How flexi hire can help you grow your business fleet in 2021

2020 was an undeniably tough year for fleet owners and operators up and down the country, with on-off restrictions forcing countless businesses to bring their fleets to a complete standstill. 12 months on from the first emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, the UK is only just coming out of its third lockdown, and the widespread expectation is that Covid-19 will continue to be a major concern for many fleet owners and managers for a long time yet. And if you’re one of those fleet managers working on finding solutions to these long-term challenges, Flexi Hire is definitely worth a look. Here’s a bit about why.

Flexi hire is becoming an increasingly popular way to fund fleets

A recent survey published in FleetNews said that more than one in four (27%) respondents consider coronavirus to be their biggest challenge, with only fleet electrification (27%) considered to be a bigger obstacle. That means somewhat inevitably, lots of business owners have found themselves in the unfortunate position of having to downsize their fleets this year. 

However, that’s not a universal situation. In fact, one in six respondents to the FleetNews survey actually expected to grow their company fleets. Of those respondents, FleetNews noted a clear move away from outright purchasing towards leasing and flexible rental, giving companies increased security and peace of mind in very changeable times. (Another common resort was some level of salary sacrifice, with individual staff members giving up some of their wages to keep the business running as a whole.)

Now, if you’re one of those fleet operators forging ahead with your growth plans this year, you might not think that a salary sacrifice is the most attractive option. And let’s be honest, who would? And that’s exactly where Flexi Hire comes in. 

Why is Flexi Hire so useful in the era of Covid-19?

Flexi hire presents a number of tangible benefits for your business, both in the short and long term. Here are some of the biggest.

It can be more economical than outright purchase

Buying a new car or van is expensive. There’s no two ways about it. That makes it a particularly tricky purchase to manage when times are tight, as they currently are for so many businesses. And of course even once you’ve bought the vehicle, you’ve then got to take its running costs into account, such as insurance, tax and maintenance. 

However, when you flexi hire a vehicle, you don’t have to worry about any large, sudden dents in your finances. With Flexi Hire, you only pay a fixed hire charge on a continual basis, and that covers all the costs of road tax and regular maintenance too. That means you can get your vehicle and get out on the roads quickly, without having to deal with any huge costs before you’ve even begun properly earning again. And of course, the fixed nature of the costs means that your financial planning and forecasting becomes a lot easier. 

You can bring the vehicle back whenever you like

It’s no secret that cars and vans start depreciating in value from the moment they come off the dealership’s car park, so that’s another thing that may well be nagging away at you when you buy one. How far will it have depreciated if (or when) you come to sell it? 

Flexi Hire saves you all that worry. You can simply use the car or van for as long as it suits you, and once you’re done with it, you can just return it whenever you like. (As long as you’ve passed the minimum hire period of 28 days, that is.) That means no fuss or hassle about selling it, and no worries about depreciation. 

It’s simpler, faster and more efficient

You probably know all about the headaches that can be posed by a grey fleet, when employees effectively use their own cars for company business. It poses no end of complications with regards to duty of care, health and safety concerns etc. With Flexi Hire, you can save yourself all the stress of dealing with that - by flexi hiring a vehicle, you can easily provide them with company assets they can use for business purposes, saving them from using their personal property and thereby cutting straight through all those legal complications. 

Since with Flexi Hire you don’t need to buy a vehicle outright, it also gives you more freedom to trial each one to see if they suit your purposes. What’s more, all the administration of hiring a new car takes just days, rather than weeks. That means you can get your employees out onto the roads with no unnecessary delays, so that they can quickly start getting to work bringing in new revenue for your business. 

These are just a few of the general benefits, of course - you might find that flexi hire has even more specific ones for your business! If you’ve got any questions or need any advice, don’t hesitate to ask one of our experts. With around 50 years of experience behind us here at Intack Self Drive, you can trust us to provide the answers in as much or as little detail as you need. Find out more details about our Flexi Hire service here, or feel free to give us a ring on 01254 57811!