Northern Ireland - Leasing an electric car for your business

Leasing an electric car for your business in Northern Ireland

The incredible stats from SMMT for July 2023  are in and it presents some excellent reading for the UK automotive industry.

New car registrations are increasing (a 25% rise from last year) and the BEV (or pure electric) market has grown nearly 40% from 2022! In actual figures, some 31,700 EVs were registered in June 2023 compared to 22,737 in June 2022 - this means that all-electric vehicles account for 17% of the UK’s vehicle demographic.

And unsurprisingly the Tesla Model Y  was the UK’s best-selling car in June 2023, which is somewhat amazing when you consider cars like the Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Puma and Hyundai Tuscon are in the running! But when we say the UK, many businesses and companies are now asking about Northern Ireland. Can we supply a lease to these customers?

The Northern Irish market is one which has been very important for our e-car business. But, from 1 January 2021, the way in which our leasing process worked had to change due to new Custom Procedures for Vehicle Movements. As we know, the decision for the UK to exit the EU had a series of implications on the way in which goods are moved.

The general process is that we (as the leasing broker) will arrange a lease between the customer and the lease company, via a franchised dealership in the UK. The dealership will then arrange for either 1) the vehicle to be delivered to Northern Ireland to the customer; OR 2) the vehicle be delivered to the port at UK or to e-car lease for the customer to collect. The important aspect is that the party arranging the movement of goods must register this in the TSS (Trade Support Service) and get authorisation for shipment. This involve a Consignor and Consignee EORI number being inputted.

Because of the way in which Northern Ireland customers need to proceed, the team at e-car now have to operate in a certain way and in line with the specific finance companies who will provide funding. As a credit broker, not a lender, we work alongside a select number of providers who pay our business commission for introducing you to them.

Because of our flexibility and choice, we can always provide alternative solutions where the primary one is not available. Our two main options for NI leasing customers are:

•  Leaseplan - because Northern Ireland vehicles are now part of the DVLA, the renewal of the road fund licence can now be treated the same as any GB-registered vehicle. However, any Leaseplan vehicles MUST be registered to the Northern Ireland address which they hold in Belfast. It is our responsibility, as the broker, to ensure that the dealership registers the vehicle properly. With contract hire and leasing, the registered owner and keeper is always the finance company and not the customer. Once the EV is registered, we can deliver this to a Northern Ireland customer and demonstrate that the vehicle has 12 months road fund licence. Onward delivery to NI is usually extra so some company car drivers will meet the delivery agent at a UK port or visit the team here at our offices for collection; and
• Novuna -  the key issues are the soft border between NI and Republic of Ireland (ROI) and goods being moved and sold into ROI thus avoiding any potential tariffs. Novuna believe they have to self-declare the goods as either being “At risk” or “Not at risk” of any tariffs and it is Novuna’s understanding that as the goods are owned by them (the leasing company), there is no invoice passing between the mainland and NI, the vehicle is disposed of either in NI or the mainland, Novuna believe that leasing vehicles are “Not at risk” . This is why there was a  commercial decision to allow vehicles to be delivered to NI via Novuna. e-car do need to ensure before placing any orders for customers in NI that our supplying dealer / transport agent is able to arrange the GMR number before placing the order, as Novuna is unable to do this. Please note that often there are additional delivery charges involved for deliveries to NI so this must be identified to customers too. However, where orders are placed with a NI dealer then there are no changes to the order process. The same also applies if the customer wishes to collect their vehicle from mainland UK from the supplying dealer then they will be able to do so by booking their own ferry ticket. A GMR number is only required for commercial bookings i.e. an onward delivery from the UK to the NI. It is our responsibility to ensure all vehicles are registered to the correct address at Newtonabbey (Co Antrim). With contract hire and leasing, the registered owner and keeper is always the finance company and not the customer.

In summary, where you are a business / fleet customer from Northern Ireland, we do need you to inform our team at initial enquiry and quotation stage. Our team will, based on your requirements, provide a quotation for either Leaseplan or Novuna.

The costs will change where a customer requires an onward delivery from the UK mainland dealership to NI, as there are additional transportation and carriage fees. In the alternative, customers will have to make separate arrangements to meet at the ferry or at our e-car lease premises in Leigh (Greater Manchester).

And a big thank you to one of our business customers from Northern Ireland for visiting the e-car lease team to collect their new MG4 hatchback. The MG has been one of our most-popular deals of 2023, which is unsurprising when this is the one of the cheapest and most practical zero-emission options on offer. With their smaller battery SE, the SE Long Range and the top of the line Trophy long range, this Chinese manufacturer have truly recognised what our UK customers need. And, as our Trustpilot from the customer demonstrates, this is about trusted and rated services from the UK’s leading EV brokers.

In terms of the car shown, the MG4 Hatchback 150KW Trophy EV Long Range 64kwh 5 door Auto Pure Electric Vehicle, this is based on the following configuration:

•  Metallic Paint - Black Pearl
•  Leather style - Black with cloth inserts
•  17" alloy wheels with low wind resistance aero cover
•  Type 2 charging cable 

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In terms of the car, 67.1 kWh usable battery will offer 0 – 62 times of 7.9 seconds, 99mph top speeds and 150 kW (or 201 hp). This model is a FWD option. Expect a combined winter range of 190 miles with warmer weather allowing for 260 miles.

On charging, the 11 kW AC max will allow 6 hour and 45 min 0 – 100% charging times with the 135 kW DC maximum allowing 34 minute 10 – 80% times. A small family hatchback, this has a cargo volume of 363L and vehicle fuel equivalent of 148 mpg. This EV can tow 500 kg (braked and unbraked). And this does have Vehicle-To-Load (V2L) capacity with up to 2.2 kW AC available