To go with EV or stick with fuel for new job?

Fiyatoe · 21-04-2022 1:19pm #1

Hi Boards motors experts...

I was looking to know if any of you work in the car trade and could recommend a suitable vehicle for a new job.

I live in an Ulster County which is 107 miles (172km) one way from the Dublin office on the Quays, so that's a 340km/214miles round trip.

About 70 miles of the journey are motorway on the M1 from Newry and then M50 until the city. The first 40 miles to Newry are on average single carriageway roads with 60mph limit. (I thought this would help experts on here)

I expect to only have to do this once per week, I will either drive up and down in one day or stay over and return after 2 days in office.

Apart from that, my car sits outside the house and doesn't move much at all. The biggest trip it makes is about 20 miles occasionally, generally everyday it just goes around the local town in a 10 mile radius. I live in a house that is my own so I could avail of a charger, although it would be in NI.

The new company are a large multinational and one of the "big 4" firms. They are going to pay for fuel/travel expenses to the office. In that case, am I better to just stick with an average second hand used diesel car (never driven petrol), or maybe politely ask if they provide any added vehicle bonuses, some in my profession tend to be say €5,000 per year. That amount would maybe let me lease a vehicle? or buy it through HP/PCP. I'd probably prefer to buy a vehicle outright with a personal loan of my own and pay it back that way.

Is there any incentive for these large firms to get you a company car?

Im sceptical of the electric cars - because of range anxiety, however I do not know enough.

Other than that I'd probably pick a an Audi A6 new shape from 2019 onwards i think, which has the nice chrome trim profile on the boot. Wouldn't want to spend more than £20-25K outright myself. I have bought a lot of my cars in the past out of england.

I currently drive a 2014 Peugeot 308 active blue HDi , as i lost interest in cars and it's a "runaround" for me. Typically drove VW/Audi before that. However i don't think it would last the regular drive to dublin as it's showing signs of wear and tear at the 80K Miles mark

It's probably worth about £4K sterling.

Thank you in advance,

pjdarcy · 21-04-2022 1:29pm

I don't want to derail (pardon the pun) the thread but have you considered driving to Newry and getting the express train to Dublin. It only takes 1 hour 20 mins so it would be considerably quicker than driving and I'm sure your job would cover the cost of the ticket. That way you could easily change to an EV and avoid any range anxiety.

brokenangel · 21-04-2022 1:32pm

Ok most large companies will have a company car policy. The problem with all of these is the BIK. Not the car itself. I have a company car but last time went electric because the BIK was 0%. That is changing going forward. Our company has a set monthly sum they give into wages if you drive your own car. The problem is you pay tax on this so it works out 50% of the actual amount. Or you convert the sum into a monthly fee to lease a car from a large leasing company.

If you are driving a car for work you should get this. Please note driving a car to get into work is not company mileage. Not in my company. It is only if you go to a customer site etc.

The description you give above would not pass for a company car or allowance in my company because you are just working from home and 1 day in office but companies have different rules. I would check that out.

In terms of car, stick with what you have!! When it falls off the road see what else is available at that stage. 80k miles is nothing. My bro had a 5008 which I would expect is the same engine and he drove it to 300k miles and only traded in last week

Buying a new car will cost you thousands. For 1 day a week I would save your money

Fiyatoe · 21-04-2022 2:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118956193#Comment_118956193

I get what you’re saying , fair point definitely. However those of us from mid ulster area tend to not bother with the train. It just doesn’t really make sense to be honest, maybe it’s a habit.

everyone drives to Dublin unless you live right on a train line ie Belfast etc - Portadown is my closest station.

on a good day/favourable traffic times I can do north Dublin in 2hours exactly - it’s about 40 mins to Newry- so it doesn’t really make sense to park a car up at Newry train station, go in, get the train, get off and then get a bus / walk to the office…

although In saying that I suppose I am going to have to park the car somewhere in Dublin. Office north wall quay.

CreadanLady · 21-04-2022 2:46pm

80k is not high milage by any measure.

Any kind of half decent car should be able to achieve 250k miles if it is looked after properly.

Cyrus · 21-04-2022 2:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118956205#Comment_118956205

Big4 firms never had a company car policy in my time and i havent heard of a change in that.

pjdarcy · 21-04-2022 3:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118956649#Comment_118956649

Fair enough. If you're only doing it once a week it makes things easier if you just drive and go through the Port Tunnel to get to North Wall Quay. If you were doing it every day then the train would make way more sense financially given the cost of the toll on the M1, the toll in the tunnel, the parking charges in Dublin and of course, the petrol/diesel.

Atlantic Dawn · 21-04-2022 3:28pm

I'd keep the Peugeot for at least 3 months to see what the lie of the land is before changing.

Fiyatoe · 21-04-2022 4:34pm

Fair points! Train might be good if I can get it paid for by company…

they seem ok with benefits, just finalising offer at the moment so I still have a bit of room for negotiation.

Fiyatoe · 21-04-2022 7:42pm

It could be 2 days per week, if I have to go to office one day, and maybe a client project/office later in the week.

I get the offer out in final tomorrow

Fiyatoe · 25-04-2022 9:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118956193#Comment_118956193

I think there’s some sort of tax saver scheme for public transport? Might save a bit on the train… I can get it from portadown

pjdarcy · 26-04-2022 12:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118976255#Comment_118976255

Yes, there certainly is (although I think it works on an annual ticket basis so if you're only getting the train once a week it probably won't apply).

You'd probably just need to book a return ticket each week on irishrail.ie (booking online is very often cheaper than buying a ticket at the station)

You'll find more info at the following links

https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/rail-fares-and-tickets/taxsaver-annual-monthly

https://www.taxsaver.ie/Ticket-Types/Rail-point-to-point-tickets/

Fiyatoe · 26-04-2022 12:04pm

Thank you @pjdarcy !

Fiyatoe · 27-04-2022 7:24pm

made my mind up im selling the 2014 Peugeot 308. Clutch isn’t great in it (sticks) and just passed MOT. It’ll be worth nothing in another couple of years.

will get about 3/4K sterling.

im either going to bite the bullet and buy an EV, looking at Hyundai Ioniq 5’s in the north here but they’re expensive monthly

I can get upto £25K loan from my bank at 5.6% over 5 years, not bad at all.

or I’m looking at an Audi A6 2.0 S Line 204PS. Mpg around 50mpg WLTP. I think the Peugeot is a bit higher in fairness.

Fiyatoe · 27-04-2022 7:25pm

Update : will have to do the Dublin. Commute 2 days per week; and two weekends per month to the in laws in west Leinster. Rest of the time will be small journeys less than 30km

Zurbaran · 27-04-2022 7:58pm

Is there a place to charge in work? If there is I’d go electric.

Fiyatoe · 27-04-2022 8:46pm

Yeah I’ll be working on the quays at convention centre. Bound to be a few there in the company car park .

Fiyatoe · 27-04-2022 9:14pm

I think my only other option that’s convenient to charge would be on the M1 motorway at either apple green northbound / southbound, castlebellingham (Dundalk) or Balbriggan one.

fits · 28-04-2022 6:57am

An ID.3 Tour with a 77kw battery would do it without needing to charge ( you might need a small charge in extremely cold weather) - problem is it’s impossible to get one. Or a long range Tesla model3. Agree with figuring the lie of the land before taking the plunge.

Fiyatoe · 28-04-2022 7:11am

Is it best to buy BEV brand new?

could look at them in England on auto trader but not sure if there’s any more risk with a used BEV vs buying traditional ICE Second hand

fits · 28-04-2022 7:14am

At the moment yes. That could change though. I got 0% pcp on mine and it has increased in value since I bought it. That’s obviously an unusual situation though.

there’s no increased risk second hand compared to ice and possibly less as they are much simpler mechanically. Just check the battery health.

Fiyatoe · 28-04-2022 6:22pm

cheers, will look into it, especially now that I'm swaying by the train commute.

£20 for a day return, I don't think you'd travel to dublin and back for £20 diesel

User1998 · 30-04-2022 9:54pm

At 50 MPG its around €30/£25

AMKC · 01-05-2022 1:48pm

If you looking at secondhand EVs OP then maybe the BMW i3 is worth a look. It's a bit smaller so will be easier to drive in the city and park but still good enough for motorway journeys too.

pjdarcy · 03-05-2022 11:37am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119001423#Comment_119001423

As far as I'm aware, the i3 has a battery size of 33kWh so you wouldn't be able to drive to Dublin on a single charge.

To go with EV or stick with fuel for new job?

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