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The start point for the best source of fleet information |
Where do you go to do some homework about a new car? Google, probably, but assuming you prefer the official source of information to a swathe of reviews, your next stop will be the manufacturer's website.
We have said before that OEMs' fleet and company car information is often eclipsed by consumer-leaning online content. That is understandable from a broader marketing perspective, but brands for which fleet and business sales make up, in some cases, more than 50% of their annual registrations should really put some effort in to cater for such customers via their digital shop windows.
Some absolutely nail it, while others leave a lot to be desired, and our annual website analysis rewards manufacturers that pour their energies into pages, functions, and features for fleets and those that regularly freshen these elements.
In addition to evaluating the sites' primary functions, we also do a bit of digital mystery shopping to try out each manufacturer's remote customer services. We have made some key changes to this part for 2023, to better reflect how users typically interact with brands online.
We no longer email manufacturers and, though we still phone them, this has been removed from the scored part of the assessment. Those two elements have been replaced by live chat and social media messaging respectively.
This year's deep dive sees top-spot regular Vauxhall back in its usual position. It came second in 2022 because it was mid-revamp and some services were inactive, but most of those are now up and running and refreshed accordingly. It is once again the most fleet-centric OEM website by a clear margin, and the ongoing cues it has actively taken from this analysis are obvious.
Last year's winner, Mercedes, fell to second place, which it shares with BMW - a big improver, much of which was due to its excellent responses to live chat and messaging. The same can be said of fourth-placed Hyundai, the most improved brand of 2023 with a five-place rise.
Only 25% separated first from last this year, which suggests the competition has hotted up in line with the tweaks to our assessment and the mid-table, especially, is very closely matched.
The bottom three manufacturers - Nissan, Volkswagen, and Audi - suffered from, among other things, overly promotional social media, a lack of brochures, and poor live chat services.
In late July and early August, we examined the websites of the 10 best-selling OEMs according to 2022 SMMT full-year registrations. We always start at the principal fleet and business page (to which we navigate via Google) and fan out to other pages from there.
Each site is assessed in 10 key areas and ranked from one to 10, which generates an overall percentage score. If a website lacks a particular service or feature (e.g. no brochure) then we score zero in that category.
We like sites that are well-geared towards fleets and company car drivers and do more than just plug or sell the products. When we interact with them, manufacturers that respond quickly, clearly, politely, and with relevant information also get the thumbs up. Finally, we contact each OEM's press department to ask if the fleet pages have been updated in the past year.
Ease of use: Above all, a good website should make it simple for users to find basic information about the company's core products. Our benchmark is the price of a car (even better if it's a P11D), then its CO2 figure.
Design: The most subjective category is also the one that will arguably dictate how long a user remains on a page. Drab designs in need of updating do not make you want to stick around and vice versa.
Configurator: The go-to tool for user-choosers speccing up their next company car. The best are informative, interactive, and cool to look at.
Brochure download: If you think brochures are old hat, look at the highest-rated ones in our assessment, which are highly interactive and teeming with information. Even better if they are easy to find on the site.
Live chat (new): We logged onto each manufacturer's live chat service and asked if a popular model was fitted with rear parking sensors. Fast, accurate, and polite responses - be they from humans or AI - were what we looked for. If they could not answer our question, we were forgiving of those that at least cut to the chase and said so quickly.
Social media: We like informative social media feeds with useful information. It does not have to be fleet-themed, but we appreciate those that are. Wishy-washy self-promo has no truck with us.
Social media messaging (new): Same as live chat. We sent each brand a direct message on Twitter and ranked its response (if any) using the exact
same metrics.
Dealer finder: A basic but crucial function. The best are easy to find and let you filter by service - even better if those filters include things fleets need.
Mobile site: Users are more likely to encounter a site in this format, so it needs to configure to a phone or tablet screen as neatly as possible and without losing any of the desktop's features.
Extras: Added features, functions, and content with fleets in mind show willing by the manufacturer, and they go down a storm with us.
https://www.audi.co.uk/uk/web/en/find-and-buy/business-and-fleet/fleet-range.html
Ease of use: 5/10
Linear access to key vehicle info via the 'Models' tab. Three clicks for a base price, two more gets you the configurator with model-specific data.
Design: 3/10
No change from last year. Smart enough, but lacks the flair of the former tiled layout.
Configurator: 8/10
Seriously swish, with 2D, 3D and video-style views and well-presented info, although rivals have more fluid movements. You can toggle the backgrounds behind the car, too.
Brochure download: 0/10
No change from last year. As far as we can tell, Audi does not have brochures on its website.
Social media messaging: 9/10
Second responder at 34 minutes and answered our question. No further details, though.
Live chat: 2/10
"As our Customer Services Team is not technically trained, we empower our Authorised Retailer Network to assist in answering our customers' concerns or questions." Honestly, why bother?
Dealer finder: 3/10
Easily found via the main menu dropdown. Works fine, but lacks fleet-specific features.
Social media: 1/10
EV walkaround guides on YouTube are useful. Celebrity pictures from the Henley Festival sums up the theme for the rest.
Mobile site: 9/10
Far more concise in mobile form; does away with the desktop site's redundant header image and condenses business and fleet links into a neat dropdown menu.
Extras: 3/10
TCO and contract hire calculators, EV-4-Me tool to establishes suitability for electric, chauffeur section.
Verdict: 43%
https://www.bmw.co.uk/en/topics/buying/business-corporate/fleet-managers.html
Ease of use: 8/10
One click on 'Models' brings up the entire range with starting prices; another on 'Build and Price' launches the configurator with instantly visible info.
Design: 1/10
No change since 2022, and it could really do with an update. Functional, but the fleet pages have not changed in years.
Configurator: 10/10
Not quite as swanky as Audi's but better laid out, more intuitive, and lots of key information, including BIK, is displayed in a really immediate and accessible way.
Brochure download: 3/10
Really easy to access via a link at the bottom of the page, but you can't download one without handing over your personal details.
Social media messaging: 10/10
Clear and detailed response in 25 minutes (fastest of the lot) with links to relevant pages and offers of further help.
Live chat: 8/10
Human being. Politely asked if we'd mind waiting while they checked. Extremely comprehensive response seven minutes after we initiated the chat.
Dealer finder: 2/10
A click from the fleet homepage, but you have to squint at the font. You can book a service or appointment, but nothing more than that.
Social media: 7/10
YouTube channel is really well laid out, with useful explainer videos grouped by model and range, among others. Mainly promo elsewhere.
Mobile site: 6/10
Easier to read than the desktop site, because the font is larger, but the plug for the app at the top of the page is annoying.
Extras: 6/10
Nine fleet manager guides, although some are now out-of-date, BIK guide and info for drivers, chauffeur and specialist section.
Verdict: 61%
Ease of use: 2/10
Two clicks to model page with prices. Other info is there, but some, such as CO2, is below the fold, so not as obvious. Conflicting mix of mpg/litres per 100km economy listings, too.
Design: 2/10
Ford said the fleet section had been redesigned but, beyond bold font and a new headline, it does not look that different.
Configurator: 2/10
Does the job, but the page-by-page format is not cutting edge. It is also clunky and can be slow to load.
Brochure download: 10/10
Hunting required -they're at the bottom of individual model pages on the non-fleet site - but there are four: a full-fat one, a brilliant interactive version, a simple specs brochure and a price list.
Social media messaging: 5/10
We couldn't message Ford until it followed us. After it did (we Tweeted it first) we got a response with a link in less than an hour.
Live chat: 5/10
Advertised as 8.30am-9pm on the site but 'only appears when a customer advocate is available.' No dice on our first attempt; tried again two hours later and got an answer in three minutes.
Dealer finder: 10/10
The 'find a dealer' link at the top of the page is glaringly obvious and you can filter via 22 factors, including Motability, LCVs, small business/fleet, and rental.
Social media: 8/10
More fleet-themed than most, albeit on vans. Loads of useful E-Transit YouTube videos and there is a dedicated Ford Pro Twitter feed.
Mobile site: 5/10
Cleaner than the desktop version; upper links are compacted into a dropdown box and there is a scrolling tile format for the lower picture-based ones.
Extras: 2/10
Quite a lot on the face of it, but apart from the WLC calculator, the links are fairly circuitous and lead mostly to sales promo. Little of real use to fleets.
Verdict: 51%
Ease of use: 7/10
One click to full range with base prices. One more gets you a pricing table with really clear key figures, including P11D and BIK. You have to scroll to the bottom of that page, though.
Design: 9/10
Fresher than most. Pictures dash across the page as you scroll down and baby blue tabs make it easy to navigate to key fleet tools.
Configurator: 6/10
The simplest of the lot, but we like that. Page-by-page and just one picture - no fancy graphics - but everything you need is served up in an incredibly straightforward format.
Brochure download: 6/10
Really easy to find via the link at the top right of the fleet page - and easy to download for any model. Content is style over substance, though.
Social media messaging: 4/10
Sixth responder in just over two hours. However, the answer was not quite right.
Live chat: 9/10
Looks like AI, but superb. In two minutes, we had a clear answer with a link to the relevant model's spec page and an offer to put us through to a dealer.
Dealer finder: 8/10
Clear link atop the fleet homepage and easy to use. Five filters including business centres and Motability.
Social media: 6/10
Big improvement for the LinkedIn page, which is now much more geared towards fleets. Chiefly promo elsewhere, though.
Mobile site: 1/10
Actually a really tidy format, but the same problem as last year - it loses the desktop version's handy and fleet-themed blue bar; the replacement grey links are retail-themed.
Extras: 4/10
BIK and WLC calculators, plus a very good contacts page for the fleet team, with direct email addresses and phone numbers.
Verdict: 60%
Ease of use: 6/10
Four clicks to BIK, CO2, ppm and P11D. It's actually better with fleet-themed figures than others, it just takes a little longer to get to them.
Design: 5/10
Kia says the site has "updated lifestyle imagery" (read new pictures). Nothing wrong with it, but still quite plain compared with the more interesting alternatives.
Configurator: 3/10
Nothing wrong per se, but neither the slickest nor the most informative configurator around.
Brochure download: 4/10
Easily found via the link in the left-hand drop-down box, but brochures are under lock and key.
Social media messaging: 0/10
No response.
Live chat: 10/10
Exactly the same as Hyundai - almost certainly AI and the responses were identical - but was a few seconds quicker at less than two minutes.
Dealer finder: 1/10
Seven filters - four of which are fleet-themed - is good, but it took three attempts and a long time to load. We almost gave up.
Social media: 9/10
Kia says it has increased fleet content on LinkedIn, focusing on one model a month, and runs campaigns for business dealers. Also a dedicated international fleet LinkedIn page.
Mobile site: 3/10
What would otherwise be a good mobile format is let down by blurry header image on the main business page and part of the first letters being cut off on three of the tiled links.
Extras: 9/10
Kia has upped its game here, with fleet-specific pages for four key models, a fleet services page, business services promise section, and fleet-themed news articles.
Verdict: 50%
https://www.mercedes-benz.co.uk/passengercars/cars-guide/fleet-business.html
Ease of use: 4/10
Two clicks to price, four to reach the configurator with trim-specific info.
Design: 8/10
Usually wins this category and still smarter than average, but the recent redesign ditched the black background - which made it so distinct - for white with blurry pastel photo backdrops.
Configurator: 9/10
Among the best. Looks great, easy to toggle the views and key info is simple to access via the left-hand sidebar.
Brochure download: 8/10
Fantastic one-stop shop containing everything you could need to know about the car with lots of interactive links.
Social media messaging: 1/10
We were unable to message Mercedes because our Twitter account is not verified. When we Tweeted it, it said, "perhaps Twitter has recently made this change to non-verified accounts".
Live chat: 3/10
Artificial unintelligence. "I looked up your question but I didn't find an answer. Please check your specific manual," and "unfortunately there are no human agents available on this chat". At least it was quick.
Dealer finder: 5/10
Link is tucked away at the bottom of the page. Eight filters, but none are geared to fleets.
Social media: 10/10
Dedicated UK fleet and business LinkedIn page, plus MB Vans feeds across all major channels.
Mobile site: 8/10
Clean and neat conversion. Many sites claim to be mobile first, desktop second, but this one really looks like it.
Extras: 5/10
Tax and cost comparison calculators; fleet-themed info on the EQ range; public sector, specialist, and chauffeur sections
Verdict: 61%
https://www.nissan.co.uk/fleet-car-solutions.html
Ease of use: 1/10
Three clicks gets you to the configurator with a price, but you have to go right through to the summary page to dredge up CO2 and economy data. Not obvious enough.
Design: 7/10
Upped its game after a long stagnant period. Still a lot of white background, but the sight reshuffle and new/more pictures are a big improvement.
Configurator: 1/10
Slowest of all to load and the interior view of the Qashqai is dreadful - you can only see the top half of the dashboard. Key info is lacking, too.
Brochure download: 7/10
Get past the initial sales spiel and it is a comprehensive interactive brochure, with all key information listed in the second half. Direct link from the fleet homepage, too.
Social media messaging: 8/10
Third responder in 54 minutes with a clear answer and link to the product page.
Live chat: 7/10
The red 'chat with us' box on the fleet page did not work, but the 'live chat' link the top bar did. The agent first clarified our question, then answered it clearly. Took six minutes.
Dealer finder: 7/10
Link in the menu dropdown. Ten filters including Motability, vans, van servicing and rapid charging points.
Social media: 3/10
YouTube homepage is well laid out, with clear and descriptive model videos. Nothing for fleets, though, and other channels are generic and lacklustre.
Mobile site: 7/10
Nicely compacted. The top-right dropdown box becomes the go-to for most links and functions, so it cleans the whole thing up well.
Extras: 1/10
Good fleet contacts page, but that really is it. Total absence of the tools/calculators offered by competitors.
Verdict: 49%
https://www.toyota.co.uk/fleet-business/fleet
Ease of use: 9/10
One click gets you P11D, BIK, CO2 and a tax calculator, although not for the full range. Even then, key info is extremely visible from the 'New Vehicles' page.
Design: 6/10
No change from last year. Not exciting, but its simplicity is easy on the eye.
Configurator: 5/10
Easy enough to use, works well and most key info is available within a click. Plain next to the best, though.
Brochure download: 5/10
Brochures themselves are good - smart and detailed, with interactive click throughs - but they are not available for all models (RAV4 was absent). The price list is better for basic info.
Social media messaging: 6/10
Actually the third to initially respond in 51 minutes, but asked a clarifying question. We had the answer in just over an hour, though.
Live chat: 6/10
Auto response service failed to answer the question, but then the manned chat appeared. Wrapped up in four minutes, but we had to ask extra questions to clarify the response.
Dealer finder: 4/10
Obvious top-right-hand link. Works fine, but there are now seven filters instead of 11, some of which used to be fleet-themed.
Social media: 4/10
Nothing on fleet, but posts are very regular (except on Twitter) and more creative/intelligent than the bland promo of some rivals.
Mobile site: 2/10
Not really much different to the desktop version, and it loses the quick links bar on the right-hand side.
Extras: 7/10
Three calculators - tax, contract hire, TCO - plus a hybrid/electric/petrol decider tool and LCV section.
Verdict: 54%
https://www.vauxhall.co.uk/business/fleet/overview.html
Ease of use: 10/10
A single click on the 'Range' tab and you'll find P11D, CO2, BIK, mpg and/or electric range for every model, all within the fleet section.
Design: 10/10
Brighter than the competition, with much more going on. Five colourful header screens and loads of links to fleet-themed features.
Configurator: 4/10
Static pictures and confusing mixture of PS/kW power outputs mark it down. Spec info and key figures are all there on the second page, though.
Brochure download: 9/10
Not as swish as Merc or Ford, but the range price brochure is a click from the fleet homepage, is regularly updated and, along with the kitchen sink in info terms, has a fleet section.
Social media messaging: 0/10
No response.
Live chat: 4/10
Chat unmanned. Option to leave your number for a call back. Wrapped things up quickly. The service had been under maintenance prior to our assessment and was still under development.
Dealer finder: 6/10
Dead obvious link at the top of the page with 12 filters including Vauxhall Professional.
Social media: 5/10
Stellantis (Vauxhall's parent company) has a dedicated fleet and business LinkedIn page with relevant industry content.
Mobile site: 10/10
Excellent repackaging. Key links are absorbed into the top-left-hand dropdown in a clean and clear format with large font, so the whole thing is simple and easy to navigate.
Extras: 10/10
Absolutely loads, including tax, fuel benefit and WLC calculators, P11D price lists, emissions data, and van pages, many of which have been very recently updated. Sets the pace in fleet features.
Verdict: 68%
https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/en/finance-offers-and-fleet/fleet.html
Ease of use: 3/10
Three clicks for a base price, six for a trim-specific page with the essentials. It's all there, but others are faster and/or more fleet-centric.
Design: 4/10
Merging the main picture and text box as you scroll down is a neat touch, but it has not changed for a long time and is beginning to look rather dated.
Configurator: 7/10
Clean, smart and intuitive. Loads quickly, the image of the car is interactive, and the P11D price option is a nice touch.
Brochure download: 0/10
Status quo from last year. VW seems to have ditched conventional brochures.
Social media messaging: 7/10
Fourth responder in 55 minutes. The answer was a bit sales-pitchy, but it covered what we asked for.
Live chat: 1/10
Said it was looking into the question for us, checked we were still online after about 20 minutes, then disconnected the chat after more than 25 with no answer.
Dealer finder: 9/10
Takes a little uncovering via the menu, but really quick to load with 10 filters, including Motability, local business, fleet and rental.
Social media: 2/10
YouTube models videos are well laid out by body style and there are also the VWCVs van channels, but mostly corporate promo.
Mobile site: 4/10
Not hugely different to the desktop format, but works well enough in mobile form.
Extras: 8/10
Three calculators - WLC, BIK, and RVs - direct fleet contacts, and heaps of information about fleet readiness for EVs.
Verdict: 45%
|
Ranking/position change from 2022 |
Manufacturer |
Score |
Good |
Bad |
|
?1(+1) |
Vauxhall |
68% |
So much more considerate of fleets than any other top 10 OEM site |
Did not respond to our Twitter message; live chat work in progress |
|
?2(+3) |
BMW |
61% |
Best configurator; excellent live chat/messaging responses |
Design could really do with an update; sub-par dealer finder |
|
?2(-1) |
Mercedes |
61% |
Best social media and generally strong in other areas |
Poor live chat and messaging responses |
|
?4 |
Hyundai |
60% |
Great design; very speedy and effective on live chat |
Mobile version loses some of its desktop equivalent's good features |
|
?5(-2) |
Toyota |
54% |
Wonderfully simple layout and good fleet-themed extras |
Like Hyundai, the mobile site sheds some of the desktop version's handy links |
|
?6(+1) |
Ford |
51% |
Brochures and dealer finder put others to shame |
Others are better designed, easier to navigate, and have superior configurators |
|
?7(no change) |
Kia |
50% |
Lightning-fast live chat response; strong social media and extras |
Failed to respond to our Twitter message; shonky dealer finder |
|
?8(+2) |
Nissan |
47% |
Design has improved; solid responses via messaging services |
Hard to find simple info, naff configurator, little/no fleet extras |
|
?9 |
Volkswagen |
45% |
Second best dealer finder and good fleet extras |
Does not do brochures; sub-par social media, worst live chat |
|
?10(no change) |
Audi |
43% |
Strong mobile site and configurator; good response to messaging |
No brochures, promo-heavy social media, pitiful live chat response |
This is the first year that phone calls have not formed part of our main assessment of manufacturer websites. You could argue that they were never an online function anyway, and they now play a comparatively minor role next to digital communication. Toyota, for example, has a 'fill out a form' call back function but does not publish a Joe Public contact number on its site.
These elements contributed to our decision to move phone calls out of the scored section, but we made them anyway because, one: the website is the first port of call for an OEM's phone number, and two: is it so unreasonable to expect a huge company that publishes a customer service number to answer a simple product question?
Apparently so. We called each one with the same query from our live chat and social media assessments: 'does [a popular model] have rear parking sensors as standard?'
Despite the strength of its fleet site, Vauxhall just did not pick up, and we gave up after 10 minutes of waiting. We could not get through to Kia, either.
In a 14-minute call, Volkswagen's agent started off sighing a lot, then embarked on a bizarre, rambling response, which failed to definitively answer the question; they clearly did not have the foggiest and resorted to reading irrelevant literature at us.
Audi obviously uses the same call centre, and we endured a 13-minute call. However, the agent was polite, and we waited while they tried to find an answer (the 'technical team' mentioned by both VW Group brands proved elusive) but they eventually offered to get back to us later.
BMW and Nissan were the only manufacturers that actually answered our question, but both struggled with the concept that we were enquiring about a car we did not already own.
Ford - as usual - and Hyundai told us to 'ask a dealer'. The latter was better, because it got straight to the point, and we were off the phone in less than two minutes. The former's agent was polite and friendly, but its 'press one for.' menus are labyrinthine.
Mercedes was the benchmark. It did not actually answer the question, but it got one thing absolutely right: basic customer service etiquette. The polite and professional agent responded quickly and immediately confessed that they did not have the information to hand. They instantly followed that up by taking our contact details and offering to get back to us later.
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