The £13,915 Primera 1.6 GX five-door hatchback tops the petrol fleet car category with a pence per mile figure of 23.9 over three years/75,000 miles taking into account price (incl delivery and number plates), insurance, fuel, depreciation, VED, finance, maintenance, temporary vehicle replacement, AA Relay Plus membership and fleet administration to obtain wholelife operating costs. The car comes in ahead of established fleet favourites such as the £14,365 Ford Mondeo 1.8 LX hatchback and £14,620 Vauxhall Vectra 1.8i LS hatchback which both have a cost per mile of 24.6p.

Meanwhile, the new 1.9 S Tdi 90bhp Passat tops the fleet diesel car category with a PPM figure of 22.2 - although the retail price quoted is £14,500 compared with an on-the- road price of £15,806 - ahead of the £14,344 Carina E 2.0 GS TD hatchback and £14,500 Vectra 2.0 TD Envoy both on 23.1ppm.

Class-by-class guide to the new Leasecontracts 'Best Buys for the Business Fleet 1997':

Copies of Leasecontracts' 'Best Buys for the Business Fleet 1997' are available from Leasecontracts free of charge on 01386 870884.