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The start point for the best source of fleet information

MANUFACTURERS' FLEET WEBSITES: Which website serves fleet best?

Date: 02 April 2013

David Motton picks the best, and worst, performers in BusinessCar's annual review of the top 20 fleet brands' sites.

If time is money, then websites with slow download speeds, broken links and impenetrable design are more than just annoying - drumming fingers on desks is time spent not doing the job you're paid to do. BusinessCar's survey of manufacturer websites for the best-selling brands sorts those that save time from those that waste it.

We've assessed each site across a range of criteria before awarding a final percentage total. First of all, we've scored each site for the accessibility of the 'fleet' section from the home page by seeing how clear the menu is, and how prominent the link is to the business sales pages.

Next is how easily you can find your way to and around the fleet-specific site? There's little point creating some brilliant content then hiding it away behind counter-intuitive navigation.

Ease of use and attractive design should go hand in hand. We award high scores to sites that rest easy on the eye, but we don't reward distracting design. Style or substance? We're looking for both, and there are plenty of websites this year that deliver.

We also scored each site for the ease with which you can find P11D prices and BIK percentages, ideally in a downloadable format so they can easily be viewed offline.

While a P11D price list is useful, a comprehensive tax calculator is vital to any good offering. We again asked car tax expert www.comcar.co.uk, provider of BusinessCar's (www.businesscar.co.uk/ taxcalculator), to review each one, making sure the numbers are crunched correctly and comprehensively.

However clever a tax calculator may be, there comes a point at which you'll want to contact a human being. So there are more points on offer to sites that make it easy to find phone numbers and which respond quickly to email queries.

Worthwhile apps, smartphone-friendly mobile sites (especially if they have pages for business users) and an informative Twitter feed earn a higher score. 

 

Audi            80%

Accessibility:            4/5

Ease of use:            4/5

Design:            4/5

P11D/BIK info and brochure:            4/5

Tax calculator cleverness:            2/5

Speed of response to emails:            5/5

Phone number accessibility:            4/5

'Find a dealer' service rating:            4/5

Extras, apps and Twitter presence:            

Car builder, test drive requests, shortlist tool, downloadable information packs, video guides, fleet special offers, Audi Direct microsite for small businesses, Audi Mileage Tracker App, mobile site with fleet content, Twitter (fleet-specific)            9/10

www.audi.co.uk/audi/fleet-sales.html

Audi's is a handsome-looking website, and the fleet area is packed with worthwhile features. The 'Find your Audi' tool is a useful way to create a suitable shortlist from Audi's 541 models (yes, really that many), while the Audi Mileage Tracker App is a clever means of keeping track of your travel expenses. We're always pleased to find a downloadable P11D price list, but the tax calculator contained errors and wouldn't always load correctly.

 

BMW            76%

Accessibility:            4/5

Ease of use:            5/5

Design:            3/5

P11D/BIK info and brochure:            5/5

Tax calculator cleverness:            3/5

Speed of response to emails:            2/5

Phone number accessibility:            3/5

'Find a dealer' service rating:            5/5

Extras, apps and Twitter presence:

Car builder, test drive requests, shortlist tool, car comparison tool (BMW vs rivals), special offers, news, video content, specialist sales, 'Digi Flipbook' tax guide, mobile site with fleet content, Twitter (not fleet-specific)            8/10

www.bmw.co.uk/corporatesales

The design of BMW's site feels a little dated and the font size is very small in places. That said, there's still a lot to praise, with straightforward navigation, and price lists that show the P11D value and BIK percentage. We're really impressed by the 'Find a dealer' tool in the BMW/Mini Business Partnership area, which gives the business sales contacts at your local dealer. However, the tax calculator is not as detailed as the best and we waited nearly two days for a reply to our email.

 

Citroen             76%

Accessibility:            4/5

Ease of use:            4/5

Design:            4/5

P11D/BIK info and brochure:            5/5

Tax calculator cleverness:            2/5

Speed of response to emails:            5/5

Phone number accessibility:            4/5

'Find a dealer' service rating:            3/5

Extras, apps and Twitter presence:

Car builder, test drive requests, car comparison tool (Citroen vs Citroen and with rivals), special offers, PDF tax guide, section for driving instructors, Twitter (not fleet-specific)            7/10

www.citroen.co.uk/fleet

For a lesson in how eye-catching design needn't compromise ease of use, take a look at Citroen's website. It's creative and attractive but simple to use. What could be simpler than a price list for the whole range that's just a click from the home page? Last year, the French brand was slow to respond to our email, but this year our phone rang just 11 minutes later. It's a shame the tax calculator we assessed is so basic, although Citroen replaced it with a new one as BusinessCar went to press.

 

Ford              72%

Accessibility:            4/5

Ease of use:            4/5

Design:            3/5

P11D/BIK info and brochure:            5/5

Tax calculator cleverness:            4/5

Speed of response to emails:            0/5

Phone number accessibility:            4/5

'Find a dealer' service rating:            4/5

Extras, apps and Twitter presence:

Car builder, test drive requests, special offers, whole-life costs calculator, online guides (tax, budget, etc), explanation of Government initiatives, news, mobile site, Ford Accident Management app, Twitter (fleet-specific)            8/10

www.ford.co.uk/fordfleet

Ford is one of the few brands with a dedicated Twitter account for its fleet team, plus a very active general account. Better still, Ford's tax calculator is right up with the very best, with accurate numbers and adjustments for annual and capital contributions. There are some useful extras, too, such as the whole-life costs calculator and the Ford Accident Management app. However, we're still waiting for a response to our email. Come to think of it, we're still waiting for a response to last year's.



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