The Association of Fleet Operators (ACFO) have once again given their top commercial vehicle award to Transit and Transit Connect. The Transit won Fleet Panel Van of the Year and the the Transit Connect, Fleet Light Van of the Year. ACFO represents fleet managers across the industry and their members have a wealth of knowledge about which cars and vans provide the best reliability and low running costs.

Kevin Griffin, Ford’s director of fleet operations said ” Claiming the ACFO title for the 14th consecutive year is testament to Ford’s understanding of the van business and our laser focus on reliability, cost and service support.

All the Ford commercial and car product range can be quoted on contract hire at www.comparecontracthire.com, the UK’s first contract hire price comparison site. Quotes can be easily compared on line from a panel of up to 12 finance companies.

With it’s high quality build and strong residuals the Volkswagen Transporter has been described as “head and shoulders” above its rivals by the judges at the Fleet Van Awards. The latest edition of Commercial Motor magazine has also named the Transporter, winner of a Medium Van group test against five other rivals. The VW Transporter received particular praise for its quality and fuel economy.

Simon Elliott, Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles said ” in the these difficult economic times, this award is a great help to van drivers”. Simon also said ”choosing a van is not just about the purchase price, but also its quality, durability and competitive whole life costs”.

The Transporter range offers load volulmes from 5.8 cubic metres to 9.3, with payloads ranging from 802 kg to 1282 kg.

Van contract hire prices on all the Volkswagen range can be found at www.comparecontracthire.com , the UK’s first car and commercial van price comparison site. Twelve contract hire finance houses currently supply their pricing data and there are over half a million quote variations available on line.

Corby Council has decided to set an environmental example on Northamptonshire roads. It has taken delivery of two Toyota Prius T3 Hybrids, plus three Toyota Aygo Blue three door hatchbacks. The Aygos have the best fuel economy in their class and were selected for their environmental and cost saving capabilities.

CO2 emissions for the 1.0 VVTi petrol engined Toyota are 108g/km and combined MPG is 61.41 mpg, whilst the equivalent figures for the Prius are 104 g/km and 65.69 mpg.

Cllr Pat Fawcett say ” I am delighted that the council is leading the way by getting vehicles that are more environmentally friendly”.

Citroen has scooped three awards at the Fleet Van Awards, claiming three of the top honours.

An independent judging panel drawn from major fleet operators and other van experts made the following awards. The new Citroen Berlingo was named outright “Van of the Year” and also “Best Small Van”, whilst the Citroen Nemo won “Best City Van”.

The Citroen Berlingo offers a wide choice of loads lengths, its Extenso multi-function dual passenger seat and the standard fitment of Trafficmaster Smartnav satellite system, Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking,as well as a dual fuel option won over the panel.

The Citroen Nemo was singled out because if offered more than its rivals , including the availability of dual fuel (petrol/lpg) option and its longer warranty.

Robert Handyside, Citroen’s commercial vehicle opeartions manager, comments, “The Berlingo’s success in becoming the first Van of the Year is a great honour for Citroen”.

Commercial contract hire quotes on all Citroen vans are available at www.comparecontracthire.com the UK’s first car and van contract hire price comparison site. All makes and models can be compared from our panel of finance partners on varying packages, contract durations and annual mileages. Other commercial vehicle leasing is also available from all manufacturers.

One of the benefits of vehicle contract hire is it allows you to drive a better vehicle than you think.  Comparecontracthire.com, the UK’s first contract hire price comparison site, has looked at two rentals for the same brand and range- Audi, to explain why.

An Audi A3 1.6 SE Hatchback has a manufacturer list price of £14870 and an Audi A3 1.9 TDie 5 door Sportback has a manufacturer list price of £17030. That is a list price differential of £2160.

The contract hire rentals, for both vehicles, on a three year non maintained business contract hire rental at 10,000 miles per annum is as follows.

Audi A3 1.6 SE – the lowest rental on the site is £209.00 excl VAT.

Audi A3 1.9 TDie Sportback – the lowest rental on the site is £211.84 excl VAT.

So for near enough the same rental you can drive a vehicle that has manufacturer list price of over £2000 more. The main reason for this is that contract hire provides you a total life cost rental. In other words the contract hire company calculates what they will buy the vehicle for and what they think they will sell it for. The resale value is the biggest factor when calculating a contract hire rental.

This demonstrates the benefit of looking at contract hire as a way of funding your next vehicle.

So if you want to drive a new car or van that actually costs more than you want to spend, you might find you can afford it on contract hire. Try using the budget shopper on Comparecontracthire.com to see your options.

www.comparecontracthire.com/quote/shop-by-price.php

You will be amazed at the differences in rentals and quotes can be provided on any manufacturer make or model. Business and personal contract hire prices are also shown so whether you are a small business or a private individual , contract hire may be right for you.

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The new exciting Fiat 500 Abarth has been voted the “Best Hot Hatch” by the team at Top Gear magazine, one of the UK’s most respected and widely read motoring magazines.

This new model has not even been launched in the UK but has already picked up this top industry award. Powered by a 1.4 litre 16v turbo charged engine very similar to the one in the Fiat Abarth Grande Punto, this new hot hatch delivers 135bhp at 5500rpm, has a CO2 emission of just 155 g/km and returns 43.3 MPG on the combined cycle. It goes on sale in February however if you want to look at information on other Fiat models then try the new Vehicle Information search engine at Comparecontracthire.com - www.comparecontracthire.com/technical/index.php . You can search for any make or model and see options, standard equipment, an image and all technical data i.e. 0-62, MPG, CO2 etc.

If you are also interested in contract hiring your next vehicle, car or van, you can also compare live prices from our 12 finance partners.

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The new Volkswagen Scirocco has been named as the “Car of the Year” by the team at Top Gear Magazine, one of the UK’s most respected and widely read motoring magazines.

The Judging panel was made up of members of the road test team and journalists from Top Gear magazine. Chris Craft the Director of Volkswagen UK, commented: ” The Scirocco has received a fantastic reception since its launch earlier this year and to be named Car of the Year by such a tough and well respected group of judges is a real honour.

The new Scirocco is the most technically advanced production coupe that Volkswagen has produced. There are seven variations with 4 diesel models and 3 petrol models. The 2.0 Litre TSi GT 3 Door DSG, for example, has a 0-62 time of 7.1 seconds, a CO2 g/km output of 179 g/km and a combined MPG of 37.2.

All models benefit from Advanced Chassis Control (ACC) which operates via a set of four electronically adjustable dampers to alter the cars’s suspension, steering and throttle response set-up. This allows the driver to choose the most appropriate setting for their journey.

Comparecontracthire.com has a vehicle information search engine at www.comparecontracthire.com/technical/index.php where you can search for data, images, options, standard equipment plus much more on all the models. If you are also interested in contract hiring your next Volkswagen you can also see contract hire prices compared on line from our contract hire partners.

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Personal Contract Hire is an easy and affordable way for a consumer or private individual to finance their next car. It provides fixed cost motoring at a price you can afford.

The recent Pre-Budget report has reduced VAT from 17.5% to 15% from the 1st December 2008 for 13 months.

VAT is normally added to the contract hire base rental and cannot be recovered by a private individual. So for example on a base rental of £300 the VAT difference is £7.50 a month or a £285 saving over a three year contract with a 38 month payment plan.  

Personal Contract Hire may now be an even more attractive financial proposition than buying a car. Cars lose value over time and the resale hassle and risk is down to the leasing company.

Full details are available at www.comparecontracthire.com which is the UK’s first contract hire price comparison site allowing customers to see prices compared direct from the finance companies.

When looking for a new car or commercial van on contract hire it can be a daunting task trying to obtain four or five quotations to make sure you are getting value for money.

Contract Hire is form of rental and provides fixed cost motoring at an affordable price.

The contract hire leasing companies all have different ways of calculating their rentals and the biggest factor affecting their price is the residual value or re-sale value of the vehicle in three or four years time.

For example on www.comparecontracthire.com a Ford Fiesta 1.6 Econetic Tdi 3 Door on a three year non maintained, business contract hire rental @10,000 miles per annum, the difference quoted from the various suppliers on displayed rentals, is £46 per month. 

That is 38 payments at £46 per month or a saving over the contract life of £1748. This is a massive saving and shows the value of price comparison via the Internet.

Comparecontracthire.com is the UK’s first business and personal contract hire price comparison site showing prices directly from 12 leading contract hire finance companies. Prices can be compared by the exact model of your choice, by your budget range, by CO2 g/km output or by Combined MPG.

With over half a million variations you can obtain a new car or van contract hire lease at the best possible price for you. The car and van leasing companies also display their latest car and commercial vehicle leasing offers as well. More information is available at www.comparecontracthire.com

The Chancellor, Alastair Darling, announced some changes to the new VED bands for April 2009, reports Comparecontracthire.com. There are currently seven Vehicle Excise Duty bands and this figure will move to thirteen in April 2009. The bands are based on the CO2 g/km output of your car.The intention is to encourage the design and manufacture of more fuel efficient vehicles together with influencing buyer behaviour.

However the proposed larger changes of Vehicle Excise Duty have been deferred and rates will not increase by more than £5 for 2009-2010. However the first year rate charge from April 2010 is still planned. For the second year and onwards you will pay the standard rate.

The final bandings are as follows.

Cars - Band K below includes cars that have a CO2 figure over 225 g/km but were registered before 23 March 2006. These cars will stay in band K.

Vans

• Light Goods Vehicles, 2009 -10 rate will be £185 and the 2010-11 rate is £200.
• Euro 4 & 5 emmissions compliant LGV’s, 2009-10 & 2010-2011 rate, is £125 in both years.

Comparecontracthire.com is the UK’s first car and van business and personal contract hire price comparison site. Vehicle Excise duty is normally covered with a contract hire rental however the leasing companies will build the future expected costs into their calculations. Choosing a greener, more CO2 efficient vehicle will save you money and be better for the environment.