ACFO has launched a petition calling on HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to publish Advisory Fuel Rates for plug-in cars and is now urging the fleet industry to back it. The organisation will be collecting signatures at the Fleet Show at Silverstone on Wednesday, 9th of May and Company Car In Action at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire on 12th and 13th of June.

The absence of defined mileage reimbursement rates for 100% electric vehicles, range extended electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid petrol and diesel models is a handicap to some organisation including plug-in vehicles on their company car choice lists.

“Plug-in hybrid vehicles are at their most efficient when driven for as many miles as possible on electric power. Therefore, publishing lower Advisory Fuel Rates for plug-in cars will help to encourage drivers to use the car in the optimal environmentally-friendly way,” said AFCO Chairman John Pryor.

The decision to launch this petition comes after AFCO hosted a fleet industry summit last year, which included representatives of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, contract hire and leasing companies, motor manufacturers producing plug-in vehicles and fleet managers operating zero emissions and plug-in hybrid cars.

After the summit, AFCO submitted a raft of data to HMRC, including information such as Advisory Fuel Rates for cars with battery capacity up to 40 kWh and above 40kWh at 4p and 5p a mile respectively and many more. It also provided details on how the summit delegates arrived at the pence per mile figures for plug-in cars.

“The figures we have calculated deliver a simple pence per mile mechanism that is both cost effective for employers so they are seeing a benefit from the more efficient technology, while employees are being fairly reimbursed for business mileage based on the capabilities of the plug-in vehicle technology,” explained John Pryor.