If you’re considering switching to a green fleet but don’t know where to start, you’ve come to the right place.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the ways switching to a green fleet could benefit your business as well as where to begin when taking the leap.
We understand that transitioning to a green fleet is a big decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. More often than not it’s a big investment, but that’s where commercial vehicle leasing could be the answer.
It’s an easy way for your employees to test electric vehicles within their day-to-day without a permanent commitment.
Here at LeaseCar, we have a wide selection of green vehicle leases that could become part of your new fleet.
Get in touch with our expert team to find out more!
What Is Fleet Leasing?
A fleet lease is a group of vehicles owned by a leasing company but leased to a company.
Just like personal vehicle leasing, fleet leasing allows a business to choose:
- Annual mileage
- Lease length
- Initial rental
This way, you can tailor your green fleet lease to meet the needs of your company.
You can lease as many vehicles as is required for your fleet. So, if you need cars for your employees, drivers, or management team, don’t worry!
Plus, depending on your business, you can lease vans if that would better suit your employees’ needs.
You just pay your monthly fee until your lease contract is up! You then return the cars to us and update your fleet if you choose to get a new lease deal.
How to Transition to a Green Fleet Lease
We understand that switching to a green fleet can seem overwhelming, but our expert team has broken down the process into seven simple steps!
1) Consider Your Needs
Before you take out a fleet lease, it’s important to establish what you will need from your commercial vehicle lease.
For example, do you plan on growing your business in the next few years? If so, you’ll need to be able to add to your fleet.
Some leasing companies have a minimum number of vehicles that you can lease in a fleet. Smaller businesses may be limited to which company they can use for their green fleet.
Here at LeaseCar, we can accommodate your business fleet, whether you have 2 cars or 30!
2) Choose Your Vehicles
Now for the fun part!
Who doesn’t love picking a new car?
We recognise that a green fleet may need to include a mixture of both cars and vans depending on your business. This is why we offer our customers a range of car lease deals for various types of vehicles.
So, it doesn’t matter if you need hatchbacks, estates, or pickup trucks, we’ve got what you need.
3) Decide Your Lease Term
This is the tricky bit.
We understand that knowing what lease term to pick isn’t the easiest task.
We recommend speaking to your employees to learn how much annual mileage they’ll need.
Plus, knowing your budget for the initial rental and how much you can afford to pay each month will help you find the best leasing deal for your green fleet.
4) Instruct Your Drivers
This one may sound a bit silly – surely your drivers know how to… drive?
However, driving an electric vehicle is slightly different from usual due to the added weight of the additional battery.
You could also help them understand optimal ways of charging their vehicle.
5) Run a Pilot
Transitioning to a green fleet is a big adjustment for any company.
You have to consider the costs, how your employees will react, and pick the lease term that best suits your business!
Therefore, we recommend testing electric vehicles with a set number of employees first.
6) Assess How the Pilot Went
By running a pilot green fleet lease, you will be able to see if there are any challenges or learnings along the way.
For example, you may find that:
- You need more annual mileage than expected
- You can afford to spend more each month
- You need more vans than expected
Once you have this information, you can use it to your advantage.
7) Take Your Learnings and Scale Up
Now you have a clear understanding of what your business requires in a green fleet lease, you can scale your fleet for your entire company!
Of course, you may find as your business grows you need different things from your commercial vehicle lease.
This can be addressed if you decide to take out a new lease deal.
The Benefits of Switching to a Green Fleet
There are a number of pros to leasing your green fleet and there are benefits to your business too!
Lower or Zero Emissions
Electric vehicles (EVs) produce far fewer emissions than traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICEs) – one study found it was 43% less than diesel vehicles!
If reducing emissions is important to your company, switching to a green fleet could definitely help your efforts.
With more than 72% of Brits changing their shopping habits to help save the planet, you want to be sure people have a reason to swap to you.
Reduced Operating Costs
When you choose to lease your fleet, you can opt for a maintenance package on top of your monthly fee.
By picking this option, you have a predictable monthly cost and the peace of mind of knowing your vehicle is as well taken care of as possible.
Minimised Upfront Costs
It’s no secret that switching to a green fleet isn’t cheap. However, if you decide to have a fleet lease you reduce the upfront costs.
Now, it won’t exactly be free to begin your green fleet lease, but upfront costs for vehicle leasing will be significantly less than buying green cars outright.
Higher Employee Satisfaction
A recent survey found that 74% of employees said they would like salary sacrifice electric car scheme on offer at their workplace.
However, the same survey found that just 18% of companies currently have that as an employee perk.
Therefore, if you want to increase employee happiness and attract new talent to your business, this is worth considering.
Say Goodbye to the Hassle of Selling
One of the many advantages of leasing vehicles is that you don’t have to worry about selling your vehicles!
With leasing, all you have to do is give your car or van back to us once your lease contract has expired.
It really is as simple as that!
Exclusive Access to Benefits
Green fleet vehicles are not considered corporate assets as the company does not own the cars or vans in question.
They are instead thought of as a business expense. This means that you do not have to report them as assets or debts on your yearly taxes.
This distinction can potentially reduce your overall tax amount.
Ready to Find Your Commercial Vehicle Lease? LeaseCar Is Here to Help!
We hope this article has shown you that transitioning to a green fleet isn’t as complicated as it first seems.
As you can see, there are several benefits to making the switch that could take your business to the next level.
At LeaseCar, we have a wide selection of car leasing deals with various specifications, prices, and lease lengths. This way, you can find the right lease term for you and your business needs.
If you’re still slightly unsure about the right lease term, why not reach out to our UK-based team? With over 25 years of experience, we will be more than happy to talk through our options with you so you feel more confident about your decision.
Or, if you’d prefer, simply fill out our online contact form. We’ll get to work right away!