The eye-catching Volvo V40 will give fleets and company car drivers food for thought in what is a highly competitive sector.

It’s pitching itself against the likes of the Audi A3, the BMW 1 Series, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and the Volkswagen Golf.

Tough competition from a trio of fleet favourites and the impressive A-Class, but if you were judging it on looks alone, it would certainly give the Mercedes-Benz a run for its money.

Look at it from any angle and the V40’s sweeping lines reveal a design ethic not probably seen since the Swedish manufacturer launched the P1800 in the 1960s.

However, looks aren’t everything and the V40 certainly isn’t just a pretty face. It’s packed with the latest safety gadgets and gizmos that will keep your drivers safe.

The Autonomous Emergency Braking system, City Safe, which automatically applies the brakes if the driver fails to react in time when the vehicle in front slows down or stops, comes as standard.

However, compared to the Audi A3, Volvo’s 1.6-litre 115bhp diesel engine fails to deliver at low revs.

That perhaps explains the shortfall on the claimed combined 78.5mpg as your revs increase to try and tease a bit more power in the lower gears.

Still 56.5mpg isn’t too shabby and colleagues have comfortably achieved more than 60mpg when they’ve previously climbed behind the wheel of the V40.

Its impressive fuel efficiency offers CO2 emissions of 94g/km resulting in a 13% BIK tax band, giving yet more reasons to seriously consider the V40 as the latest addition to your fleet.