ICR Leasing, with its headquarters in Milton Keynes, is one of the most flexible vehicle contract hire companies in the UK. Customers will always receive the choice and value they would expect, combined with a high level of personal service. They can choose any manufacturer, model, specification or vehicle type or benefit from ICR’s expertise of current vehicles. The team will source the best solution for the customer and provide great added value products such as pooled mileage, damage waivers, no hidden admin charges and many more. ICR Leasing can even support foreign owned businesses, a must in today’s global market.
Past, present and future
Developing on its long history in the area – founded in 1935 and most people locally will remember it as the Wayside Group before establishing as ICR Leasing in 2011 – it is very much a company with an eye on the future. The company has also undergone a management restructure recently, bringing a fresh, new approach aimed at a changing marketplace. Independently owned, ICR Leasing is now managed by Sales and Operations Managers Will Chapman and Tom Ryan, supported by Group Managing Director Tony Bailey.
Its customer base ranges from the sole trader leasing a single vehicle to blue chip household names with a large fleet, with the focus always remaining on the customer, whatever their size. Inclusion in 2020’s FN50, a list produced by Fleet News of the top 50 leasing companies in the UK, seals ICR Leasing’s growing reputation as a flexible, customer focused organisation that is leading the way in electric vehicles.
Electric vehicles and future mobility
With a stark eye on the government target of ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, customers are being encouraged to start to consider the greener options. It has been announced that the sale of hybrid cars and vans that can drive a significant distance has been extended to 2035, but the details are still unclear, leaving fleet managers with a decision to make about when to begin to switch to environmentally friendly vehicles. The future of company cars is now, and its electric.
In 2020, 20% of all orders delivered by ICR Leasing were electric/hybrid vehicles and the aim is to have this figure at a minimum of 33% by the end of this year. Already, the ICR Leasing team has shown its commitment to its green credentials and all company car drivers within the team now drive fully electric vehicles and the company is well on the way to switching all group cars to electric/hybrid derivatives. ICR are committing to the electric revolution, why don’t you too? Their commitment to lowering their own carbon emissions on their fleet means they are best placed to provide expert advice on greener and alternative fuelled vehicles.
It’s also important for businesses to understand their charging infrastructure at their workplace, employees’ homes and nationwide. Choosing the correct charging infrastructure for your fleet and utilising it efficiently will ensure that operational requirements are met. ICR Leasing are best placed to offer you the advice required with their charging infrastructure partners based locally and across the UK enabling you to minimise cost of installation and ongoing charging requirements.
Tom Ryan said: “The great news here is that Milton Keynes is the electric vehicle hub of Europe, with more charge points than anywhere except London. Rental charges may be slightly higher at the moment, but when you consider the benefits in terms of tax and fuel costs, any extra rental charges are easily off-set.”
The current benefits include the following when running an electric company car:
- 1% BIK for 2021/2022 tax year
- 1% National Insurance for 2021/2022 tax year
- Government grants of £3,000 off your new electric vehicle
- Enormous fuel savings
- Environmental benefits
With many people citing the inconvenience of making a long journey and having to stop to recharge as a reason not to choose an electric car, figures show that the average daily distance driven is under 25 miles, with most electric cars offering at least 100 miles on each full charge, and some exceeding over 400 miles.
Tom added: “Particularly these days, when we’ve all become used to video calls, and the change in behaviour regarding travelling across the country to meetings, even when we’re allowed to, business travel does not involve the distances it used to.
“And although 2030 feels like a long time away, it’s actually quite an aggressive phase-out and is only two or three fleet cycles away for the average customer, so we are already speaking to our clients about electric vehicles. We like to think we’re leading the way in this sector, so if that’s something your business is considering, it’s worth speaking to us about the options.”
Flexible and tailored vehicle solutions
ICR Leasing has fewer rules and limitations that would otherwise make leasing complicated. Many larger leasing companies and banks will not deal with start-ups or foreign-owned businesses trading in the UK. However, this is where ICR specialise, and can give quick decisions based on each individual business circumstance, not just your credit rating and the new management team are proud of the company’s approach to supporting businesses and finding the best possible deals.
Will Chapman said: “We’re very proud to have made it onto the FN50, it shows that we’re a company that stands alongside the best in the country. We can work on behalf of start-ups with no credit history, or a business that wants just two or three vehicles to put together a package that works for them when they have maybe found the bigger companies aren’t interested. There are packages that set out all the costs from the outset, so there are no hidden surprises like mileage figures or additional costs at the end of their terms, and that helps firms to budget. Similarly, if they encounter problems down the line, we will do our best to help them get out of contracts without them being hit with unnecessary fees.
“One thing about inclusion on the FN50 is that we are in a better position to negotiate great deals with manufacturers, which naturally benefits our customers down the line. We want to be open and transparent about what we are doing for our customers and how we’re always looking for the best deal for them.”
Visit www.evmk.co.uk and receive a £200 high street voucher for every order placed using the code ALLTHINGSBUSINESSICR123
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If you want to find out more about ICR Leasing please visit www.icrelectric.co.uk, call 01908 467467 or email info@icrleasing.co.uk
