A Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle dealer group has launched contactless van test drives to help give fleets access to vehicles during the coronavirus crisis.  

Rygor Commercials says that, while it understands many people are working from home, there are still a lot of businesses and essential services needing to use their vehicles.

John Lloyd, van sales manager at Rygor, explained: “Many businesses are currently needing to diversify or expand their offering by providing more delivery options, and this may require the support of additional vans on their fleet.

“We appreciate that purchasing a new vehicle is a big decision and many customers want to try out the van before they buy. This is why we have launched our contactless test drive option.”

Alan Weyman, van sales executive at Rygor, said that contactless test drives had been positive both its team and its customers.

“The process for the customer is straight forward: after booking online via our website, we will confirm a date and time to pick the demo van up, or we will deliver out to them,” continued Weyman.

“Our demonstrator will be thoroughly cleaned and prepared with the relevant PPE before the customers drives the vehicle.

“To help limit contact even further, our team will get in touch via phone or video call after the test drive, to discuss how it went and help secure the right vehicle for the customer.”

David Maddocks, from 360 Commercial Environments, recently test drove a Mercedes-Benz X-Class through Rygor’s new contactless test drive programme.

He said: “We do work in the NHS and private school sectors and with everything going on right now, we really need to get materials to sites as quickly as possible.

“I currently have a car, but it is not great for transporting equipment and supplies, so I needed a vehicle which gave me the best of both worlds: good for moving materials, carrying tools and attending meetings.

“I have seen the X-Class out on the roads and really liked the look of it so wanted to see if it was suitable for what I need.

“To be honest I found the contactless test drive that Rygor offered, absolutely brilliant. It was convenient and I got to drive the vehicle (which was cleaned and had PPE in) for a good length of time.”

LLoyd concluded: “We know that this is a challenging time for everyone, which is why we have implemented these measures to help make fleet procurement and management just a little bit easier for businesses.”