Anyone drive a fleet vehicle for their job?

I have driven a lot of different vehicles lately.

Just on the dashboard, Ford has the best - they do a good job to encourage drivers to go light on the pedal. So on that count, you have a winner on that alone.

 

Since you should have a light foot from driving the Prius, getting good numbers from the ecoboosts shouldn't be difficult. The Fusion with the 1.6eco has the best EPA of the bunch. If the company won't spring for ecoboost, the 2.5L in the Fusion and Escape is only a couple mpg worse. Depending on your resistance to the siren's call of the turbo, they might be a better choice.

Unless it is out purely because of its size, the Taurus isn't bad on the fuel economy. The 2.0eco's is on par with 2.5L and the Escape's 1.6eco. Its rating is 22/32/26 city/hwy/combined mpg. The Fusion with 1.6eco is 23/36/28.

The important thing is to get whatever you will be most comfortable in everyday.

I say sell the Prius and save the money for a Tesla. The 'affordable' model will likely be out before you need your own car again.

One more thing, there is a start stop option for the Fusion. If highway driving is going to be the norm, it isn't going to help much. Otherwise, testing this out on another's dime would be a prudent thing to do.

 

Sorry to hear about the DC thing. Traffic around there can be dreadful.

An auto start stop system is just what it sounds like. It turns off the ICE when the car is stopped. Kia, Ford, and Mazda(or soon to be in their case) are the only ones offering it in the US/NA, but they have been around in Europe for years. They don't use things like electric AC, so they are limited compared to the time a hybrid can keep an engine off. There are reports that they could kill the battery sooner. So, if you can get it on a company car to test it out long term, that's a plus over getting it on your own car. Ford currently has it at the lowest price for an option.

Their effectiveness depends on your trip, they might only add 1mpg to the city result of EPA, but it has few actual stops. Which is what kept them out of the US. Little impact on EPA tests, but now manufacturers get CAFE credits for selling them.

The mpg numbers I posted were for FWD models. The Fusion is also available with AWD, but I don't think you really need it once you have had some practice in the snow. Find an empty parking lot and have some fun. AWD helps to get you going, but not in stopping. Of course, I don't know if you have to be out for your job despite the weather.

The snow around here has been light for the last few years, but that can change. Since AWD is possible with either model, the only advantage the escape has is with ground clearance. I imagine the times that might make a difference is during a bad storm. Likely a state of emergency will be declared then, and you won't be allowed on the road anyway.

 

Amoredsaint, a member here and on the CMax forum has had both a prius and now a cmax as company cars. He drives them hard and takes pride in that.

Locally, I have met two Volt drivers who both happen to work for GE. They both traveled extensively around the state and both agreed they had the wrong car for it since they only could get a charge at home. They rotated every 3 years or so and had no say in the matter.

 

I'm surprised people cannot choose to use their own car rather than a company one. Who pays for the fuel ?

 

If they can opt for a personal vehicle, they need to check and see what happens with their auto insurance rates as they can go sky high; especially if they are racking up big miles.

 

I would avoid giving the car insurance company a reason to jack up my rates.

OP may be able to take a mileage deduction on her taxes if she first goes to the main office, and then drives off to the satellites. That would let her use a car she prefers, and make money along the way.

 

I drove fleet vehicles (mainly GM) for about 10 years in the 80s. I drove about 35K miles per year on the company cars and kept a personal car for my wife to use during the week. At first, it was a sweet deal - $9 per week for personal use, including gas and insurance for you and your wife. If you took the car on vacation, you were expected to pay for your own gas. The IRS & company bean counters wanted more realistic accounting of personal use so the weekly cost kept going up along with the paperwork. Once they expanded the allowable personal vehicles for company use to include minivans, I bought a Dodge Caravan and received a check for $200 a month, plus business miles.

You don't mention what kind of job you'll be doing and whether you'll be transporting tools, spares, samples, etc. If you will be entertaining clients at lunch or carrying samples / tools, you'll want that Taurus with the extra passenger and secure, hidden trunk space. My former father-in-law used to work as a field manager for Angenieux in the 60s & 70s and hauled around $10K+ TV lenses, surgical lights, etc. He hated it when the company switched from Ford sedans to wagons and he had to try to hide big, bulky, & expensive lenses under blankets when parked on the streets of NYC.

 

You are not understanding. Look into whether you can use your own car, and file your own travel deduction on your personal tax return. As I posted earlier, the tax deduction applies to work-sites that are not your primary workplace.

 

While it is possible to juggle your deductions in order to not paying out and then waiting for refund. Using your own vehicle without employer reimbursement while you can use a company car, is the same as not putting enough money to a 401k to get all the matching of employer contributions.

 

I hope they do offer the hybrid then. Even at the lower reported mileage, it does better than the ICE only.

 

Huh ?

The per mile deduction fluctuates with pump prices, but has been 50 - 55 cents a mile these past couple of years. If a person's marginal tax rate is 0.28 or say 0.31, the deduction is worth somewhere in the range of 14 - 17 cents a mile.

Fuel for a Prius costs about 6 - 7 cents a mile. Cost of marginal miles in a Prius are maintenance, repairs, and insurance. That would be an easy and substantial money maker in my hands; ymmv. It also lets OP drive the car she wants, and to pollute less along the way. Also remember that the alternative is for her to pay insurance on a car she has no reason to keep, or to take the hit of depreciation and costs of selling the car.

As you can see, this pens out pretty easily. It is much more lucrative at the company level, but that may not be offered to her. It is not by chance that the company is keeping a fleet. I have worked in the past as an independent contractor for a company who reimbursed me the 50 - 55 cents a mile as wages. That was a wonderful deal. I have also in the past been able to expense my travel expenses directly to my S-corp company. That is even more lucrative since it also saves on payroll taxes.

 

I'm not familiar with US tax structure, but there may be tax implications and/or deductions for using your home for work.

 

I know you can make out with the mile deduction rate and a Prius, but you also have to factor in the cost of the car's eventual replacement. It seems the OP will be doing 30K+ miles a year. That is a lot of wear and tear for any car with faster depreciation.

 

Yes, that is something to consider, but long-term ownership costs with a Prius is a funny animal, and decidedly different than than say, a BMW or even a garden variety american car. Miles matter much less than age and general condition of the car.

OP has posted earlier that she keeps her cars until condition mandates replacement, rather than some artificial schedule e.g keeping up with the neighbors. That is why I did not include depreciation as a factor. Extremely well-built and reliable cars like the Prius when properly maintained simply do not follow the well-worn adage of increasing costs as miles accumulate for long term owners.

I have closely followed the maintenance&repairs of our '04 Prius since it was bought new until the present. Average monthly upkeep reached $15 a month (one penny a mile) by year #4, and has remained at $15/month until today. The car has ~ 160k miles. I expect the traction battery to require replacement sometime in the 10 - 15 year old range, but it will not be mileage dependent. This is not to say that the Prius does not have expensive wear parts: the suspension and parts of the brake systems come to mind as examples. However, those wear parts have an easy life on highways so as a practical matter they also do not typically come into play in high mileage cars.