Steer Clear Of These 7 Mistakes When Choosing A Business Vehicle

Thinking of buying a vehicle for your business? It’s so important that you choose the right vehicle and the right modifications. Below are just some of the common mistakes you should avoid when choosing a business vehicle. 

Buying a heavily-used vehicle to ‘save’ money

If you’re on a very tight budget, you may be tempted to save money by purchasing an old second hand vehicle. The age and mileage of a vehicle can help bring down the price, but it also increases the risk of wear and tear. In other words, such a vehicle could have lots of faults - which could mean lots of expensive and inconvenient repairs in the near future. 

Heavily-used vehicles should definitely be avoided if they look old and worn as they could also create a poor first impression when you turn up to meet clients. The quality of your vehicle could be seen as a reflection of the quality of your business - which is why you want a vehicle that looks in good condition. 

Showing off your success with an expensive new car

Turning up to jobs in a brand new sporty car may not do you any favours either. While it may seem like it's a symbol of success, such a car may have the unintended effect of suggesting to clients that you overcharge. Unless your clients are all wealthy and successful themselves, there’s no need to buy a fancy car.

Besides, such a car could be an unnecessary business expense that will quickly depreciate. It’s better to invest in a car that’s sophisticated but not unnecessarily flashy.  

Getting the size wrong

What size vehicle is right for your business? As many business owners soon realise, bigger isn’t always better. 

While it is important that you can store all the tools or passengers that you need, you should consider the disadvantages of going too big. If you’re turning up to clients at their homes and you’re based in a city, you could find it hard to find parking spaces for a bigger vehicle. Something slightly more compact could save you time finding parking spaces and reduce stress. It could also be more fuel-efficient because it’s less heavy. 

Sacrificing necessary seating

Some business owners take out seating from vehicles to add extra storage space. This may be fine if you never have any passengers, but if you’re likely to pick up customers or employees, you may want to keep some extra seating.

A compromise in a van could be to have fold-up seats on the sides. This gives you the option of extra seats if you need to pick up employees, while also allowing you to fold away these seats for times when you need to prioritise storage space. 

Not considering the suspension when carrying fragile contents

When it comes to delivering fragile goods like wedding cakes or glass windows, it could be important to have a vehicle with good suspension for preventing damage when going over potholes or speed bumps. 

This is something that can often get overlooked when choosing a vehicle. Look out for vehicles with a higher ground clearance and suspension features like springs and shocks (it may be possible to upgrade the suspension to help make your vehicle a smoother ride). 

Overlooking the opportunity for vehicle branding

You can also use your vehicle to promote your business. Personalised number plates could be one way of promoting your brand. If you get a new vehicle, you should be able to transfer this plate to the next vehicle. Alternatively, you could look into vinyl wrapping. This involves covering the vehicle in vinyl with various company information printed on it (such as your company name, phone number and email address). This option is similarly not permanent, giving you the option to still sell the vehicle in the future if necessary. 

Not investing in security/safety features

Security and safety are very important features to consider when choosing a vehicle. Business vehicles are often targeted by thieves, so it’s important that your vehicle has modern security features such as an immobiliser and GPS tracking. Safety is important if you often transport passengers or let employees drive your vehicle - rear-facing cameras and automatic emergency braking are two safety features that could help to minimise accidents and keep people in your vehicle safe. You may be able to buy vehicles with these features already integrated. Alternatively, you can modify a vehicle to add these features.