Vauxhall’s new RDE2-Compliant Astra offers excellent savings to business drivers

With the new Astra in showrooms now, Vauxhall is highlighting the significant and attractive savings to be made by business customers, thanks to its compliance with the Real Driving Emissions Step 2 (RDE2) standards.

As the only RDE2-compliant mainstream production car, the new diesel-powered Vauxhall Astra not only offers excellent fuel efficiency, but also great cost savings. Business customers do not pay the 4% surcharge on benefit in kind (BiK) rates. Businesses also benefit from class 1A National Insurance contribution savings and cheaper first-year vehicle excise duty (VED) than non-compliant diesels.

With the cleaner, meaner and leaner Vauxhall Astra, fleet customers can save over £1,000 in BiK savings when compared to close rivals. The BiK contribution for the Astra 1.5 Turbo D Sri Nav comes to a total of £3,244, while the Ford Focus 1.5 EcoBlue ST-Line Nav sets drivers back by £3,758. The Seat Leon 1.6 TDI SE Dynamic and Renault Megane 1.5 Blue dCi GT Line sit even higher at £3,790 and £3,982, respectively.

The Škoda Octavia 1.6TDi SE L pushes through the £4k mark at £4,076, while the Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI Match Edition hits £4,258. As a result, fleet drivers that opt for the Astra are able to save £1,014, compared with the most expensive close competitor.

In addition to these huge savings, business owners also stand to benefit from class 1A National Insurance savings. With the Astra as their fleet vehicle of choice, business owners contribute only £2,239 in National Insurance. In contrast, the Ford Focus sets employers back by £2,593, the Seat Leon by £2,615, Renault Megane by £2,747 and Škoda Octavia by £2,812. With the Volkswagen Golf, employers pay £2,938 – £699 higher than the Astra.

One of the UK’s top-selling and best-loved cars, Astra is a household name for British car buyers with over three million sold in the UK over the last 40 years. More than 25 per cent of British motorists have either owned or driven an Astra, so reaction to a model with significant revisions will always be felt across the market.

The new Astra sets the standard for efficiency and low emissions with an all-new range of petrol and diesel powertrains. Building on the wide success of the outgoing model, customers will benefit from reduced CO₂ and fuel consumption, as well as a series of class-leading technology and equipment.

Meticulous development in the wind tunnel also made a significant contribution to the reductions in fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions of up to 21% versus the outgoing model.