Arnold Clark Vehicle Management

Energize your business

Nothing beats the feeling of getting the keys to a new car, and Optimizer is the ideal way to spread the feel-good factor right across your business. It takes all the hassle out of car ownership and makes driving a pleasure again.

Best of all, it helps you find the optimum balance between what you need as a business and what your people want as drivers. And in a climate where pay rises and bonuses may be hard to deliver, the Optimizer salary sacrifice car scheme is a great way to retain talent and enhance the package you can offer employees without increasing your costs of employment.

By providing a Salary Sacrifice car, Optimizer delivers one of the most valuable staff benefits available.

Look at what's included with an Optimizer car

Optimizer comes fully loaded with a basket of services that are designed to deliver risk free motoring for every member of staff. A single monthly payment provides staff with a fully managed car and a level of fleet service normally only reserved for company car drivers.

• Hire of a car for 2 or 3 years
• All manufacturers scheduled services
• Mechanical repairs
• Tyres and exhausts
• UK emergency roadside recovery
• European emergency recovery and repatriation
• Accident management
• Replacement car for mechanical repairs
• Annual road tax
• Annual Drivers Licence check
• Motor Insurance (if required)
• Additional ET Insurances (if required)
• Free UK delivery and collection
• Full implementation service
• Vehicle administration

Make the most of salary sacrifice

Optimizer is a great way for a business to attract the right staff and retain its best staff. It will reduce National Insurance for the company and will help address 'the grey fleet'. Employees benefit from lower Income Tax and NI payments, while enjoying fleet discounts and a fantastic selection of cars.

The principle of Salary Sacrifice is well-established among good employers with a strong track record in recruiting, retaining and rewarding their people.

In essence, an employee gives up a part of their salary in exchange for a non-cash benefit e.g. childcare vouchers, and the benefits for both the employer and the employee can be very attractive.

• Employer saves NIC on salary reduction
• Employee saves NIC on salary reduction
• Employee saves Income Tax on salary reduction
• Income Tax on Benefit in Kind is lower than on salary
• Encourages lower P11D and CO2 on cars
• Supports Government policy on low emission transport
• Helps reduce the environmental footprint of the business
• Helps reduce Duty of Care risks for the business
• Fully maintained cars and fully managed service
• Fleet discounts are passed onto your employees
• Wide choice of vehicles
• Free delivery anywhere on the UK mainland

Removing the risk from the grey fleet

Many businesses top-up their vehicle fleet by allowing staff to use their own cars for business purposes and then to claim back expenses. This ‘pay on use’ approach is often more cost-effective than public transport, daily rental or pool cars. The problem is that under Health and Safety laws, the business is just as responsible for the condition and use of these vehicles as it is for the company car fleet. As a result, the so-called ‘grey fleet’ represents a serious risk.

Optimizer is the perfect solution as it allows you to mitigate your risk while continuing with an expenses based system. There’s no need to worry about the condition of staff cars because you know they will be expertly managed and include road tax, servicing, tyres and mechanical repairs.

What’s more, every year we even check the drivers licences for Optimizer drivers – a considerable saving year on year.

Turning the grey fleet green

Because Salary Sacrifice works best for low emission cars, Optimizer encourages staff to choose cars that are more efficient and less harmful to the environment. By taking advantage of new engine technologies every couple of years, Optimizer helps accelerate improvements in both the drivers personal carbon footprint, and that of the business.

And on top of the incredible savings that Optimizer delivers to drivers and the business, you also benefit from superior fuel consumption – so driving really doesn’t have to cost the earth!

A hassle free way for staff to buy cars

Optimizer is an online service that makes it easy for your staff to obtain quotes and to order the car of their dreams. There's no overhead for the business, as we deal with all enquiries and orders.

Configuring the scheme

We’ll sit down with you to discuss how you would like the Optimizer Scheme set up for your business. Once the scheme is established, we’ll create an online account for you and your staff so that they can obtain their own quotations.

How it works

• Employees will be issued with their own User Name and Password
• The first time they login, they will be asked to confirm some personal details, including the percentage amount of tax they pay i.e. 20%, 40% or 50%
• The employee can then search for cars using either Manufacturer and Model selections, or using our handy affordability filter
• Quotations can be saved, retrieved and printed by the employee at any time
• Quotations may be over 24 or 36 months and will include any special terms we have negotiated on your behalf
• Employees choose their anticipated annual mileage
• Employees can add manufacturer extras
• Once an employee is ready to order, he can do so online
• We will send an automated approval request to your organisation before proceeding with the order
• We will liaise directly with the employee during the order period and arrange delivery direct with him/her
• On delivery of the vehicle, we will advise you of the exact amount to process under the Optimizer Salary Sacrifice arrangement
• We will support your employees and deal with fleet administration during the period of the agreement, including road tax renewals
• We will conduct a drivers licence check each year and notify you of any discrepancies or issues
• At the end of the agreement, we will liaise with the driver to organise collection (or private sale) of the car

Because Salary Sacrifice works best for low emission cars, Optimizer encourages staff to choose cars that are more efficient and less harmful to the environment. By taking advantage of new engine technologies every couple of years, Optimizer helps accelerate improvements in both the drivers personal carbon footprint, and that of the business.

And on top of the incredible savings that Optimizer delivers to drivers and the business, you also benefit from superior fuel consumption – so driving really doesn’t have to cost the earth!

Implementation

It can take a few months to set up a new Optimizer scheme, primarily because you may wish to seek advice from HMRC and your own tax advisors. And like any other Salary Sacrifice arrangement, there are some key questions that need to be answered and careful consideration must be given to changes to your Contract of Employment.

We're here to help

We’re with you every step of the way. We can introduce you to professional tax advisors and we will manage the implementation of the scheme on your behalf. Most importantly, we’ll work with you to promote the scheme and encourage your staff to take advantage of the ultimate Salary Sacrifice benefit.

If necessary, we can provide additional cover for motor insurance for your drivers and early termination insurances that protect you from any unexpected costs.

Promoting the scheme

According to the CIPD, communication and education are the most important elements in the success of any rewards programme. So to ensure the success of the Optimizer Salary Sacrifice Car Scheme it’s important that we communicate the benefits to the workforce.

If staff don’t know about the scheme or are not engaged, then all the hard work involved in setting up the scheme can come to nothing.

Every business is different, but we are committed to working with you and your HR and Rewards teams to ensure that the scheme is marketed and promoted within your business, both at launch time and ongoing.