In BusinessCar’s recent Top 50 most efficient fleet cars feature Volvo scooped the top three places in the lower medium category with the C30, S40 and V50 all achieving a claimed 72.4mpg.
We’ve now driven the C30 Driv-e in the UK to see if it can live up to expectations. For the more eagle-eyed readers I’ll be more precise, because a C30 Driv-e has been on sale for about six months already. Volvo is now offering the choice of with or without stop-start technology.
For business, the capital allowance tax advantage of dropping below 110g/km, which stop-start allows, makes total sense. Coming in at 104g/km means the C30 qualifies for the 100% first year level of allowance against tax for business as well as advantages to the leasing of the car too.
For the driver the tax situation is unchanged, but is still an impressively low 13% in benefit-in-kind.
The low fuel consumption benefits both the driver and the business and in this sector you can’t get a better official economy figure.
Even with aircon blasting and little attention to eco driving we saw more than 55mpg on our test route.
The stop-start technology in the Volvo differs from most other stop-start systems with the addition of a second, smaller, battery that allows electrical systems such as aircon and the radio to keep running uninterrupted when the engine stops.
Aside from this, the car’s as normal as any other Volvo C30, which means great looks, fantastic build quality, but limited room for rear seat passengers and a small boot.
This has got to be the fleet choice in the C30 range, even with the distinctly average 38.6p cost per mile figure from Kwikcarcost.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
