Category: Fleet News

Fuel prices are rising at their fastest rate since the turn of the millennium.

Figures from the RAC show that petrol and diesel prices leapt more in May 2018 than in any other month in the last 18 years, leaving pump prices at their highest in almost four years.

Annoyingly, fuel is a requirement for every car. There’s no way around it and every motorist has little choice but to pay whatever number is displayed on the pump – or do they?

Fuel cards mean that drivers aren’t hit as hard at the pumps, offering savings of up to 10p per litre on motorways.

Meanwhile, advances in engine technology have also optimised engines to ensure the fuel economy returned by today’s petrol and diesel cars has never been stronger.

But which cars offer the highest combined mpg right now?

We’re ignoring hybrids and other electric tinkery and focusing on pure internal combustion. Spoiler alert: the first 17 cars in this list are diesels, but the dominance of oil burners in a list that ranks mpg shouldn’t be surprising.

Anyway, here we go…

Highest combined mpg cars in the UK

1. Peugeot 208 1.6 BlueHDi 100 Allure 5dr [Start Stop] – 94.2mpg
=2. Ford Fiesta 1.5 TDCi Style 3dr – 88.3mpg
=2. Nissan Micra 1.5 dCi Acenta 5dr [Bose] – 88.3mpg
=2. Renault Clio 1.5 dCi 90 ECO Play 5dr – 88.3mpg
5. Vauxhall Astra 1.6 CDTi 16V ecoTEC Design 5dr – 85.6mpg
=6. Fiat Tipo 1.6 Multijet Elite 5dr – 83.1mpg
=6. Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTI ecoTEC D 95 Design 3dr Easytronic – 83.1mpg
=6. DS 3 1.6 BlueHDi Connected Chic 3dr – 83.1mpg
=6. Alfa Romeo Mito 1.3 JTDM-2 3dr – 83.1mpg
=6. Ford Focus 1.5 TDCi 105 Style ECOnetic 5dr – 83.1mpg
=11. Kia Rio 1.4 CRDi 2 5dr – 80.7mpg
=11. Mercedes-Benz A-Class A180d SE 5dr – 80.7mpg
=11. Dacia Sandero 1.5 dCi Ambiance 5dr – 80.7mpg
=11. Dacia Logan MCV 1.5 dCi Ambiance 5dr – 80.7mpg
=11. Peugeot 308 1.5 BlueHDi 130 Active 5dr – 80.7mpg
=11. Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC S 5dr – 80.7mpg
17. Citroen C4 Cactus diesel hatchback 1.6 BlueHDi Feel 5dr – 78.5mpg
18. Suzuki Celerio 1.0 Dualjet SZ3 5dr – 78.4mpg
19. Fiat 500 0.9 TwinAir Lounge 3dr – 74.3mpg
20. Hyundai i10 1.0 Blue Drive SE [4 Seat] 5dr – 70.6mpg

When it comes to naming the best car in its class, towing capacity is not the first thing everyone thinks of. But for anyone with a caravan or trailer it is extremely important.

The Camping and Caravanning Club is one organisation where this issue will be of paramount importance and it has published its list of the best cars in each category for towing capacity.

Experts at Practical Caravan and What Car? magazines joined the Camping and Caravanning Club, with the BMW 520d Touring xDrive M Sport taking the overall top prize and the weight-specific prize for vehicles weighing between 1700-1899kg.

There were several specific categories based on weight. The Skoda Octavia Hatch won in the 1400kg category, with the Skoda Superb 2.0 Executive taking the 1400-1549kg prize. The best car in the 1550-1699kg category was the Peugeot 5008 and the 1900kg+ prize was taken by the Land Rover Discovery 3.0.

For an ultralight tow car, Volkswagen’s one-litre petrol auto Polo came out top, while the Kia Stinger was the best petrol tow car. The best family SUV was the Volvo XC40 and the fuel economy prize was scooped by the Hyundai i30 Tourer Premium.

David Motton, the tow car editor for Practical Caravan magazine, said the BMW 520d was a worthy victor over rivals such as the Jaguar F-Pace and Volvo XC40.

He remarked: “Clearly, this is a towing competition first and foremost, and when it comes to pulling a caravan confidently and securely, the BMW 5 Series has few peers. There wasn’t a single one of our towing tests in which the BMW showed any weakness.”

While a BMW may be beyond the means of the average motorist, the awards clearly mark out a substantial list of cars that will serve any caravan or trailer owner well.

Ellie Baker, brand manager at Fuel Card Services, comments: “The BMW 5 series is clearly ideal for towing, but these awards show there is a good tow car for everybody.”

Keeping cars, vans and business vehicles on the road is expensive, there’s no getting away from it. Autoserve, just as the name suggests, is here to take that pressure from you and negotiate big fleet maintenance deals for your business.

Whether it is a single vehicle or a fleet of vehicles, a full maintenance contract, particularly for high mileage users, may well be a great benefit.  It’s called Autoserve Plus.

Autoserve Plus is operated from its national control centre by experienced staff with technical knowledge and specialist computer data systems.  Personal service is a byword and a member of the Autoserve team, rather than an automated system will always answer you.

Autoserve Plus gives access to a nationwide network of 500 main dealer service centres and many more independent specialist companies. Services such as auto electricians, glass, tyre and exhaust suppliers as well as vehicle hire can also be arranged for one off or extended term hires.

With Autoserve Plus, drivers are informed of forthcoming service and MOT dates, whilst fleet managers are constantly updated on all vehicle mileage readings to be able to extend contracts or re-allocate vehicles.

Fuel Card Services has partnered with Autoserve and by joining this scheme you benefit from:

Up to 60% off main dealer prices 

Free collection and delivery of vehicle 

Garages throughout the UK 

Guaranteed levels of service 

Protected manufacturer’s warranty 

All costs approved before work 

To find out more, visit Autoserve answer three questions about your business needs and a member of the team will get back in touch with you to create a maintenance plan that’s right for you.

 

FORS, the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, will be talking contractor safety to suppliers working at Heathrow Airport, as part of a safety roadshow.

A team from FORS will be on site at the airport’s Time for Safety Roadshow on Thursday, 14h September, designed exclusively for the logistics and construction contractors working at the airport, to learn more about safety in the workplace and on its network of roadways.

The event is organised by Wilson James Ltd, a FORS Champion and logistics contractor at Heathrow, with further support from major Heathrow partners Morgan Sindall, Mace, Ferrovial and Balfour Beatty.

John Raper, HLI Integration Manager at Wilson James, said, “The event is part of our work towards Heathrow’s Health and Safety programme to improve road safety awareness, for all its logistics and construction partners with a specific focus on the people, plant and machine interface.  This year’s event features road safety-themed interactive demonstrations and practical training, and we are thrilled FORS are able to once again support.”

The FORS stand is due to be placed close to an Exchanging Places HGV run by FORS Gold member Powerday, giving attendees the chance to experience how other road users are seen from the cab of a truck, with information about how both FORS and CLOCS work with contractors to support safety for drivers and other road users.

FORS, who first attended the event in 2015, joins a host of leading supplier and contractors and safety organisations, at this year’s event, including CLOCS, IAM Roadsmart, the Green Commute Initiative, Sustans, TomTom, Resonate-mp4, and AA DriveTech.

There will also be a focus on cycling at the airport, with Dr Bike from Heathrow, ahead of the launch of the airport’s new cycle lane for workers, with cycle lessons, safe cycling skills, and information about the cycle to work scheme on offer.

Paul Wilkes,  Business Services Manager, FORS, said, “FORS is thrilled to be taking part in the Time For Safety Roadshow again, to continue to raise awareness of accreditation to Heathrow contractors and suppliers, and offer advice on road safety and road awareness for fleet operators and their drivers who work on a variety of construction projects at Heathrow Airport.

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Report by Rachel Pearson – Major Accounts Manager at Fuel Card Services

If you are a FORS company, or if you are working towards accreditation, your business is entitled to some exclusive fuel cost saving offers from Fuel Card Services. Click here for more information.

FORS, the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, is the inspiration behind a new school safety campaign from FORS Gold member Hutchinson Engineering Services, helping young children to Stay Safe and Be Seen.

A transport manager at Hutchinson Engineering Services, from Weston in Nottinghamshire, was so inspired following completion of a FORS training course, that he decided to take what he had learnt to a vital new audience – children at a local primary school.

Ryan Easom created the Stay Safe Be Seen programme to show school children how to be more road aware, explaining vehicle blind spots and how they can make sure they are always visible around commercial vehicles.

Easom was inspired after attending a FORS Safe Urban Driving course, addressing vulnerable road user safety and how commercial vehicle drivers can make roads safer. He said, “I came away from the course and thought about what we could do as a haulage company.   As I walked my boys to school, I saw some children had little road sense (I don’t blame them for this) and thought about how could we change this and help everyone.”

Ryan’s solution was to host a Road Safety day at Sutton-on-Trent Primary and Nursery School, taking a Hutchinson’s lorry into the playground, with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service also attending.  The event included a special school assembly, truck blind spot activities and a competition to design a special road safety poster, to be printed onto Hutchinson cabs.

Ryan Easom commented, “Every child got to sit in the cab, we showed them the blind spots by playing games, asking them to note whether they could see the teacher or not, and spent time talking about the importance of wearing bike helmets when cycling. Nottinghamshire Fire Service showed children the equipment they use at a road traffic collision, which had a very striking effect on the older children.”

Each child was given a free high-visibility vest, and encouraged to enter a poster competition, the winners of which would see designs printed on Hutchinson trucks, presented by the Newark and Bingham MP, Robert Jenrick.

Easom said he hoped the safety campaign will catch on, with other hauliers taking up the mantle, “I feel very passionate about this and I can say it was one of the best things I have ever done and I can’t wait to continue this programme with other schools, and hopefully other haulage companies too.”

Sutton-on-Trent Primary Head teacher Fiona Price said the event was a huge success, and well received by children, parents and staff, commenting, “The Hutchinson’s team did a fantastic job of organising the day.  The children had clearly taken on board the key safety messages even though they had been delivered in such a fun way. Many children then came to school in their high-viz jackets and many more are wearing their reflective wrist bands. It is now cooler to be seen wearing a cycle helmet too – we cannot thank Hutchinson enough!”

Paul Wilkes, Business Services Manager, FORS, commented, “We are thrilled to see the safety messages discussed in our free-to-attend FORS training courses being taken on board and shared in this practical and inclusive way. Ryan and the team at Hutchinson should be very proud of all they continue to achieve.”

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Report by Rachel Pearson – Major Accounts Manager at Fuel Card Services

If you are a FORS company, or if you are working towards accreditation, your business is entitled to some exclusive fuel cost saving offers from Fuel Card Services. Click here for more information.