Can driving a diesel-powered car be more anti-social than smoking cigarettes? Members of the new Quit Club, set up to support businesses in kicking the diesel habit, might well say yes.
 
“These days it's quite easy to steer clear of cigarette smoke, but it is much more difficult to escape from diesel emissions,” says Neil Broad, General Manager of Toyota & Lexus Fleet Services. “Combustion exhaust is in the air all around us and is linked to an estimated 5,000* premature deaths in the UK each year.”
 
The Quit Club's launch is a fresh phase of the company's Quit Smoking for Good campaign, urging drivers and managers of company vehicles to switch to a cleaner and more economical option.
 
Its motivational message is that choosing petrol full hybrid over diesel not only helps to clean up the atmosphere but saves thousands of pounds per vehicle on tax, fuel and whole-life costs. Current political and legal conditions add further weight to the petrol hybrid argument, as Neil Broad goes on to explain.
 
“Legislation on emissions is becoming stricter and last year the European Commission actually launched proceedings against the UK for failing to deal with air pollution. This pressure will certainly result in increasing restrictions, the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London and the government's Go Ultra Low initiative are only the start.
 
“Petrol hybrids already address this growing need, as their emissions contain no dangerous diesel particulates and only a tiny fraction of the harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted by current diesels, combined with low levels of CO2.”
 
Businesses using petrol full hybrid rather than diesel vehicles are already rewarded with substantially lower company tax liabilities as well as slower depreciation and reduced maintenance costs. Meanwhile, the drivers can save significantly on benefit in kind (BIK) tax.
 
The size of these savings depends on factors like model choice, purchase method and mileage. Comparison tables on the Quit Club website www.quitclub.org.uk help members calculate the financial advantages. To give an idea of the sums involved, a business running 20 Lexus IS 300h SE cars, bought outright, would save £50,000 over three years/60,000 miles compared to a diesel equivalent and each driver would each save £2,000 on BIK tax.
 
Real-life case studies on the website will report on the success of 'quitters' like Paul James, Slimming World's Facilities Manager. Paul's decision to move over to petrol hybrid is set to save his company half a million pounds and its drivers an average of £5,000 over three years. Elsewhere on the site there are other useful features helping establish a sound business case for every visitor to switch.
 
Fleet managers are invited to join the Quit Club online, with membership benefits including welcome packs, exclusive model previews and events, extended test drives, special offers and cost-saving tools and programmes.
 
Neil Broad concludes: “Having long championed and pioneered petrol hybrid technology, Toyota & Lexus Fleet Services is ideally placed to bring fleet customers its full financial and environmental advantages. If yours is a business that cares about its impact on people's health as well as its bottom line, come to the Quit Club and find out how you can become a successful quitter too.”