Car Club as an alternative to Hire Car - legitimate business expense ?

[seyre1972]

I'll check with the Car Club Admin team and let people know

WJJS.

If claiming the expense through the business then to be road legal the insurance must cover for business use.

The same applies if using a private vehicle and claiming the 45p/mile from your 'employer', so you should have this already if using own car on occasion (it doesn't usually cost much extra, if anything).

Now, that would typically also cover you 3rd party for other vehicles under the same terms. So you would be road legal and no worries about being nabbed by the plod but you could be liable to the car hire company for any accident damage.

To be on the safe side - I'm checking with the Car Club admin team - the Terms on their site only expressly forbid using the vehicle as a paying means of carriage (i.e. Taxi) and as below ... Once I get feedback will post details for all.



Prohibited uses as below:

a.Use of a Zipcar vehicle off-road, or for racing, pace making, testing the vehicle's reliability or speed, teaching someone to drive or in connection with motor rallies, competitions or trials;

b.Towing of any trailer or other vehicle;

c.For passengers for hire or reward;

d.By any person who is under the influence of (i) alcohol or (ii) any drug or medication under the effects of which the operation of a vehicle is prohibited or not recommended;

e.In the carrying out of any crime or for any other illegal activity or purpose;

f.In an imprudent, negligent, or abusive manner or for any abnormal use of this vehicle;

g.By any person who has provided Zipcar with false information or whose representations are determined to be false (including, without limitation, regarding his/her name, age, or address);

h.Driving a Zipcar vehicle in countries other than England, Scotland and Wales without written permission from Zipcar and without a valid "vehicle on hire" certificate for the duration of the use outside of the UK;

i.Carrying a number of passengers that exceeds the designed seating capacity of the vehicle or baggage or other items that would cause the vehicle to be overloaded;

j.Carrying any hazardous, toxic or flammable materials;

k.Driving while texting, emailing, using a cell phone without a hands-free device, otherwise using a mobile communication device that may distract you from driving or otherwise engaging in similar activities that may be prohibited by applicable law; or

l.In connection with the Motor Trade.

[northernladuk]

e.In the carrying out of any crime or for any other illegal activity or purpose;

LOL I love it when they state the bleedin obvious in these tems and conditions.

[seyre1972]

Checked - abnd Personal membership covers for Commute/Busienss usage

To be on the safe side - I'm checking with the Car Club admin team - the Terms on their site only expressly forbid using the vehicle as a paying means of carriage (i.e. Taxi) and as below ... Once I get feedback will post details for all.



Prohibited uses as below:

a.Use of a Zipcar vehicle off-road, or for racing, pace making, testing the vehicle's reliability or speed, teaching someone to drive or in connection with motor rallies, competitions or trials;

b.Towing of any trailer or other vehicle;

c.For passengers for hire or reward;

d.By any person who is under the influence of (i) alcohol or (ii) any drug or medication under the effects of which the operation of a vehicle is prohibited or not recommended;

e.In the carrying out of any crime or for any other illegal activity or purpose;

f.In an imprudent, negligent, or abusive manner or for any abnormal use of this vehicle;

g.By any person who has provided Zipcar with false information or whose representations are determined to be false (including, without limitation, regarding his/her name, age, or address);

h.Driving a Zipcar vehicle in countries other than England, Scotland and Wales without written permission from Zipcar and without a valid "vehicle on hire" certificate for the duration of the use outside of the UK;

i.Carrying a number of passengers that exceeds the designed seating capacity of the vehicle or baggage or other items that would cause the vehicle to be overloaded;

j.Carrying any hazardous, toxic or flammable materials;

k.Driving while texting, emailing, using a cell phone without a hands-free device, otherwise using a mobile communication device that may distract you from driving or otherwise engaging in similar activities that may be prohibited by applicable law; or

l.In connection with the Motor Trade.

All - called the Car Club helpline - and asked re whether the personal membership covered commuting.

They confirmed that as long as I was not using the vehicle for profit (Taxi) their policy covered it.

The Business option they offer is aimed at an Office/Business having a membership, and pre-approved set of drivers for 1 x fee, rather than several individual memberships.

Thank you for the questions posed - as better to have checked, than find out not covered etc.


Regards,


seyre1972

[JamJarST]

All - called the Car Club helpline - and asked re whether the personal membership covered commuting.

They confirmed that as long as I was not using the vehicle for profit (Taxi) their policy covered it.

The Business option they offer is aimed at an Office/Business having a membership, and pre-approved set of drivers for 1 x fee, rather than several individual memberships.

Thank you for the questions posed - as better to have checked, than find out not covered etc.


Regards,


seyre1972

Sorry to be pedantic here, but I don't think this qualifies as "commuting".

[northernladuk]

Sorry to be pedantic here, but I don't think this qualifies as "commuting".

A good point very well made. You only commute to your permanent place of work. You contract is your temporary place of work, the reason you can actually claim this. This means you are using it for business not commuting. If you were commuting you couldn't claim it anyway.

A pedantic point but a very valid one indeed.

[seyre1972]

For the pedants .....

A good point very well made. You only commute to your permanent place of work. You contract is your temporary place of work, the reason you can actually claim this. This means you are using it for business not commuting. If you were commuting you couldn't claim it anyway.

A pedantic point but a very valid one indeed.

Apologies - when I asked the representative on the phone - I asked about Business & Commuting - a non-contracting freudian slip if you would - Conversation saved on skype should it come to it worst case scenario of having to prove the point .......

This is what Freud has to say on pedants by the way.

The pedant is he who finds it impossible to read criticism of himself without immediately reaching for his pen and replying to the effect that the accusation is a gross insult to his person. He is, in effect, a man unable to laugh at himself."—Sigmund Freud ......

Sounds like some of the people on some of the other threads on contractoruk

[VectraMan]

I hired a car a couple as a contractor of times (when mine was off the road), but just claimed the normal private mileage. As far as I can see it's none of HMRC's business what car I use to do the mileage, as long as I genuinely am doing the mileage.

I don't see why this would be different.

[BusinessAnalyst2012]

Apologies - when I asked the representative on the phone - I asked about Business & Commuting - a non-contracting freudian slip if you would - Conversation saved on skype should it come to it worst case scenario of having to prove the point .......

This is what Freud has to say on pedants by the way.

The pedant is he who finds it impossible to read criticism of himself without immediately reaching for his pen and replying to the effect that the accusation is a gross insult to his person. He is, in effect, a man unable to laugh at himself."—Sigmund Freud ......

Sounds like some of the people on some of the other threads on contractoruk

I think you might want to clarify that one with the company again. "Business & Commuting" will be heard by a call centre drone as "Commuting". Inspector Knacker may disagree.

A better question, which would be equivalent to your situation, would be: "I would like to use the car to travel from my office to visit clients, will this be covered by the insurance?"

[Wanderer]

A better question, which would be equivalent to your situation, would be: "I would like to use the car to travel from my office to visit clients, will this be covered by the insurance?"

Yes, of course it is covered. Business people rent vehicles all the time. All they care about is that you don't use the vehicle for racing, off-roading or as a taxi.

What's this about getting a zip car via salary sacrifice? Is there some tax break that means I can get a membership paid for by my company with no BIK then? Could be worth considering for those people in the big smoke who are willing to car share.

[Contreras]

What's this about getting a zip car via salary sacrifice? Is there some tax break that means I can get a membership paid for by my company with no BIK then?

Dunno. A quick Google suggests there is still a small BiK but way less than the equivalent an employee would have deducted if paid from post-tax income. Perhaps less attractive for scummy contractors who pay no NI.

Try here: Days Contract Hire | Salary Sacrifice

or here: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sa...ice+car+scheme

then tell us all about it.