Long Term Rental vs Leasing

Whats the best option?

Here at Jensen Fleet, we appreciate that your business has unique needs. With that in mind, we will look at the differences between leasing and rental in the longer term.

Both options offer low upfront payments, leasing, would be three months payment upfront and these are used as a deposit with the three final months been non-chargeable. On rental, Jensen Fleets policy is one month upfront and one month held on file to be refunded at the end of the contract.

Leasing is a finance agreement through a finance house with a set term and mileage whereby rental is a month-to-month contract that allows the business full scope to hand back the vehicles when they are finished with them. We find the rental works great in the below situations:

  • New employees on probation periods
  • Seasonal and busy periods
  • Lead in vehicles
  • Change vehicle type as required.
  • No long-term commitment

On the other hand, leasing would be more suitable if employees are looking to stay in the same vehicle for the whole term. Typically lease agreement cover 36 to 48 months.

The cost of a lease vehicle would be significantly lower than rental, however, this is due to the longer hire period, better interest rates and the increased resale values of lease vehicles.

Both agreements would cover routine maintenance with the monthly rental figure including the maintenance, whereby the lease contract would have a separate maintenance figure per month. Maintenance on both contracts would cover routine servicing, Road Tax. DOE/NCT & tyres.

Leasing allows the customer and the driver more freedom to select any car/van they require. They can request colour, spec, kit out & can include extras such as panelling or signwriting. Rental on the other hand the customer would only have the options of what is available at that specific time. Just to remember, At Jensen Fleet we do have a wide and varied fleet of rental cars and vans on our rental division.

Both contracts offer great benefits to our customers and a in a lot of cases a customer starting as a rental customer can progress to a lease customer once the see the many benefits of dealing with Jensen Fleet.

For more information & to see what suits your business best, contact us on info@jensenfleet.ie or visit jensenfleet.ie

My Electric Irish Adventure

As the big switch to electric cars takes hold, a common question from customers when contemplating the switch relates to range and availability of charger points throughout Ireland. I decided to take my electric vehicle on the road around Ireland for a week to put this to the test.

We headed off as a family of four with a full charge from the home charger providing a range of 350 Km’s. Range increases in the hotter weather, so doing the same journey on a cold, wet January may come with quite different results.

Ahead of departure from Dublin and destined for Harvey Point, just outside Donegal Town a full 224 Km’s away, a call to the hotel is made to see if they had charging facilities available on site.

First bit of good news, six chargers available on the grounds so with that in mind we decided to head straight to Donegal with no stops (hoping a 2- & 5-year-old might sleep some of the way).

When we arrived in Donegal, after 3 hours of baby shark and no sleep, I was delighted to see none of the chargers were in use. I was here for 2 days and appeared to be the only electric car there, demonstrating that we still have a long way to go with the switch to electric cars being the norm.

Electric Ireland provided the chargers, I was required to set up a new account before plugging in the car. This first leg had left us with a range of 170 Km’s. 54km saved on the battery using cruise control and adhering to speed limits, using 38.2 kWh in total.

Getting the charging underway went well, however it was a bit tricky to remove the cable on the charger unit. The charge was complete and showed a full battery and I was not able to hit stop charge with seem to confuse the machine. After 5/6 attempts we were finally able to disconnect. A 53% battery charge here, giving me just under 200km came in at a cost of €25.48 & took just over 4 hours to get back to 100%. The KM showing as available when the battery is full does vary depending on driving style, the roads travelled and how laden the car is.

A scenic drive around beautiful Donegal covering another 100km and some fantastic views enjoyed.

Planning, I decide to top up the battery again as the next stopover was Eniscrone in Sligo and following some research, I discovered there were no charge points in the area.

The aim being a full battery would get me through to Bundoran via Sligo Town, a journey of 124Km and allowing the ability to tip out and about to explore the area for another 2 days and then get us through to our next base.

A small charge here achieved an increase of 22% battery & 68km, cost €10.62 and 1.5 hours to complete. The weather was fantastic with the sunshining bright for the few days around Sligo, this gave us plenty of beach time so not much driving was required.

Our last destination was to Cavan and to Cabu by the Lakes. Again, I phoned ahead to find out if charging facilities were available on site and discover that they have only the one charge point.

We left Sligo with the battery showing a range of 266Km and with a journey of 152Km ahead, range anxiety was low. However, one charger for twenty-eight cabins was a little bit of a worry.

Happy to report that the charger was not in use when we arrived, Phew!!!

This charger was a little simpler to use and powered by Clenergy EV. You simply scan the QR code to open the app, put in the charger code and happily no account set up was needed & you could select to continue as guest user allowing the car to charge. On this one, it did take multiple attempts to plug in, plug out, before the charging finally began.

A 45% charge providing 141km and costing €23.89, took 3.5 hours to complete. With there being only one charge point available and not wanting to hog it, we unplugged just in case any other guests needed to plug in.

We stayed in Cabu for a couple of days with little or no more driving taking place.

Our final charge was again in Cabu before we undertook the 142Km journey home to Dublin. A 30% charge adding 102Km to give us a full battery again & costing €17.89, took 2.5 hours to complete.

Again, multiple plugging in and out was required before charging began. Whilst a tad frustrating, it would have been far more annoying if this were the case in the middle of a rainy, windy winters day. We were fortunate on this trip that we were basking in a balmy sunny weather the entire time.

Homeward bound and baby shark at the ready as the chances of the 2- & 5-year-old having a nap are slim and none.

My overriding feeling on the switch to electric cars and the infrastructure within Ireland is positive. This journey did require a fair amount of planning but hotels 100% seem to be getting on board with the need to provide access to charging facilities for guests.

However, I feel more locations such as service stations, restaurants, shopping centres to name a few need to be encouraged to provide charge points. Specially to provide fast chargers which will help reduce the range anxiety felt by drivers. We do see charge points being installed in service stations, but this does need to happen quicker.

The other slight negative is the amount of apps or cards that you need to register with to access the different charge points, some even require topping up with credit before you use them. For the company car driver covering a large area or anyone with a decent commute, this could prove quite frustrating but if you frequent the same places, this becomes less of an issue.

A single app or card allowing access to all charge points would be fantastic however with so many different providers of these, this is very unlikely to happen.

Home now and plugged into the home charger for a top up so I can get back into the office as this current Electric Irish Adventure has reached its end.

If you are interest in leasing an electric vehicle, you can contact Jensen Fleet on 01-4605250 or info@jensenfleet.ie

 

Calculating BIK for Company Cars 2023

BIK Changes from 2023

At Jensen Fleet we aim to make managing your company fleet easier. This handy guide will help you to calculate the BIK due from each employee on their company car.

From January 2023 the way we charge BIK to company cars is changing. The new system will be based on the CO2 emission from each vehicle and the business mileage completed. The new minimum BIK rate after discounts will increase to 9%, and the maximum rate will be 37.50%

Temporary Changes to the BIK System for 2023

On the 7th of March 2023 the government announced temporary changes to the new BIK system they had put in place from January 2023.  These measures are temporary and will run to December 2023 & will be backdated to January 2023.

The main changes after the 7th of March are as follows:

1) A relief of €10,000 to be applied to the Original Market Value (OMV) of cars in the C02 Categories A-D.

2) The €10,000 relief will also apply to vans and Electric Vehicles. For EV’s this means the total relief allowed is now €45,000

3) Vehicles which fall into CO2 category E will not get any relief.

4) The threshold for highest mileage band is being reduced by 4,000km from 52,001Km to 48,001km. This means that employees who travel high amounts of mileage will enter the lowest rate of BIK earlier.

 

Please find details below:

  1. The amount of business mileage and CO2 emission category
Lower Level Upper Level A B C D E
Kilometres Kilometres % % % % %
26,000 22.5 26.25 30 33.75 37.5
26,001 39,000 18 21 24 27 30
39,001 48,000 13.5 15.75 18 20.25 22.5
48,001 9 10.5 12 13.5 15

 

  1. The CO2 emission category of the car is as per the following table.
Vehicle Category CO2 Emissions (CO2 g/Km)
A 0g/Km up to and including 59g/Km
B More than 59g/Km up to and including 99g/Km
C More than 99g/Km up to and including 139g/Km
D More than 139g/Km up to and including 179g/Km
E More than 179g/Km

 

Example

An employee has the use of a car provided by his or her employer on January 1, 2023. The OMV of the car is €55,000. With the new temporary measures applied, the OMV will reduced by €10,000 to €45,000.

Per the manufacturer, the car produces 79g/km in CO₂ emissions. The actual business kilometres in the year were 47,000 kilometres. 79g/km in CO₂ emissions puts the car in vehicle Category B.

As the employee drove 47,000 kilometres in the year, the cash equivalent is equal to the OMV x 15.75%

BIK Calculation: Cash Equivalent (OMV less €10,000) €45,000 x 15.75% = €7,088

The temporary measure of the reduction of €10,000 will save this employee €1,575 in the tax year.

Records

Employers, are required to maintain records of the kilometres travelled by each employee. This should be maintained on a weekly / monthly basis to calculate the BIK to be reported on a real time basis via the weekly/monthly payroll returns. Revenue have advised that employers should review this regularly (at least quarterly) to ensure the BIK recorded to Revenue is as accurate as possible.

Company Vans from 1st January 2023

From 2023 onwards the cash equivalent on company vans will increase from 5% to 8% of the OMV.  With the temporary measure in place the OMV can be reduced by €10,000.

Electric Vehicles

For an electric vehicle made available for an employee’s private use during the years 2023 – 2025, the cash equivalent will be calculated based on the actual original market value (OMV) of the vehicle reduced by:

  • €35,000 in respect of vehicles made available in the 2023 year of assessment (OMV can be reduced by €10,000)
  • €20,000 in respect of vehicles made available in the 2024 year of assessment
  • €10,000 in respect of vehicles made available in the 2025 year of assessment

If the reduction reduces the OMV to Nil, a BIK charge will not arise. Any portion of OMV remaining, after the reduction is applied, is chargeable to benefit-in-kind at the prescribed rates.

Payroll Implications

As these changes will be backdated to the 01.01.23 there be a one off adjustment to BIK in the next payroll cycle.

For more information on the vehicles, we can provide please contact Jensen Fleet Solutions on 01-4605250 or info@jensenfleet.ie

 

 

Volkswagen All Electric ID.4

Volkswagen All Electric ID.4

Arriving in Ireland & ready to shake up the electric car market the Volkswagen ID.4 could be the game changer.  This urban SUV can put be put up against the likes of the Hyundai Kona and the Tesla Model 3 & come out as a firm fan favorite.

This vehicle comes with 4 trimlines and ranges in price from €39,500 for the ID.4 City to €59,000 for the business & comes with two battery types, the 52 kWh to the 77-kWh allowing charge capacity of 360 – 520 Km.

The exterior of the ID.4 is similar in size to the Nissan Qashqai & Audi Q3, with a fantastic exterior to match.  With a huge glass panoramic roof that stretches over the entire roof to draw your eye too and with the allowance of 18-to-21-inch alloys this vehicle shows off a fantastic design from VW.  The vehicle also includes by design recessed handles for improved aerodynamics and 3D LED taillights & optional lighting at the front.

Inside the ID.4 is extremely spacious in the front and back and comes with a centre touch screen of 30.5 cm.  Along with the multifunctional steering wheel there is an optional head up display directly onto your windscreen.  Also, we have an option of over 30 background colours to choose from to personalise the vehicle to your specification.

Extra features on the Volkswagen ID.4 Include Illuminating communication tool, wireless smartphone charging, voice assistant and keyless entry this vehicle really feels like driving us into the 21 centuries.

As Volkswagen and Ireland heads towards a carbon neutral position this vehicle could really help the process due to the size and capacity of the new ID.4 model.

If you are looking to lease or rent a vehicle for your company, contact us today on 01 4605250 or email info@jensenfleet.ie

 

 

 

 

 

Why Choose Jensen Fleet?

At Jensen Fleet Solutions we know that your fleet is essential to smooth business operation. We specialize in personalized professional vehicle leasing whereby we take the hassle out of fleet management, leaving you free to focus on your business. Once provided with your company’s preferences in terms of car, annual mileage and finance term, we […]

New Contactless Sales Service

Looking to buy a new car? Our new contactless sales service will allow you to browse and buy cars online without leaving your home. You can even apply and be approved for finance online for your convivence.

You can view the used cars we have for sale online and our new 360 degree interior photos give you an in depth look at the vehicle without needing to come to our showroom. We can also send you a video of the car by request.

Once you purchased the car we offer a delivery service to complete the contactless sales service. All our vehicles are fully sanitized before final sale for your safety.

Other benefits of buying a Jensen Fleet vehicle include:

  • Full service history
  • One owner vehicles
  • Fully valeted
  • 6 months warranty which you can opt to upgrade to 12 months
  • Fully serviced
  • SIMI garage so you can buy with confidence.

Check out the used cars we have for sale today at jensenfleet.ie/sales and contact us on 01-4605250 or email info@jensenfleet.ie for more information.

Covid 19 Update from Jensen Fleet Solutions Ltd

Update 30/03/2020

Following on from the Taoiseach announcement on Friday the 27.03.20 we have decided in the best interest of all involved to close our office for the next 2 weeks.

We will however continue to run with a skeleton staff working from home & will always be on call to assist with any issues.

With the closure of most garages and tyre providers we will endeavour to keep any frontline staff on the road by any means possible.

Your Partner, Jensen Fleet

Regards

Leanne Nolan, Ian Hand & the Jensen Fleet Team.

New Cars Coming in 2020

There are plenty of exciting new cars coming in 2020! Here’s some of the cars we are most excited about this year.

 

Alfa Romeo Tonale

Alfa Romeo Tonale – Concept Car

Alfa Romeo’s new small SUV will also be their first car available as a plug-in hybrid as well as the conventional petrol and diesel-powered options. The Tonal is a great looking SUV featuring stand out design and should include the brand’s iconic shield grille which will be flanked by slim LED headlights and the usual offset grille.

 

Land Rover Defender

Land Rover Defender – Actual Car

The new Land Rover Defender was met with a great reception when it was officially revealed at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. The new Defender will feature all the creature comforts that owners of the old car could only dream of having, such as a touchscreen infotainment system, parking cameras and a premium sound system!

 

Mercedes EQA

Mercedes EQA – Concept Car

The Mercedes EQA will be the smallest electric car from the brand and is an electric version of the A-Class hatchback. It will be looking to compete with the Tesla Model 3 and the new Volkswagen ID3. The EQA will feature selectable drive modes, enabling the drive to change the characteristics of the electric powertrain.

 

BMW iX3

BMW iX3 – Concept Car

BMW’s answer to the Audi e-tron and Jaguar I-Pace is the iX3. The iX3 will be based on the X3, instead of being produced totally from scratch, but will have a revised exterior including a blanked-off kidney-shaped grille. It will benefit from the latest-generation eDrive technology which combines the motor, transmission and drivetrain control into a single unit.

 

Volkswagen ID3

Volkswagen ID3 – Actual Car

The new Volkswagen ID3 looks to be a promising alternative to the Golf for buyers interested in going electric. Based on Volkswagen’s modular electric platform, MED, the ID3 promises ample space and range between 230-330km (with the small battery), 300-420km (with the medium battery) and 390-550km (for the large battery).

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E

Ford Mustang Mach-E – Actual Car

The new Ford Mustang Mach-E is an all-electric SUV with sporty looks and coupe-like roofline and nods to the brand’s legendary Mustang with the triple vertical tail-lights and fastback rear. All these features combined give the Mach-E a much sportier look than most electric SUVs, making it stand out from the crowd.

 

Aston Martin DBX

Aston Martin DBX – Actual Car

Aston Martin describes their first SUV as “an SUV with the soul of a sports car”. The luxury 4×4 will be the most practical Aston to date with plenty of cabin space for 5 people and a spacious boot. It will still very much be an Aston Martin at heart thanks to it s542bhp twin-turbocharged V8 engine (the most powerful V8 in any current production Aston). However, the estimated price of over €300,000 will put the majority of us off this particular beauty.

 

If you’re looking to lease or rent a vehicle for your company, contact us today on 01 4605250 or email info@jensenfleet.ie.

Advantages of Buying an Ex-Lease Vehicle

Are you looking for to upgrade your vehicle? Here’s some of the benefits of buying ex-lease vehicles from Jensen Fleet Solutions.

advantages-of-buying-ex-lease

 

Visit our vehicles sales page to see some of the ex-lease vehicles we currently have for sale. If you’re interested in any of our vehicles call us on 01-4605250 or email info@jensenfleet.ie.

Top Electric Cars

Deloitte predicts that worldwide sales of Battery Electric Vehicles will rocket from 4 million in 2020 to 21 million by 2030, whereas sales of traditional internal combustion engines will plummet. Sales of electric vehicles in Ireland in 2019 are already up 165% on the previous year. There are many benefits of electric vehicles: zero emissions, less servicing meaning lower maintenance costs, low tax, no BIK on vehicles under €50,000 and no petrol or diesel costs. We’ve taken a look at some of the best electric vehicles on the market right now.

Jaguar I-Pace

Jaguar’s first electric car is a rapid, desirable, good-lucking SUV. Not only does it look great, it is fun to drive, has a decent range and a large, comfortable interior. It boasts a range of up to 470km*. The I-Pace won several awards at the 2019 World Car Awards including; World Car of the Year, World Car Design of the Year and World Green Car. Available now from €92,895, the high price will probably put people off this particular beauty.

 

Hyundai Kona Electric

With prices starting from €38,630, the Kona Electric is a more reasonably priced alternative to the I-Pace but still with an impressive range (up to 449km*).  The Kona Electric is currently battling the Nissan Leaf for Ireland’s best selling electric car and may knock the Leaf off the number one spot. While it may not stand out as much as some of the more premium cars like the Tesla, Jaguar and Audi, it is still a brilliant drive.

 

Tesla Model 3

The Tesla Model 3 is the much hyped newest model Tesla which was released in Ireland this year and is the most affordable Tesla to date with prices starting from €48,900. Behind all the hype you will find a well-engineered car with a supercar performance and gadgets galore. Boasting a range of up to 530km* and going from 0-100km/hr in 3.4 seconds, this electric car is not for the faint hearted. Read about our Model 3 test drive here.

 

Nissan Leaf

The Nissan Leaf is the number one best selling electric vehicle in Europe, and has the advantage of being at this longer than anyone else. While the Leaf may not be as exciting as some other models, with pricing starting at €29,890 it is a much more affordable option and the latest model is available with a 62kWh battery giving it a range of 385km*, better than previous models. With a smooth, quiet drive and plenty of interior space, you can see why it remains Europes best selling electric vehicle.

 

BMW i3

The smallest electric vehicle on our list, the i3 is a great city car with futuristic styling. It is engaging to drive and has a decent range (over 200km*) and with an interior that is recognisably a BMW this will appeal to BMW fans who are looking for a small premium electric vehicle. Available now and prices start from €35,760.

 

Tesla Model S

The landmark electric car that shook the motor industry, the Model S is a premium saloon car with impressive electric motors, batteries, range (610km*) and infotainment system. A powerful machine with plenty of high-tech appeal, the Model S is definitely a car that will stand out in a crowd. Prices for the Model S start from €89,900.

 

Volkswagen e-Golf

The e-Golf has everything you like about a Golf just electric. The range is a bit smaller than its rivals (231km*) but it offers the comfort and security of the familiar Golf shape. For this reason it could be the ideal stepping stone electric car. Prices start from €42,250.

 

Hyundai Ioniq

The Ioniq is an ideal electric car for families as it has a good size boot and is comfortable, roomy and efficient to run. It is also available as a hybrid or plug-in hybrid. The range is a decent at 311km* and prices start from €34,850.

 

Audi e-tron

Audi’s first electric car is an SUV with a very similar styling to the Q5. The range is good (391km*) and performance is great. A handy feature of the e-tron is charging points on both sides of the vehicle, making charging easier. Audi has made the e-tron to feel similar to its other vehicles in order to persuade regular SUV buyers to make the jump to electric. Prices start from €99,750.

 

Tesla Model X

The final Tesla on our list, the Model X is most famous for its amazing ‘falcon’ back doors that are guaranteed to turn heads! It is the largest Tesla available, it can seat up to 7, and has all the modern and clever technology you would expect from a Tesla. Prices for the Model X start from €95,500 and its range is up to 500km*.

 

If you’re looking to lease or rent a vehicle for your company, contact us today on 01 4605250 or email info@jensenfleet.ie.

 

*Driving range may vary slightly depending on many factors including, road conditions, your driving style and even the temperature.