Whether you operate a UK wide fleet of company vehicles or only have one or two cars and vans, considering corporate vehicle rental as a useful fleet tool can have real advantages for your business.

Flexibility

Most businesses will have busier periods when up scaling a fleet could be of benefit. Whether you need corporate vehicle hire to transport extra staff or the addition of interim vans to help deliver orders in a busy trading period, hiring in these vehicles can supplement your existing fleet on a temporary basis.

As the term “daily rental” suggests you can play things by ear on a daily basis – as and when the need for the extra vehicles comes to an end you can just send them back, you’re not tied into any lengthy contracts.

Likewise most corporate vehicle rentals can be easily extended so if the new contract you have just won lasts longer than anticipated, you can extend the rental vehicle period to match.

There may also be a time when you need to hire a commercial vehicle in an emergency – for example if one of your company cars has broken down or has been involved in an accident.

Many corporate car hire services can have a standard car delivered to you in a couple of hours to ensure you or your employee gets back on the road as quickly as possible.

Choice

Renting a vehicle allows you to make a choice depending on what specific need you have. It may be a car, light commercial van or a more specialist requirement such as a wheelchair accessible vehicle.

You may have a need for a short term one day hire or you may need to rent the vehicle for several months but all options can be catered for.

Take for example a catering company; if you’re travelling during the warmer summer months to an event then you’re going to need a refrigerated vehicle to keep your produce cool and fresh.

Many rental companies also provide additional extras such as Chapter 8 livery; tow bars, hand held satellite navigation systems and child seats, all you have to do is ask!

Eliminate Grey Fleet Headaches

When you hire a vehicle you do so in the knowledge that the vehicle will be safe for you or your employee to drive. It will be well maintained and supported by breakdown cover in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Most corporate vehicle rental companies consist of cars that are under a year old and light commercial vehicles under two years old.

Duty of care responsibilities have become more and more prevalent over the last few years and many companies are prohibiting employees to drive their own cars for business purposes.

Renting a vehicle for a business trip can negate the need for detailed checks on any ‘grey fleet’ and allow you to remove this area of concern.

We would always recommend that you choose a corporate vehicle hire provider who is a member of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association to ensure the highest standards of service.

Keeping Costs Down

Planning your journey ahead can really drive down costs, especially if you can travel with a group or car share. For example if you have staff attending a conference could they share the hire of an MPV or a 9 seater vehicle rather than all travelling separately?

You could save on the obvious costs such as fuel and the not so obvious ones such as parking and toll charges.

Most vehicle hire providers will be able to supply you with a detailed management information report too so you can keep tabs on your rental spend.

This is helpful in identifying business trends that you can cater for and costs that you can eliminate such as drivers not refuelling rental vehicles and hence being charged a premium.

As mentioned earlier, vehicle rental is very flexible so you do not have to commit to a lengthy contract period. Many businesses are turning to rental instead of operating a fleet of pool vehicles to avoid vehicles sitting idle for long periods of time and hence becoming a drain on resources.

It is also commonplace for a new employee joining a company to be allocated a rental vehicle for the duration of their probation period – if they leave within that time then the rental vehicle can just be handed back and there are no early termination fees like there would be for a contract hire vehicle.

Promoting Your Business

When it comes to vehicle hire, we understand how important it is to create the right impression for current and potential clients.

Renting a car could be the ideal solution for your business, especially if you have a corporate event you need to attend. Many rental companies offer a wide range of prestige vehicles including top of the range MPVs and 4x4s.

For a longer term rental many providers will offer a plain vehicle and some will even allow you to sign write a van with your own livery and hence promote your business, no one will be any the wiser that you are renting the vehicle.

So there we have it, the benefits of renting a vehicle for business use. Regardless of whether you’re travelling to a corporate event or you need to supplement your commercial fleet, we understand how to tailor a solution that fits your vehicle hire needs.

To find out more about how our vehicle rental service can benefit you, then give us a call today, or Like our Facebook page. We’d love to hear from you.