Land Rover takes the Best Premium Small 4x4 award at the recent BusinessCar Magazine awards.

• Discovery Sport voted Best Premium Small 4x4
• Third BusinessCar Awards win for Land Rover since 2013

Land Rover has claimed a major prize in the BusinessCar Awards for the third time in four years with the announcement that Discovery Sport has been named the fleet publication’s Best Premium Small 4x4 for 2016. Discovery Sport follows in the wheeltracks of the Range Rover Evoque, which claimed Small 4x4 titles from BusinessCar last year and in 2013.

Uniquely in the industry, the BusinessCar Awards are decided not by a panel of experts but by fleet industry insiders through a poll of readers, with the winners chosen by those who rely on a vehicle to help efficiently run their business.

Discovery Sport earned this commendation from BusinessCar Editor Paul Barker: “The Discovery Sport has moved Land Rover into the reach of many fleet drivers, offering a prestigious badge combined with practicality, running costs, quality and now, with the new diesel engines, efficiency to compete with its premium brand rivals. It’s a vehicle that illustrates the breadth of the business car market place and the enticing products that fleet drivers now have well within their reach.”

It is the third accolade for Discovery Sport within the space of a few weeks, Land Rover’s most recent arrival having claimed the title Best Large SUV in the What Car? awards in early January. In November the Scottish Car of the Year jury voted Discovery Sport its Best Diesel.

Jeremy Hicks, UK Managing Director Jaguar Land Rover, said: “It is always great to receive awards – particularly when they have been decided by customers. Coming on the heels of the What Car? Award for Discovery Sport, highlighting its appeal to the consumer, it is wonderful to receive this BusinessCar Award, which also demonstrates its superiority in the company car marketplace.”

Discovery Sport’s new 2.0-litre four-cylinder Ingenium diesel engine is designed to deliver class-leading torque and power outputs, combined with excellent refinement, reduced CO₂ emissions and lower fuel consumption. Built at Land Rover’s new state-of-the-art £500m Engine Manufacturing Centre in the West Midlands, the EU6 compliant Ingenium engine is available in 150PS and 180PS variants, the former offering up to 57.7mpg and CO₂ emissions from 129g/km.

Discovery Sport is equipped with a range of class-leading safety features, such as a pedestrian airbag, Autonomous Emergency Braking and a suite of driver assistance features, all of which have helped it earn a Five Star Euro NCAP rating.

On the road prices start at £30,695 for the manual gearbox model with five-seat SE specification. With range service intervals extended from 16,000 to 21,000 miles, the new Discovery Sport offers significantly lower whole-life running costs in addition to lower taxation and reduced fuel costs.

The Jaguar XE takes two titles at this years BusinessCar Magazine awards.

• Jaguar XE wins Business Car of the Year and Premium Upper Middle Car of the Year at 2016 BusinessCar Awards
• Awards voted for by fleet buyers and users
• Jaguar XE offers strongest residual values in class

The Jaguar XE has won Business Car of the Year – the top prize at the 2016 BusinessCar Awards. Jaguar’s all-new sports saloon was also named Premium Upper Middle Car of the Year.

The awards are voted for by the readership of BusinessCar and www.businesscar.co.uk, reflecting the verdict of the market at large and revealing the products that are best meeting the needs of fleet buyers and users.

The Jaguar XE offers the strongest residual values of any of its premium rivals over three years and 20,000 miles thanks to its efficient engines; low servicing, maintenance and repair costs; and class-leading design.*

BusinessCar Editor Paul Barker said: “Jaguar’s return to the compact executive market has been a glorious one, with the company managing to be as successful with the sensible elements like residual value, running costs and emissions as it has been with the looks and handling of the new XE.”

He added: “The corporate sector is crucial to Jaguar’s ambitions for its new saloon, and the readers of BusinessCar have given the model a ringing endorsement by voting it as our 2016 Business Car of the Year.”

Jaguar Land Rover UK Managing Director Jeremy Hicks said: “The Jaguar XE delivers the complete package: class-leading design, driving dynamics and outstanding cost of ownership, and we’re very honoured that the readers of BusinessCar agree with us. 

It’s a huge testament to the talent, passion, dedication and hard work of everyone at Jaguar Land Rover that the XE is being hailed as the best of a hugely competitive class.”

	XE Saloon 2.0d 163 DPFR SS €6 Prestige 6Spd	A4 Saloon  2.0TDi ultra  150 DPFR SS     €6 SE 6Spd	320 Saloon 2.0d  163 DPF SS €6    EfficientDynamics    Plus 6Spd	C220 Saloon  2.1d 170      DPFR SS €6  SE Executive   6Spd
Residual Value % (of P11d Value)	40.85%	39.01%	33.97%	36.37%
Residual Value	£12,550	£11,350	£10,400	£11,425

The All-New Hyundai Tucson takes the Best Mainstream Small 4x4 award at their annual ceremony.

• BusinessCar awards All-New Tucson title of ‘Best Mainstream Small 4x4’
• Award recognises the model’s outstanding appeal to fleet buyers

Hyundai’s All-New Tucson has been recognised as the ‘Best Mainstream Small 4x4’ in BusinessCar’s annual awards. Uniquely, the awards are determined by the fleet industry itself, with the Tucson’s striking design, cost-efficiency and practicality securing the top spot for Hyundai.

Paul Barker, Editor at BusinessCar, said: “Hyundai’s continued upward progress means it is now an established fleet player, and the new Tucson is the most impressive product the company has yet launched into the UK fleet sector. Good looking, practical and cost-efficient, it clearly ticks all the boxes for fleet drivers looking for something in this sector.”

The All-New Tucson represents a major leap forward for Hyundai in the mid-size SUV segment and quickly became Hyundai’s fastest-selling car following its launch in early September last year. 

Designed to be class-leading in several key areas, the Tucson offers best-in-class whole life costs, residual values and boot space. In addition, the Tucson adds enhanced levels of standard equipment boosting comfort, convenience and safety across the range. Fuel efficiency as high as 61.7 mpg and CO₂ emissions from just 119 g/km ensure a good BiK value and low running costs for fleets.

Martin Wilson, Fleet Director, Hyundai Motor UK Ltd said: “The All-New Tucson has had an outstanding reception from our customers since its introduction in September last year. Hyundai Motor UK works hard to ensure that the needs of every fleet customer are identified and met, so with the Tucson a lot of effort went into ensuring that it offered class-leading residuals, for example. To be acknowledged by BusinessCar in this competitive and growing segment is testament to Hyundai’s focus and underlines the Tucson’s role as a key player in our sustained fleet growth into 2016 and beyond.”

The BusinessCar Awards are unique in that they are the only awards decided by the fleet industry itself, with the readers of the magazine and BusinessCar.co.uk voting for the products, services and companies that best support their businesses. Rather than being decided by a panel of experts, the BusinessCar Award winners are chosen by the people relying on them to help efficiently run their businesses on a daily basis.

The MINI Hatch has taken, for the fourteenth time, Supermini Of The Year award from BusinessCar magazine.

• MINI Hatch takes home the prize for the fourteenth year running
• Awards voted for by BusinessCar magazine readers

Readers of BusinessCar magazine have voted the MINI Hatch as Premium Supermini Car of the Year 2016. This marks the fourteenth consecutive year that the MINI Hatch has won the coveted award.

Excellent performance alongside low running costs and CO₂ emissions, coupled with strong residual values are just some of the qualities of the MINI 3-door Hatch which have continued to win over BusinessCar magazine readers for nearly a decade and a half.

New to the range in 2014, MINI 5-door Hatch has been a runaway success since launch. As well as sporting two extra rear doors, MINI 5-door has improved legroom, a practical third rear seat and larger boot.

Commenting on the award, James Morrison, Corporate Development Manager at MINI UK, said: “We are delighted to win the award for Premium Supermini of the Year for the fourteenth year in a row. The corporate market is extremely relevant for MINI and has grown even more so with the addition of the MINI 5-door Hatch in 2014.

“We’re therefore very proud to receive this award as voted for year after year by drivers and readers of BusinessCar magazine, as it is testament to the importance we are continuing to place on this segment.”

Editor of BusinessCar magazine, Paul Barker said: “This is an incredible fourteenth BusinessCar Award for the Mini hatch, a car that continues to offer incredible residual values, premium branding, a top-notch driving experience and the charm and cheeky looks that Mini is renowned for.

“The continued success is well deserved in the face of ever-increasing competition, but it’s still no surprise to see that our readers have once again chosen the Mini as BusinessCar’s Premium Supermini of the Year.”

FIAT 500 is voted City Car of the Year by the readers of BusinessCar magazine.

• FIAT 500 is voted City Car of the Year by the readers of BusinessCar magazine and www.businesscar.co.uk
• Taking 28 percent of the votes in the city car segment BusinessCar readers appreciate the New FIAT 500’s combination of style, fun and low running costs
• Two new business-friendly versions join the New FIAT 500 range for 2016 – the 1.3 MultiJet II turbo diesel and the 1.2 ‘Eco’ petrol
• On sale in the UK now priced from £10,890 OTR, the New FIAT 500 is also available via a number of compelling finance offers

The New FIAT 500 has been named City Car of the Year in the 2016 BusinessCar Awards, as decided by the readership of BusinessCar and www.businesscar.co.uk. Rather than being decided by a panel of experts, the BusinessCar Award winners are chosen by the people who rely on their vehicles to help them run their businesses as efficiently as possible on a daily basis.

They are also a reflection of the market at large and of the products and services that best meet the needs of the business sector. The BusinessCar Awards remain the only UK automotive awards decided entirely by the readership.

According to Paul Barker, BusinessCar Editor, “The FIAT 500 is an iconic city car that manages to combine style and fun with benefits of impressive running cost and residual values. To succeed in the business sector there needs to be a case for the head as well as the heart, and our readers obviously feel that the new 500 is well capable of making the case to both.”  The FIAT 500 amassed 28% of the votes in the city car category.

Since the voting for the 2016 BusinessCar awards closed FIAT has also announced two new business-friendly versions of the New FIAT 500: FIAT 500 1.3 MultiJet II 95hp is ideal for drivers with long commutes into congested cities while also offer low tax liabilities and minimal running costs without sacrificing driving pleasure, technology or style. 

The 1.2-litre 69hp 'Eco' Pop Star is equipped with a host of efficiency technologies to reduce its official CO₂ emissions from 110g/km to just 99g/km compared to the standard 1.2 69hp Pop Star. This cuts the annual road tax bill from £20 to £0 and reduces company car BIK tax liability from 17% to just 14% - and all for a premium of just £100!

According to Sebastiano Fedrigo, Country Manager FIAT UK: “We’re delighted to win the City Car of the Year award in the 2016 BusinessCar Awards because it reflects what the people who use the FIAT 500 day-to-day as part of their businesses really feel about it! 

And if they loved it before, they’re going to be blown away by the New FIAT 500 with its new styling enhancements, UConnect system with optional TomTom navigation and even lower running costs thanks to the new diesel and ‘Eco’ models!”

Prices for the FIAT 500 start at just £10,890 OTR for the 1.2 litre Pop, while the business-friendly 1.2 Pop Star ‘Eco’ and 1.3 MultiJet II 95hp Pop Star are priced from £11,865 OTR and £14,165 OTR respectively.

BusinessCar is an award-winning fleet industry title offering independent and impartial fleet industry news, advice, information and reviews. The 2016 BusinessCar Awards City Car of the Year award is the FIAT 500’s third major UK award since it went on sale in September.

BusinessCar awards its car of the year title to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

BusinessCar Magazine’s 2015 Car of the Year is the Mercedes-Benz C-class.

The fleet publication’s awards carry particular weight because they are the only accolades in the industry to be decided entirely by the readership of BusinessCar magazine and BusinessCar.co.uk, and the C-class took the top spot ahead of Peugeot’s impressive new 308.

BMW continued to show its strength in the fleet market by taking two headline awards, including Manufacturer of the Year for the fifth year running and Green Model of the Year with its pioneering i3 electric supermini.

Leasing company Alphabet took the remaining headline award as Service Supplier of the Year.

“The new C-class has propelled Mercedes-Benz into the middle of the fiercely competitive premium upper medium saloon marketplace and massive improvements over the previous model have meant the company has picked up its first ever Business Car of the Year prize,” said Paul Barker, BusinessCar editor.

“The C-class currently offers the most efficient diesel in the sector and there’s also a 94g/km hybrid, plus the 48g/km plug-in coming in April 2015.

“But there’s more to the C-class than just efficiency gains. The classier and more sporty looks combine with a serious focus on whole life costs to propel the new model into fleet heartland territory.”

Barker continued: “BMW’s popularity with the fleet industry is clearly demonstrated with its win as Manufacturer of the Year and this is backed up by four car category wins overall.  It highlights BMW as a brand getting it right for fleet across its range, with cars that are appealing, good to drive and great value to run.

“The corporate market is extremely competitive with some incredible products available to help businesses carry out their work. Winners at this year’s awards should be proud that BusinessCar’s readers have picked them out as the best in the industry.”

Other notable winners include The AA, which picked up three awards in the important Accident Management, Risk Management and Vehicle Recovery categories. Volkswagen also picked up multiple awards with wins in the mainstream lower medium, mini-MPV and mainstream 4x4 categories for its Golf, Touran and Tiguan respectively, while Ford, Vauxhall, Hyundai, Kwik-Fit and BCA were also among the winners.

BusinessCar awards Volkswagen a trio of awards for 2015.

Volkswagen has boosted its 2015 trophy tally and added three new car of the year titles to its name, courtesy of fleet publication and website, BusinessCar.  The Golf retained its Best Mainstream Lower Medium crown, having won the same award in 2014, while the Touran and Tiguan won the Mini-MPV and Mainstream Small Off-roader categories respectively.  The Polo also fared well, being Highly Commended in the hotly competed Mainstream Supermini sector.

The BusinessCar awards are the only accolades voted for entirely by the readership of BusinessCar magazine and www.businesscar.co.uk, and hence the results reflect the views of fleet managers and drivers, and recognise the products and services that best meet the needs of their operations.

Commenting on Volkswagen’s successes, Paul Barker, editor of BusinessCar, said: ‘A trio of reader-voted BusinessCar Awards shows how highly rated Volkswagen is among corporate users who need vehicles that can combine great running costs and practicality with car park appeal.  

The Golf is the ultimate attainable premium model, while victories for the Touran and Tiguan, as well as the highly commended status of the Polo, highlight the appeal of the Volkswagen brand has across the line-up.’

Volkswagen’s Head of Fleet, Michael O’Shea, added: ‘We have one of the widest ranges of cars of any vehicle manufacturer, meaning there’s a Volkswagen to suit virtually every fleet need and taste.  That the Golf, Tiguan, Polo and Touran have all been recognised by BusinessCar is testament to this. 

‘Arguably more important, however,’ he continued, ‘is the fact that these awards are voted for by the readers of BusinessCar – and that means they’re also testament to the service and back-up we provide through our fleet teams and our Network Business Partners.  We’re delighted to have been honoured in this way and believe the new Passat which went on sale this month will continue our winning streak in the BusinessCar awards.’

BusinessCar Awards Ford's Fiesta & S-Max two awards, Best MPV & Best Supermini 2015.

Two popular Ford models have been honoured in this year’s BusinessCar Awards – for the eighth consecutive year for the S-MAX.

The stylish and sporty Ford S-MAX tightened its grip on the award for Best Multi-Purpose Vehicle – held since 2008.  Ford Fiesta, the UK’s top-selling car, took BusinessCar’s Supermini of the Year prize.

The only awards decided by fleet managers themselves, the BusinessCar honours are highly prized within the industry and underline Ford’s popularity among fleets.

Ford S-MAX – due to be renewed this Summer – has enjoyed a remarkable run of success both in the annual BusinessCar Awards and combined fleet and retail market, reaching over 82,000 UK registrations since its 2006 debut.

Paul Barker, BusinessCar editor, said:  “Ford’s S-MAX has been a class apart since launch, bringing people-carrying practicality without boxy people-carrying looks. Though this generation is soon to be replaced by an even classier new model, it is going out with a bang and still looks great compared to rivals.”

The Ford Fiesta earned its Best Supermini honour because it is “high on quality as well as quantity”.  Paul Barker added:  “Driving enjoyment, efficiency, good running costs and clever technology all combine to make it a popular choice. Our readers – the people choosing these models for their business – have picked the Fiesta as their favourite mainstream supermini, and that’s testament to the car’s all-round ability.”

Incoming new Ford of Britain fleet director Nick Themistocleous, said:  “The seven-seat coupé that is the Ford S-MAX deserves its superb run of success in the BusinessCar Awards and its 2015 replacement will enjoy an equally positive response from readers.  Ford Fiesta adds another significant accolade to its vast collection of honours.”

BusinessCar magazine and website readers vote Hyundai's ix35 as 'Best Crossover'

• BusinessCar magazine and website readers vote Hyundai's ix35 as 'Best Crossover' in the title's 2015 awards
• Voters praise its all-round appeal including value and versatility, specifications and style, and low running costs plus tax efficiency
• Hyundai's industry-leading five-year/unlimited mileage warranty gets yet another awards namecheck –crucial in the highly competitive fleet sector

Hyundai's stylish and versatile ix35 has what it takes to bear heavy usage, high mileages and the close scrutiny of company accountants, according to readers of the BusinessCar magazine and website - who voted the car 'Best Crossover' in the prestigious 2015 BusinessCar Awards.

“ix35 illustrates the great leaps Hyundai has made in terms of product appeal, quality, value and design, and shows that the brand is now a mainstream choice,” said BusinessCar Editor Paul Barker. “These awards are selected by the readers of BusinessCar, and they obviously appreciate the talents of a company that is on the up and can match the more established business car players for efficiency, satisfaction and operating costs.”

BusinessCar readers praised the ix35’s value and generous specification levels, good powertrains and refinement. Voters considered the choice of front-wheel drive or 4x4 an important differentiator, while overall levels of interior and exterior quality played on the style-conscious user-chooser market.

Crucially for the fleet market, the ix35’s low running costs and tax efficiencies made the car affordable under company car tax rules. While operational cost efficiencies - impressive residuals, durability and Hyundai’s reassuring five-year/unlimited warranty – keeping finance-focused fleet managers happy.

A delighted Martin Wilson, Fleet Director, Hyundai Motor UK said: "The ix35 has been a multiple award-winning star car for us, and has proved to be a vital part of our modern, capable range that has revolutionisedour fleet customer perception in the UK.

"This latest award is all the more valuable to us as it comes direct from people who know which cars can cope with being pushed to their limits, and yet still be attractive financially to companies and the end user."