Reducing CO2 emissions will be an effective way of minimising the impact of forthcoming tax changes, said Claire Evans, head of fleet consultancy at Zenith.

Delegates at Fleet Management Live were told changes to company car tax bands, vehicle excise rates, lease accounting and salary sacrifice are either being introduced or proposed.

Evans (pictured) said: “If reducing CO2 caps is an option, that would help reduce higher costs.

“You can speak to your leasing company for assistance, find out what the impact of the changes will be and look at what vehicles are available on your policy.

“You need to have an understanding of when those changes are coming in so you can plan for them.”

Evans said key questions fleet managers should consider include:

  • How many car options currently available on fleet are between 110g/km and 130g/km?
  • How can drivers be encouraged to take lower CO2 cars through policy changes?
  • Do ultra low emitting vehicles fit into the current car policy? And how do they compare in real-world terms to the vehicles currently available to drivers?