Audi is set to offer three new electric cars from 2018 to 2020, which will help company car drivers to cut their tax bills by slotting into the lowest BIK band – which currently stands at 9% and rises to 16% in the 2019/20 tax year.
These three cars should have enough cachet for the company car park along with zero emissions for minimising employees’ tax bills. With a useful claimed range, the first of these – the E-tron SUV – should be able to manage long-distance business trips better than nearly all electric cars currently on offer.
E-tron SUV arrives in 2018
SUVs don’t normally offer much in the way of eco-credentials, but the fully electric E-tron offers 4×4 styling and the associated high driving position with the prospect of zero emissions and low tax bills.
Making it more suitable for company car drivers, however, this model is ‘the first electric car with everyday usability’, according the chairman of Audi’s board of management, Rupert Stadler. Helping to back this up is a potential range of more than 500km (310 miles) per charge.
Useful as this range is, it’s worth noting that the Tesla Model S is already able to cover up to 393 miles per charge and the Model X SUV up to 351 miles.
Coupe-style Sportback due in 2019, compact car in 2020
Next in line is the E-tron Sportback – scheduled for 2019 – which is ‘not an SUV, but higher than a standard saloon’, states Stadler. This sleek fastback should blend a raised driving position with sharper driving characteristics than the E-tron SUV.
The final model – a posh electric compact car – is set to arrive in 2020. Rather than being an electrified version of Audi’s current smallest model, the A1, it will feature much more distinctive, dramatic styling and a more sporty feel, according to Audi sales and marketing chief, Dietmar Voggenreiter.
Core Audi models to gain electric versions from 2021
Looking further into the future, Audi is planning electric versions of all its core models from 2021 onwards, with ‘mild hybrid’ versions – with electric motors providing a little extra power and added economy – for these core cars due by 2025.
Helping to make electric cars a realistic prospect for company car drivers across Europe, the company – alongside VW, Porsche, BMW, Daimler and Ford – is also investing in developing a high-speed charging network across the continent.
Low-tax company cars coming soon
Electric Jaguar I-Pace set to take on Audi e-tron
