop around for the one that best suits your needs and budget. They tend to cost £250-£500 for a 3kW charger and £450-£800 7kW one which will charge your vehicle quicker; not a bank-breaking amount for something you’ll use for years to come.

Better still, the government offers grants for up to 75% off the price of buying and fitting your charge point if you live in rented accommodation, or own your own flat or maisonette. (House and bungalow owners will have to pay the full price themselves, however).

You can also charge your EV at work…

If you help run a business, you’ll be delighted to know the same 75% discount available for private charge points if available on a larger scale for workplace ones.

Through the Workplace Charging Scheme, companies can apply for a grant of £350 per charging socket on up to 40 of those sockets. If you’re looking to reduce your fleet emissions to comply with EU CO2 reduction targets, it’s a brilliant place to start!

…or out and about using public chargers

Away from home and nowhere near your workplace? No need to panic. A quick visit to Zap-Map shows just how many public charge networks there currently are in the UK, and the website’s titular map is one of the best ways to find an EV charger near you.

Essentially what you need to know here is there are three kinds of public charger:

•   Rapid and super-rapid chargers will feed your EV battery the fastest
•   Destination chargers are often offered for free by locations like retail parks to encourage you to visit them
•   On-street chargers tend to require that you sign up for a community payment scheme or pay a one-off fee to use any chargers in that area. They’re typically slower, but can be a great option as a home-charger replacer if you’re visiting somewhere for a few days or weeks, like when you go on holiday.

Chargers come in two types of current…

EV chargers come in AC or DC variants. A DC charger has a built-in converter that typically allows them to charge significantly faster than AC ones.

… three speeds of charger…

Alongside the current option, there are essentially three ‘speed brackets’ of EV charger:

•   Slow (3-6kW)
•   Fast: (7-22kW)
•   and Rapid (24kw+)

However, ‘rapid’ is an umbrella term that can also encompass ‘ultra-rapid’ (up to 350kW) chargers and bespoke ‘superchargers’ (up to 250kW) – as we’ll detail below.

…and with six different EV connector types

Type 1 EV charger Can be a 7kW AC fast AC charger or a 3-6kW slow AC charger.	Type 2 EV charger Can be a 7-22 kW fast AC charger or a 43kW rapid AC charger.	Commando EV charger Can be a 7-22 kW fast AC charger or a 3-6kW slow AC charger.

CCS EV charger 50-350 kW ultra-rapid DC charger	Type 2 EV charger 25-100kW ultra-rapid DC charger.	Commando EV charger 120-250 kW Tesla-compatible DC supercharger.

The faster the charger, the lower the charge time

There’s no one single guide for EV charging times since the technology is evolving all the time, and it highly depends on the vehicle model, the capacity of its battery, and how much power it has left at the time.

That being said, there are some rough estimates you can make:

•   7kW fast chargers will power a 40kWh battery from 0-80% in 4-6 hours.
•   100kW ultra-rapid DC chargers can take around around 15-30 minutes
•   50kW rapid DC chargers can take between 15-60 minutes
•   43Kw rapid AC chargers can take 30-60 minutes.

You should home-charge and rapid-charge to different amounts

A complete guide to electric car charging wouldn’t be complete without some mention of the different amounts to charge your EV’s battery to in different circumstances.

At home you’ll want to charge your battery to 100% overnight, ready for the day ahead. However, on the road using a rapid charger, you’ll want to keep your charge to no more than 80%. That’s because rapid chargers actually slow down after 80% to encourage people not to hog them, freeing them up instead for other drivers.

You should also be mindful of letting your EV’s battery drop below 20% as this can adversely affect the capacity. Try and keep it between 20%-80% during regular use to get the longest battery life possible.

And with that, our guide to charging electric vehicles is complete!

Is an electric vehicle in your future?

Whether you’re thinking about leasing for yourself, or you’re responsible for your company’s fleet, if you’ve read this far then getting an electric vehicle is likely on the cards for you not too far down the line.

If you’d like straightforward advice about all things EV, whether that’s the latest models, recommended charge points, charge times or anything else that comes to mind, then please get in touch – our expert team will be happy to help!

More recent posts

• EVs for Long Drives: Better Than You Think!
• Is an EV Really Cheaper To Run?
• Electric, Petrol, Diesel and Hybrid Vehicles: Benefits & Drawbacks
• How Can You Keep Fuel Costs Down?
• What Does Current Vehicle Availability Look Like?

If you’ve never leased a business vehicle before it can feel like a daunting idea – especially as there is so much misinformation around it! Read this post to get business car leasing explained and many of the most prevalent myths about car leasing debunked. (Think of it like a mini business car leasing FAQ).

Why is leasing good for businesses?

1. You don’t need a big deposit

The first crucial piece of info we need to get out the way to get business leasing explained is that you don’t need an enormous deposit. We realise these can be a really big blocker to making leased vehicle affordable so at WVL we’ll make every effort work around your budget and find a solution that works for everyone.

2. You can modify leased vehicles (in line with your leasing agreement!)

You might think that because the vehicle isn’t yours, you can’t make changes to it. But as long as they’re reasonable and agreed up front, you’d be surprised how flexible our leases can be. Whether you want to change the wheels, install a dash cam or add a tow bar, get in touch with us first and we’re likely to be happy to accommodate your changes.

3. Bad credit or low business value doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t lease a vehicle

We’ve had many instances where someone approaches us needing a small business car lease, but they’re either a new business or their credit history isn’t fantastic. In these situations, a larger leasing company might give you an outright no, but we’ll dig into the details to work out how we can reduce the risk for ourselves as the leasing company.

It could be that the smaller firm has a larger parent company we can use instead, or that we can credit check the company owner and agree to stack the risk against his or her personal estate. We’ll never turn down a lease before investigating every avenue, and more often than not there’s a way we can solve the problem to everyone’s benefit.

4. There are all kinds of lease lengths – with flexibility built in

Another of our ten truths about business vehicle leasing is that lease lengths can be much more flexible than you probably think! At WVL we’re able to offer short-term leases that start at 30 days and go up to two years. We can also offer even shorter-term rentals if you need a vehicle in a hurry (often because a fleet needs vehicles for a show, or a vehicle is off the road for maintenance reasons). Plus, we’re even able to extend leases at the end of contracts in certain situations (more on that in point ten).

5. More than just the named driver can drive a leased car

When we’re talking to a fleet manager, one of the ways we get the ease of business leasing explained to them is by saying “you won’t even have to talk to us – we’ll deal directly with the driver.” And it’s true, we can work directly with the person who’ll be driving the car to pick a vehicle that will suit their needs.

However, if you need that vehicle to be a pool car, that’s perfectly fine – it’s leased to your company, after all. So long as other drivers have the right credentials and the insurance conditions are all satisfied, more than just the vehicle’s named driver can drive a leased vehicle.

6. Not owning the vehicle can actually save you money…

One of the biggest reservations we hear about taking out a small business car lease is that it’s dead money. You don’t own the vehicle so you can’t sell it and recoup its value – the money spent has no return. There is, however, another way to look at it that turns things completely on their head.

Say you buy a vehicle for £35k and drive it extensively for two to three years. Depreciation means the vehicle is likely to be worth a third to half of what you originally paid for it! Now all of that is what we’d call dead money.

7. …and can save you a massive headache on maintenance and other logistics, too!

Not only that, but with an owned company vehicle you’re responsible for all of the vehicle maintenance costs, as well as having the headache of manually insuring, taxing, MOTing and maintaining the vehicle yourself – alongside every other vehicle that you own in your fleet. It might look better on your balance sheet having more property, but the real-world cost of having those depreciating assets soon adds up.

With big or small business car lease, you don’t have the huge up-front cost, you don’t need to worry about depreciation, and you don’t have the ongoing logistics to concern yourself with, since we’ll do all of that for you. You just set up the agreement, pay your monthly fee, then give your car back and get another vehicle at the end of the contract.

And with that, another major myth about car leasing is debunked!

8. Business car leasing can simplify your fleet management immeasurably

That last point about us doing everything for you also means that fleet management can go from something fraught and unwieldy to something that almost feels like it looks after itself. If you’re a fleet manager it can free you up to get involved in other areas of the business, and if you run fleet as part of your wider role, like HR or finance, it can give you the scope to focus fully on the part of your job you love the most.

9 and with our simplified process, it’s surprisingly straightforward to do

Setting up a vehicle leasing agreement is more straightforward and painless than you might fear. We’re part of the GKL group, which means we follow the same common-sense approach to vehicle leasing. We’ll discuss your needs, get you credit checked, give you a financial proposal and move to ordering the vehicle as quickly as possible – giving you the best chance of getting what you need in a climate where new vehicles are often like gold dust.

10. Have a long wait for your next vehicle? Our informal contract extensions can keep you mobile

As hinted at in point four above, as a more dynamic we’re smaller company we’re not hamstrung by the rigid end-of-contract policies that larger leasing firms often are. Especially in an era where vehicle availability is unpredictable, we’ll do everything we can to keep you mobile. If that means extending your lease until your next vehicle is available, we can in 99% of cases offer informal contract extensions to let you do exactly that. We deeply care about keeping you mobile, and believe that large or small, business car lease agreements should be as straightforward and hassle-free as possible.

So… is it worth getting a car on a business lease agreement?

Absolutely! As these ten truths about business vehicle leasing make clear, leasing rather than buying a vehicle for business purposes can take the headache out of day-to-day fleet management while meaning you never need to worry about vehicle depreciation or day-to-day logistics. Plus, with our corporate buying power and contacts, we often have access to vehicles that you might struggle to find available in the purchase market at the moment.

We may be biased of course, but we feel business car leasing just makes sense. Get in touch today to discuss how it can work for you.

More recent posts

• Why Open Leasing is the Perfect Stopgap
• What Does Current Vehicle Availability Look Like?
• Can Car Salary Sacrifice Work for Your Employees?
• How Can You Keep Fuel Costs Down?
• EVs for Long Drives: Better Than You Think!

EVs for Long Drives: Better Than You Think

Can you drive long distances with EVs? And if so, which electric car is best for long drives? Read on to answer those questions and more!

How good are EVs for long drives?

Range anxiety is one of the biggest blockers to making the switch from petrol, diesel or even hybrid models to a fully electric car. With that in mind, we thought it was about time we addressed that perception by looking at how good EVs are for long journeys, starting with one of the most popular questions we get on the subject…

Which electric car is best for long drives?

According to Auto Trader, the longest-range EV currently on the market is the Mercedes-Benz EQS which boasts an impressive battery range of 485 miles on a single charge.

However, given the high ticket price (roughly £102,000 to buy, with rental prices equivalently costly) of the EQS, a more mainstream option might be the UK’s best- selling electric car in 2021, the Tesla Model 3.

According to Car Magazine, the Model 3 has a range of between 305, 340 or 374 miles depending on whether you opt for the standard, Performance or Long Range versions. A purchase price of around £47,000 for the standard edition makes the Model 3 a much more affordable option for individuals, as well a more attractive one for businesses looking to lease an EV capable of going longer distances on a single charge.

If you’re looking for a more affordable option still, the Nissan Leaf has a full-charge battery range of around 226 miles. Not bad for a fully electric-vehicle that retails for under £30,000, with leasing terms that are some of the most attractive on the EV market.

So, can you drive long distances with EVs? Absolutely – and EV Database offers a wider insight into the various distances you can expect from electric vehicles. Plus, with the speed of battery charging only set to increase, the range of your average consumer electric car is only likely to increase in the coming years as EV vehicles become more commonplace.

However, in the here and now, there are some things we’d suggest keeping in mind when driving an electric car for hundreds of miles…

Our tips for electric car long distance driving

1. Slow charge your EV overnight wherever possible

Charging at home is likely to be the cheapest way to power up your electric vehicle, and the best way to get it to a full 100%. (More on that in point four below). It’s also the best way to extend the battery life, with too much rapid charging known to adversely affect your battery’s capacity. If you’re at home, we’d suggest plugging in your EV each night. If not, we’d suggest using a neighbourhood charging scheme or slower destination charger like those at a hotel.

2. Plan your journey to factor in fast charging

If you plan on driving a long distance, plan ahead using any of a number of different apps and services. We favour Zap-Map here at WVL and have used it previously to calculate distances for different EV journeys over on our piece comparing EVs to ICE cars. You can use the Zap-Map website or app, or there’s also Tesla, Pod Point and Auto Trader apps if you prefer.

3. Know your charger types and carry your compatible cables with you

Do you know the difference between an AC and DC EV charger and which one your electric car is compatible with? What about the distinction between different charger adapters? Zap-Map has this information and more, so we’d suggest reading up on it all before you make the switch to an electric vehicle. The range of options can feel a little dizzying if you’re new to the world of EVs, but the good news is that your electric car is likely to come with the most popular adapter types, letting you plug in to the majority of charge points should you need to charge up in a hurry while taking your electric car long distances.

4. Don’t rapid charge your battery above 80%…

As we mentioned above charging at home is the best way to get your EV’s battery to 100%. That’s because public rapid chargers will actually slow down your charge after 80%. It’s a measure used to make sure people don’t hog chargers longer than they need to and keep them free for other drivers – and also the reason that EV charge times tend to be given in ‘time to charge to 80%’ rather than to 100%.

5. … Or let your EV’s battery drop below 20%!

Our fifth and final tip for electric car long distance driving is to make sure you don’t let your battery dip below 20% too much. Just like relying too much rapid charging, this can negatively impact the overall capacity of your EV’s battery, so make sure to plan those rapid charge stops in the middle of your journey.

Are you ready to make the switch to a full EV?

If you came here wondering ‘how good are EVs for long journeys’ – hopefully we’ve helped answer that question!

If you’re looking to lease an EV – whether for personal or business use – our team at WVL have access to the full market of electric vehicles, and can help you navigate currently-tricky vehicle availability to land an electric vehicle that can suit your needs – in both the short and long term.

To find out more about how we can help you make the switch to electric vehicles, check out the blogs below or get in touch with us today.

More recent posts

• How Can You Keep Fuel Costs Down?
• WVL & GKL Electric Vehicle Open Day
• Is an EV Really Cheaper To Run?
• Electric, Petrol, Diesel and Hybrid Vehicles: Benefits & Drawbacks
• What Does Current Vehicle Availability Look Like?

Looking to lease a vehicle but sick of feeling like a statistic for larger  business vehicle leasing companies? At Windsor Vehicle Leasing, we work a little differently. Here’s how.

The Personal touch

With a lot of bigger leasing companies, the person you speak to this month might not be the person you speak to in ten months’ time,” says Peter Fletcher. “Just taking two of our account management team for an example, Ryan Davies has been here around 11 years and I’ve been here around 25 years – almost since I was in short trousers!

“That means if you come to Windsor Vehicle Leasing you’re going to deal with the same person. You’re not likely to be passed from one person to another,” he explains.

“We also have a dedicated maintenance department but quite often my customers will phone me to report an issue, then I’ll work with the maintenance team to make sure it gets fixed.

“It’s that personal contact that you just don’t get in the big leasing companies, and it allows us to build long-term relationships. Most of my customers have been with me for years; they tend to stay with us.”

A flexible, common-sense approach

“Another thing we do that’s a little different to other car leasing companies is we don’t write non-maintenance contracts,” says Peter. “The idea of contract hire is that it’s an all-encompassing agreement, where everything should be covered. The only reason other business vehicle leasing companies sell non-maintenance agreements is because it looks cheaper on paper. But it’s not. You can’t maintain a fleet of vehicles as a small business for less than our dedicated maintenance team with all our buying power can.

“That’s not to say it’s one size fits all,” continues Peter. “You go to car leasing companies and they’ll give you a quotation – but you can’t drive a piece of paper. That’s all a quotation is; a piece of paper.

What we’ll do, particularly for those businesses that have more challenges – say they’ve just started up in the UK and don’t have a long enough record to be funded by the big business vehicle leasing brands – is take into account where else they have operations. We’ll think on our feet and look for creative funding solutions to see how we can be secure in funding that customer to give a ‘yes’, rather than just a ‘computer says no.’

“That means we spend time with people,” elaborates Peter. “I had a customer recently where the numbers didn’t look all that promising on paper, so I got in my car and drove an hour and a half to go and see them at their building site and get a better idea of what they’re all about. When I had, I was in a better position to say yes to getting them a Tesla Model Y.”

“A lot of what we do here is about meeting people, not just doing everything over email. Ultimately we’re leasing to people, so we treat them like that rather than as a number or a transaction.”

Creative solutions to vehicle availability challenges

There are current massive vehicle availability issues right across the world,” says Peter, “but with our contacts we’re able to find some pretty creative solutions.

“For instance, I had a customer recently on the south coast whose business is expanding rapidly – which presents some challenges as far as getting vehicles. I drove down for an in-person meeting and told them ‘I get a notification every day of around 20 available vehicles, at least some of which would suit you. But if you take days to come back to me, those vehicles will be gone.’

I was sat with the finance director and fleet manager at the time and was able to say to them ‘We’ll have to develop a working practice. I can get you the vehicles you need, but I’ll need approvals from you within a few hours.’ We’re in a different world at the minute as availability goes, and a big part of the challenge from our perspective is getting our customers to understand how urgently they need to act on things.

“In this instance they needed five vans,” continues Peter. “It’s taken two weeks and the fifth one is just getting to them as I say this – so we’ve been able to establish that working arrangement and get them what they needed, all because we were able to build that relationship quickly.”

Informal contract extensions to suit your needs

“With current vehicle availability being what it is, some of our customers are being put in a position where the new vehicle they want won’t be available until maybe next year, but their contract for their current is coming to an end,” says Peter. “In those situations, we operate like we believe the best car leasing companies should do and we’ll offer to informally extend that contract to cover them until their new vehicle is available.

“It’s very different to the way many of the biggest business vehicle leasing brands work,” explains Peter. I’ve had new customers come to us saying they had to hand their old vehicle back because with current availability their old leasing company could get more for it by selling it. “We won’t do that. We’d rather make sure our customers know we truly do care about their needs.”

“Of course, older cars on the road for longer can mean more maintenance issues. There are occasions where a vehicle isn’t playing ball, but even recently we had one where our maintenance team put a new gearbox in a four-and-a-half year-old vehicle and it’s now as good as gold! If we hadn’t taken that approach, they’d have been a van short, which would have impacted their business enormously.”

Need a leased vehicle in a hurry?

If you’re looking for flexible leasing deals for your business, our experienced team can help. “We’re flexible, inventive and always looking for ways to keep people mobile,” says Peter. “That’s the WVL leasing difference in a nutshell.”

Get in touch with us today to see how we can help you find the ideal leased vehicle for you.

More recent posts

• What Does Current Vehicle Availability Look Like?
• Why Open Leasing is the Perfect Stopgap
• How Can You Keep Fuel Costs Down?
• Can Car Salary Sacrifice Work for Your Employees?
• Electric, Petrol, Diesel and Hybrid Vehicles: Benefits & Drawbacks

As an experienced vehicle leasing provider we appreciate there are times where you just need a vehicle, in a hurry, and for a shorter period of time.

While some larger leasing firms don’t offer this facility at all, and others outsource it, here at WVL we’re proud to say that our independent approach to vehicle leasing makes us much more able to adapt to individual customer needs.

Why take out an open-end lease with WVL?

Some of the biggest advantages to taking out a short-term vehicle lease with us include:

Stay mobile when your vehicle is off the road for an unknown period of time

If you’ve been in an accident or put in a position for another reason where your car is damaged and awaiting repair, your thoughts might quickly turn to how you’re going to stay mobile.

The first thought for many people is to seek a cover car paid for by their insurance company. However, some simply don’t have the level of cover needed to make that happen. If the repair on their vehicle is extensive, that could see them off the road for a lengthy period of time.

That’s a common reason we see for people needing a short-term auto lease, and one we’re well-placed to provide. Whether you need a vehicle for work, or purely for personal use, our Open Lease service is designed to get you a comparable vehicle for rental periods as short as  .

Give new starters a probation-period vehicle

Another popular reason you might need a short-term car rental is if you’re involved in sourcing company cars for new starters.

At WVL we often get calls from HR managers and similar, who’ve been asked to make sure a new hire has the ability to get out and about on the roads. And in many cases, that vehicle is needed by the following Monday!

The great news is that with our extensive network, we’re not only able to find such vehicles at short notice, we’re also able to draw up highly competitive rental terms that suits every party.

Better still, because our Open Lease service is designed to be ultra-flexible, we’re also often able to extend the agreement past its initial term. So if your new starter passes their probation and decides they want a different vehicle, they’ll be able to hold on to their current one until the new one is ready for them!

Existing customers aren’t credit checked

Another reason why open leasing is the perfect stopgap for business fleets is that with existing customers, we don’t need to do a credit check for each vehicle. In other words, if we’re already leasing a vehicle to you already, we won’t make you do all the paperwork again!

This common-sense approach to open-end car leases means we’re able to turn around agreements incredibly quickly for brands we’ve leased to before, which is a win-win for all concerned.

Of course, if you’ve never leased through us before, that might mean a little more paperwork up front. However, if your new starter does decide to switch cars as mentioned above, you’ll then benefit from having done the credit check when it comes to the longer-term leasing agreement!

Enjoy leasing with a personal touch

As mentioned at the start of this post, many leasing providers simply don’t see short term vehicle leases as relevant to their business. But at WVL, we put our customer’s needs first. We believe in keeping people mobile, and will go to every length we can to make sure we secure you the short-term car rental you need – as quickly and straightforwardly as possible. We’ll happily have a conversation to walk you through every step of the process, and we’ll always be entirely transparent about contract terms, so you know what your responsibilities are.

Short-term vehicle leasing that makes sense

At WVL, we recognise that when you need a vehicle, you need a vehicle – and we make it our mission to make that whole process easy and hassle-free.

So if you need a car or van in a hurry, don’t delay – get in touch with us today  on 01753 801913.

MORE RECENT POSTS

• How Can You Keep Fuel Costs Down?
• Is an EV Really Cheaper To Run?
• Can Car Salary Sacrifice Work for Your Employees?
• Electric, Petrol, Diesel and Hybrid Vehicles: Benefits & Drawbacks
• What Does Current Vehicle Availability Look Like?

In the middle of a fuel crisis, every bit of fuel saved by each car in your business fleet can soon mount up to sizeable savings. In turn, that desire to save money on fuel will also help to lower your fleet’s emissions – making it a win all round!

Follow these economical driving and fleet management tips to save money on diesel and petrol and make some much-needed savings.

Route planning

Make less trips

Our first tip to save fuel costs on your fleet journeys is simply to make less journeys! It might sound obvious but when you run a fleet, it can mean taking a magnifying glass to your usual shipments to see which ones can be combined. Merging two routes into one might sound like it wouldn’t save you much money, but when you consider that fleets can have tens of vehicles doing hundreds of miles a day, it soon adds up!

Plan ahead for the optimum route

Another way to save money on petrol and diesel for your fleet is to use telematics tools and planning ahead. Something as simple as turning right can add extra journey time – especially when you consider long waits for oncoming traffic to clear. So if there’s a way to avoid too many right turns, road works, and general traffic hotspots, opting for that is going to help lower your fleet’s fuel costs too.

Vehicle maintenance

Keep vehicle weight low

The lighter your fleet’s vehicles, the better their fuel economy. One of the best ways to save money on fuel is for your maintenance team to take a look at what the vehicle really needs to run and remove any extraneous items or cargo. It might even mean moving to smaller vehicles outright.

Check tyre pressure regularly

Do you know the optimum tyre pressure for your vehicles? Moreover, did you know that if pressure falls even 1% under that, it can have a dramatic effect on the fuel efficiency of your vehicles?  To save fuel costs, we’d suggest giving each of your drivers a tyre pressure gauge, and making sure your maintenance team check a vehicles’ tyres as standard each time they get back to base.

Driving technique

Gradual braking and smooth accelerating

When you drive for a living it can be easy to slip into bad habits. That’s why using a telematics system to track your drivers’ typical behaviour can be key to training for safety and better fuel economy. The smoother they brake into corners and accelerate out of them, the better for other road users, the planet, and your business’s bottom line.

Don’t idle with the engine on

Another way your drivers can save money on diesel or petrol is by not sitting for long stretches of time with the engine idling while the vehicles goes nowhere. Encourage them to switch the engine off when they’re going to be paused for a long period of time – especially if they pull in to a roadside rest stop.

Keep revs low

Our last tip to save money on fuel is to keep revs low unless absolutely necessary. The best way to do this in built-up areas is for your drivers to choose the highest gear they can get away with – while (obviously) adhering to the local speed limit. The higher the revs, the more engine rotations, which means more fuel consumption, and driving in a higher gear keeps revs low – while also lowering the cost of their journey to your fleet.

Or: go electric!

Of course, perhaps the most effective way to save money on fuel is to switch to a fuel type that costs less to begin with!

However, this is also a move you won’t want to rush – moving to an electric future means planning the installation of your electric infrastructure and making sure your vehicles have the right range for the kinds of business trips you need them to do.

Need to optimise your fleet’s fuel spend? We can help

At WVL, we’re well positioned to meet your fleet optimisation needs, whether it’s agreeing the right maintenance support, finding the right vehicles, or helping your fleet transition to a fossil fuel free future.

To learn more, check out the blogs below or get in touch with our team to discuss your business’s needs.

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