Electric chauffeur vehicle finance

Test against your real duty cycle

Manufacturer range figures are measured under test conditions. Chauffeur work adds motorway speed, cabin climate control while waiting and cold mornings. Take a week of actual bookings and map them: the longest single job, the longest day, and the tightest turnaround between jobs. If the vehicle cannot cover those with margin, it will either cost you bookings or force a petrol or diesel car to cover the gaps.

Lenders and brokers will not model this for you, but explaining that you have done it shows the vehicle will earn as planned.

Charging and the backup plan

Reliable overnight charging at home or a depot is the foundation. Public rapid charging is useful but not guaranteed to be available, working or quick at the moment you need it. Decide in advance what happens when a charger fails before an early airport pick-up: a second vehicle, a partner operator, or a booking rule that keeps the electric car on shorter work.

• Where the car charges overnight and who pays for the installation
• Which public networks you would rely on along your common routes
• What vehicle covers a job if charging fails

Look at total cost, not just the payment

Compare the monthly finance payment, energy, insurance, tyres, servicing and realistic disposal proceeds against the vehicle you would otherwise buy. Some costs may be lower, others higher. Test a weaker resale outcome where the agreement leaves that risk with you. Any tax or allowance position should be checked with your accountant for your circumstances.

For a used EV, investigate the individual battery and warranty

Request the service history, any available battery-condition evidence and the remaining warranty terms for that particular car. Ask the manufacturer or warranty provider about mileage limits, transferability and any restriction on chauffeur or hire use. Do not treat an advertised battery warranty as a promise about the real-world range you will achieve, or assume it covers every fault. If evidence is unclear, discuss an independent inspection before committing.

Include installation and waiting time in the budget

Obtain an itemised charging-installation quote and confirm the site owner’s permission where needed. Separate installation, energy costs and any ongoing charges from the vehicle purchase. Public charging also consumes driver time: model waiting, charging and repositioning against actual bookings. If the plan depends on a particular tariff, test what happens when that price is unavailable. This is an operating-cost comparison, not a prediction of savings.

Licensing checks

Some authorities have set or proposed emissions-related vehicle policies; others have not. Policies change, so check the current page for your authority, for example Transport for London’s private hire vehicle licence page if you license in London, rather than relying on summaries. Electric is not a guarantee of licensability; dimensions, seating and age rules still apply.

What happens after you enquire

1. 1

   Enquiry

   You tell Sorbus about the business and the vehicles. It is not an application, and no lender sees it.

2. 2

   Discussion and evidence review

   A broker talks it through and reviews accounts, bookings, licences and vehicle details.

3. 3

   Lender proposal, only if appropriate

   If it looks suitable, and only with your agreement, we approach selected lenders from our panel (not the whole market). Any decision is the lender’s.