David Motton picks the best, and worst, performers in BusinessCar’s annual review of the top 20 fleet brands’ sites.
If time is money, then websites with slow download speeds, broken links and impenetrable design are more than just annoying – drumming fingers on desks is time spent not doing the job you’re paid to do. BusinessCar’s survey of manufacturer websites for the best-selling brands sorts those that save time from those that waste it.
We’ve assessed each site across a range of criteria before awarding a final percentage total. First of all, we’ve scored each site for the accessibility of the ‘fleet’ section from the home page by seeing how clear the menu is, and how prominent the link is to the business sales pages.
Next is how easily you can find your way to and around the fleet-specific site? There’s little point creating some brilliant content then hiding it away behind counter-intuitive navigation.
Ease of use and attractive design should go hand in hand. We award high scores to sites that rest easy on the eye, but we don’t reward distracting design. Style or substance? We’re looking for both, and there are plenty of websites this year that deliver.
We also scored each site for the ease with which you can find P11D prices and BIK percentages, ideally in a downloadable format so they can easily be viewed offline.
While a P11D price list is useful, a comprehensive tax calculator is vital to any good offering. We again asked car tax expert www.comcar.co.uk, provider of BusinessCar’s (www.businesscar.co.uk/ taxcalculator), to review each one, making sure the numbers are crunched correctly and comprehensively.
However clever a tax calculator may be, there comes a point at which you’ll want to contact a human being. So there are more points on offer to sites that make it easy to find phone numbers and which respond quickly to email queries.
Worthwhile apps, smartphone-friendly mobile sites (especially if they have pages for business users) and an informative Twitter feed earn a higher score.
Audi 80%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 4/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 2/5
Speed of response to emails: 5/5
Phone number accessibility: 4/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, shortlist tool, downloadable information packs, video guides, fleet special offers, Audi Direct microsite for small businesses, Audi Mileage Tracker App, mobile site with fleet content, Twitter (fleet-specific) 9/10
www.audi.co.uk/audi/fleet-sales.html
Audi’s is a handsome-looking website, and the fleet area is packed with worthwhile features. The ‘Find your Audi’ tool is a useful way to create a suitable shortlist from Audi’s 541 models (yes, really that many), while the Audi Mileage Tracker App is a clever means of keeping track of your travel expenses. We’re always pleased to find a downloadable P11D price list, but the tax calculator contained errors and wouldn’t always load correctly.
BMW 76%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 5/5
Design: 3/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 5/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 3/5
Speed of response to emails: 2/5
Phone number accessibility: 3/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 5/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, shortlist tool, car comparison tool (BMW vs rivals), special offers, news, video content, specialist sales, ‘Digi Flipbook’ tax guide, mobile site with fleet content, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 8/10
The design of BMW’s site feels a little dated and the font size is very small in places. That said, there’s still a lot to praise, with straightforward navigation, and price lists that show the P11D value and BIK percentage. We’re really impressed by the ‘Find a dealer’ tool in the BMW/Mini Business Partnership area, which gives the business sales contacts at your local dealer. However, the tax calculator is not as detailed as the best and we waited nearly two days for a reply to our email.
Citroen 76%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 5/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 2/5
Speed of response to emails: 5/5
Phone number accessibility: 4/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 3/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, car comparison tool (Citroen vs Citroen and with rivals), special offers, PDF tax guide, section for driving instructors, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 7/10
For a lesson in how eye-catching design needn’t compromise ease of use, take a look at Citroen’s website. It’s creative and attractive but simple to use. What could be simpler than a price list for the whole range that’s just a click from the home page? Last year, the French brand was slow to respond to our email, but this year our phone rang just 11 minutes later. It’s a shame the tax calculator we assessed is so basic, although Citroen replaced it with a new one as BusinessCar went to press.
Ford 72%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Design: 3/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 5/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 4/5
Speed of response to emails: 0/5
Phone number accessibility: 4/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, special offers, whole-life costs calculator, online guides (tax, budget, etc), explanation of Government initiatives, news, mobile site, Ford Accident Management app, Twitter (fleet-specific) 8/10
Ford is one of the few brands with a dedicated Twitter account for its fleet team, plus a very active general account. Better still, Ford’s tax calculator is right up with the very best, with accurate numbers and adjustments for annual and capital contributions. There are some useful extras, too, such as the whole-life costs calculator and the Ford Accident Management app. However, we’re still waiting for a response to our email. Come to think of it, we’re still waiting for a response to last year’s.
Honda 84%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 5/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 5/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 2/5
Speed of response to emails: 5/5
Phone number accessibility: 5/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test driver requests, shortlist tool, car comparison tool (Honda vs rivals), live chat, special offers, e-newsletter, SMR data, press and owner reviews, mobile site, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 8/10
www.honda.co.uk/cars/corporatesales
Honda’s site is great to look at, easy to find your way around, and by choosing the ‘Additional Corporate info’ option you can find the P11D, BIK% and monthly tax liability when looking up prices. What’s more, our phone rang just 10 minutes after we sent in our email enquiry. But why is the tax calculator so basic?
Hyundai 80% (MOST IMPROVED)
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 5/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 3/5
Speed of response to emails: 5/5
Phone number accessibility: 4/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, shortlist tool, contract hire offers, whole-life cost calculator, news, mobile site, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 7/10
www.hyundai.co.uk/fleet/fleet-managers
Hyundai had to try harder and has. The tax calculator has been replaced by an accurate one, and there are contact details for individuals in the fleet team, although, oddly, there is one phone number and email address for the whole department. We had a prompt reply to our email from whoever had hold of the company keyboard, while the whole-life cost calculator for entire virtual fleets is very clever.
Kia 78%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 3/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 5/5
Speed of response to emails: 4/5
Phone number accessibility: 4/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Test drive requests, shortlist tool, engine selector, VED calculator, contract hire offers, iBrochures (for iPad and iPhone), e-zine for business customers, Reevoo reviews, ‘Ask an owner’ facility, mobile site, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 7/10
Not many years ago Kia’s online presence all but ignored business users. Now it’s a useful resource for company car drivers and fleet managers alike. The tax calculator is comprehensive and accurate, with prefilled option prices and the facility to show results for more than one Kia on the same page. The design looks bright and colourful, and the navigation is intuitive.
Land Rover 52% (MUST TRY HARDER)
Accessibility: 2/5
Ease of use: 3/5
Design: 3/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 3/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 0/5
Speed of response to emails: 3/5
Phone number accessibility: 4/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, e-newsletter, blue-light sales, international sales, mobile site, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 4/10
www.landrover.com/gb/en/lr/corporate-sales
After missing the cut in 2011, Land Rover returns to our website survey. But two years on, its offering is still a huge disappointment. For starters, few other sites make you work so hard to find the corporate sales section (it’s the ninth option under ‘Vehicles’ at the bottom of the home page). Shockingly, there’s no tax calculator, and the list of useful features is a very short one. On the plus side, if you’re ordering a brochure the drop-down menu allows you to enter Dame, Earl, Lady or Lord as your title.
Mada 80%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 3/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 5/5
Speed of response to emails: 5/5
Phone number accessibility: 4/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, shortlist tool, car comparison tool (Mazda vs rivals), news, offers, mobile site with fleet content, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 7/10
Mazda’s website now looks cleaner and slicker than it did in 2011, and there’s a mobile version to view on your smartphone. Beneath the attractive new skin there’s some good content, with a tax calculator that’s second only to Peugeot’s in its sophistication, according to www.comcar.co.uk. The competitor comparison facility is more sophisticated than most, allowing you to choose from a list of rivals and adjust variables. We had a response to our email in less than an hour.
Mercedes 72%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 3/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 4/5
Speed of response to emails: 2/5
Phone number accessibility: 4/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, shortlist tool, competitor comparison tool (Mercedes vs rivals), independent reviews, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 7/10
www.mercedes-benz.co.uk/corporatesales
Despite the modest score, there’s a lot to like here. Navigation is straightforward, the design is attractive, and the tax calculator is accurate. There’s some decent content to back up the slick looks, including fleet-specific cost comparisons against rivals and a handy shortlist tool. However, it was over two days before we had a response to our email, and we searched without success for a downloadable price list with P11D values and BIK bandings.
Mini 72%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Design: 5/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 5/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 2/5
Speed of response to emails: 0/5
Phone number accessibility: 4/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 5/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, shortlist tool, car comparison tool (Mini vs rivals), special offers, downloadable newsletter, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 7/10
From the corporate home page you’re directed to the most relevant content depending on whether you are a small or large fleet. There are P11D prices for the range, and a shortlist tool that uses BIK percentage and P11D to help narrow down your choices. We like the way the dealer search facility gives your local business contact, not just a generic dealer number, but the tax calculator contains some errors.
Nissan 72%
Accessibility: 2/5
Ease of use: 3/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 3/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 4/5
Speed of response to emails: 5/5
Phone number accessibility: 5/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, car comparison tool (within model range), engine selector (suggests more economical alternatives), mobile site, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 6/10
The business area only appears in a sub-menu if you hover over ‘Tools and services’. When you do find fleet-specific content there’s an 0800 number for the fleet team and individual contact details, plus content such as a fuel benefit calculator. Nissan replied in under an hour to our email, but the downloadable price/spec guide lacks P11Ds.
Peugeot 84% (BEST TAX CALCULATOR)
Accessibility: 5/5
Ease of use: 5/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 3/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 5/5
Speed of response to emails: 4/5
Phone number accessibility: 4/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, shortlist tool/car comparisons (with rivals), VED calculator, guide to BIK, online service booking, e-newsletter, mobile site, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 8/10
Peugeot shows what a tax calculator should be. The clever online number-cruncher shows BIK bills monthly and per annum, has prefilled options and will even calculate your personal tax rate. It couldn’t be easier to find the business section of the site, where there’s lots of neat thinking. The shortlist creator is linked to the comparison facility to make a brilliant tool that even allows you to download results in PDF form.
Renault 70%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Design: 5/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 4/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 1/5
Speed of response to emails: 0/5
Phone number accessibility: 5/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive booking, car comparison tool (within model range), online club for small businesses (with special offers, discounts and VIP events), price list archive, e-newsletter, Renault TV, assistance via video link, Renault Business e-zine, leasing microsite, mobile site, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 8/10
Renault’s tax calculator gets its electric vehicle sums wrong – embarrassing for one of the biggest advocates of EVs. The full-range price list has BIK and CO2 data, but would be even more useful if P11Ds were included. A freephone number is a nice touch, and there are lots of thoughtful and unusual features, such as Renault’s price list archive.
Seat 78%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 4/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 4/5
Speed of response to emails: 4/5
Phone number accessibility: 5/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence: Shortlist tool/car builder (combines functions of both), test drive requests, contract hire offers, online service booking, news, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 6/10
Seat’s website gets the important things right. It doesn’t take long to find the business section of the website, and once you’re there the tax calculator is detailed and glitch-free. The business range brochure gives a list of all Seat models with CO2 emissions below the 160g/km mark, and you can quickly find BIK percentages. But the P11D pricing we found last year has been removed. Compared with the very best, Seat’s website could do with a few more handy tools for business users.
Skoda 82%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 5/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 5/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 4/5
Speed of response to emails: 5/5
Phone number accessibility: 5/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 3/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, whole-life cost data (external link), useful links, contract hire offers, contract hire quotes, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 6/10
Clicking on ‘business prices’ brings up a P11D price list for each model range, and the brochures show P11D values alongside the BIK percentages. Skoda makes it easy to get in touch, with a prominent 0800 number for Skoda Business Direct and specific email and phone contacts for individuals. The tax calculator is accurate and reasonably comprehensive, but Skoda’s fleet pages are short on the interactive tools that the likes of Toyota and Vauxhall provide.
Toyota 78%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 4/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 2/5
Speed of response to emails: 4/5
Phone number accessibility: 4/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, cost comparisons, press reviews, online advisors, contract hire offers, company car tax app, downloadable fleet brochure (includes tax table and key contacts), Twitter (not fleet-specific) 9/10
This site is easy to use and neatly designed. It doesn’t take long to find a price list, which includes BIK bandings, but it’s a shame the P11D isn’t included. We like the dedicated fleet brochure and the interactive company car tax guide, which is available as an app from iTunes or Google Play. The basic tax calculator is a let-down, though.
Vauxhall 94% 2021 *** WINNER ***
Accessibility: 5/5
Ease of use: 5/5
Design: 5/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 5/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 4/5
Speed of response to emails: 5/5
Phone number accessibility: 4/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, call back requests, whole-life cost calculator, emissions calculator for entire fleets, models listed by CO2 output, historical price guides, mobile site (no fleet section), Twitter (not fleet-specific) 10/10
Last year Vauxhall was a deserving winner. This year’s site is even better. There’s a massive amount of content for fleet managers and company car drivers, but bold design and intuitive navigation make Vauxhall’s website easy to use. The whole-life cost calculator is hugely detailed, there’s a price list with P11D and BIK figures for the entire range, and the Roadtrip app helps keep track of business mileage.
Volkswagen 78%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 5/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 3/5
Speed of response to emails: 1/5
Phone number accessibility: 5/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, car comparison tool (VW vs rivals), Bluemotion guide, whole-life cost calculator, testimonials, emissions guide for sub-140g/km cars, fleet manager’s guides, Car Configurator app, mobile site, Twitter 9/10
If VW had replied to our online enquiry more quickly, this site would be placed as runner-up overall. RV comparisons and a flexible and detailed car comparison tool are highlights, and there are some neat touches such as testimonials from fleet customers and a freephone number to call the fleet sales team. We also like the detailed advice guides for fleet managers. However, the tax calculator is too basic albeit error-free.
Volvo 70%
Accessibility: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Design: 4/5
P11D/BIK info and brochure: 4/5
Tax calculator cleverness: 2/5
Speed of response to emails: 1/5
Phone number accessibility: 4/5
‘Find a dealer’ service rating: 4/5
Extras, apps and Twitter presence:
Car builder, test drive requests, car comparison tool (Volvo vs rivals), PDF comparisons with competitors, model listing by CO2, e-news, affinity offers, chauffeur programme, online user guides and manuals, mobile site, Twitter (not fleet-specific) 8/10
The comparison tool is the highlight of Volvo’s site. Choose your Volvo and up to three rivals from a list Volvo suggests – or pick your own. Points of comparison include the P11D and BIK banding. If that’s all a bit too interactive for you there are PDFs to download comparing Volvos with competitors. However, the no-frills tax calculator doesn’t give figures for 50% taxpayers and doesn’t include a fuel benefit calculation.
