Media post: Tips for choosing the right vehicle for your business

Renault Trafic

For most companies and organisations, vehicles play a major role in the delivery of goods and services. So when it comes to buying vehicles, how do you make sure you make the best choice for your business? Below you’ll find some of the key factors to incorporate into your decision-making process.

Heavy vehicles

Heavy vehicles play a pivotal role in the world’s leading industries like manufacturing, construction, mining and freight. When it comes to buying a new truck, there are many things to think about, but probably the most important is reliability.

Make sure you invest in a rig from a reputable manufacturer who continues to provide great after-sales service and support across the country. Sure ‘brand’ is a swanky marketing term, but it stands for much more. Established brands stand the test of time because they’ve proven themselves and their products. They are continually developing and refining their products based on input from their customers. If this is the sort of brand you’re looking for in heavy vehicles, take a look at a company such as Western Star Trucks. They’ve established themselves across the globe based on these principles and allow you to customise your vehicle to perfectly fit the needs of your business.

Light Commercial vehicles

Light commercial users are now spoilt for choice, but the key decision to now make is whether to buy a utility vehicle or a van. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each:

Utility Vehicles

Pros

• Drivers (and any passengers) are separated from the goods they’re carrying. This is important if you’re carrying smelly or dangerous freight
• Given that many utility vehicles have a one-tonne payload rating – this can really help at tax time
• Utility vehicles can be used for work during the week as well as recreation on weekends.

Cons

• Typically speaking, utilities don’t have great load security. You can help to overcome this by adding a canopy or fitting lockable storage boxes on to the utility tray
• Utility vehicles have a well-earned reputation for mediocre handling because they’re designed around a beam rear axle with leaf-spring suspension.

Buying tips

• If you want to use your utility vehicle for work and play, some brands now offer passenger car-style safety features like electronic stability (ESC) and traction control. These vehicles handle much better and provide greater overall safety.

Vans

Pros

• Vans have better load security and if you go for an optional bulkhead, you can better separate drivers from the freight
• Semi-bonneted vans can give you walk-through access to the cargo area
• Many vans now have car-like safety features such as stability and traction control and multiple airbags.

Cons
• Let’s face it, vans don’t really match the image of utility vehicles!
• If you want a vehicle that can be used for work and play, a van probably isn’t your best choice.

Buying tips

• Think about how much room you want in the cargo area and for hands-free deliveries, opt for a model that has powered sliding doors
• If you need a bit more grunt, some makes and models now offer V8 engines as well as 4×4 ability.

Making the right vehicle purchase for your business comes down to identifying what you need from a vehicle. The trick is to then match your needs to available vehicles and for some drivers, this might mean opting for additional features or even modifying or customising a vehicle for a perfect, tailored fit.