In his final Budget in this Parliament, the Chancellor has announced that company car Benefit in Kind rates will see a 3% increase for 2019/20.

ALD Automotive managing director Mel Dawson said: “The changes to company car tax will make it more expedient than ever that fleets opt for low-emission vehicles. Fortunately a growing number of increasingly practical and well-priced vehicles will make it easier for businesses to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint as well as company and driver tax bills.”

Dawson also spoke on the fuel duty freeze, commenting: “The announcement that the fuel duty increase scheduled for September has been cancelled is good news for fleets but a reduction would have been very much more welcome, particularly as the UK still levies the highest level of road fuel tax in the EU.

“With fuel prices widely expected to start rising again, companies cannot afford to take their eye off the fuel management ball.”

Finally, Dawson commented on the Chancellor’s announcement of a £100 million investment to back driverless technology, saying that it will “help the UK to stay ahead of this nascent technology”.

He added: “Driverless cars will increasingly become a reality for UK fleets and whilst it may yet still appear a long way off for most people, some forward-thinking businesses will, inevitably, be thinking ahead about how they might positively embrace the technology and embed it within their company car policy.”