Your Guide to Buying a New Taxi from The Taxi Centre
We provide all the need-to-knows and factors to consider when looking to buy the next taxi for your fleet, allowing you to make the perfect choice.
Thinking about adding a new taxi to your fleet, but unsure which taxi to go for? Perhaps you want a change, or you’re looking for a taxi with the latest technology. It may even be an electric taxi.
Thankfully, you’re in the right place as we’ve created a helpful guide for you to refer to when buying your next taxi, helping you make an informed decision that’s right for you, your drivers and your fleet.
Read on for our top factors to consider when buying your next taxi.
Table of Contents
2. Fuel Efficiency of your new taxi
5. Convenience of your new taxi
The key factors when buying a new taxi
When buying a new taxi for your fleet, you’ll likely be putting down quite a lot of money for your new wheels, so it’s important to make sure you will be happy with your decision.
You can do this more confidently by considering these key factors:
Taxi Reliability
Buying a new taxi for your fleet comes with a lot of responsibility, so you’ll first want to make sure you are buying directly from a reliable dealership.
With third parties, you could end up paying more than you need to for your new taxi, which could eat into your budget unnecessarily.
Reliability is important when adding a new taxi to your fleet, as this will avoid the hassle of frequent repairs and instead add value to your business over the long term.
At The Taxi Centre we’ve been serving professional drivers for over 20 years, and we’ll make sure you receive only the best deals based on what you’re looking for, and with our range of finance options, you can also choose the best way for you to cover the costs. We can also offer discounts for fleet purchases.
Once you’re ready, browse our latest new taxi deals by manufacturer and see what catches your eye.
Fuel Efficiency of your new taxi
It goes without saying, but this is one of the most important things you can consider when buying a new taxi for your business.
Since your new taxi will be going back and forth often, it’s vital to make sure that you’ve chosen a fuel economy that will be efficient for yours or your drivers’ driving habits, with the more miles per gallon the better.
By doing this, you can earn more money from those longer trips without the running costs taking too much away from your overall profit.
When browsing our new taxis, you can filter taxi by engine and transmission, and running costs to help tailor your search and find the right fuel type for you.
When thinking about fuel efficiency, you may consider electric taxis which we’ll come onto next.
New Taxi Emission Levels
Emissions are becoming an increasingly important factor for consideration in today’s motoring industry.
Starting with electric taxis, the move to greener motoring has now spread into the taxi and van driving sectors, as the Government aims for zero-emissions by 2035 by banning the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles.
This means you won’t be able to buy a new petrol or diesel taxi after 2035, meaning you may want to consider switching to hybrid or electric if you haven’t already to begin the process of making your fleet carbon-neutral.
Doing this can bring you several benefits, from paying reduced to zero road tax depending on your powertrain (hybrid or electric), taxi-only charge points in some areas, and lower running costs. You could also avoid paying congestion charges in busy city centres with fully electric vehicles since they produce no emissions. To save even further, the Government are now offering a plug-in taxi (PiTG) grant scheme , offering you up to £7,500 maximum discount on the purchase of a new purpose-built taxi.*
If you choose to go with petrol or diesel, however, you’ll have to consider these extra charges with your emission levels.
*Depending on your vehicle’s range, emissions, and design.
Comfort of your new taxi
Since you or your drivers will be spending a lot of time in the taxi as a primary place of work, you’ll need to make sure that your taxi will be comfortable.
Many popular vehicles used in the taxi industry will have certain optional features designed for your comfort based on the specification you choose such as lumbar cushion support in the driver’s seat and an adjustable headrest, perfect for long periods of sitting.
You may wish to opt for a slightly higher specification to benefit from these features. Additionally, it’s also important to make sure your passengers will be comfortable in your vehicle.
This may involve considering vehicles which offer more leg and headroom in the rear to keep your passengers sitting comfortably during their journey.
Convenience of your new taxi
Another important factor to consider when buying your new taxi is convenience for both you and your prospective passengers.
As a driver, you’ll want to make sure your new taxi will be easy to clean whether you do this yourself or hire a cleaning service. Cleanliness is an important part of your passenger’s experience during their journey, and it is one of the things that will make them more likely to use your service again or recommend you to a friend.
When choosing your specification, consider the upholstery of your seats- leather upholsteries will be easier to clean with most stains or dirt wiped away, though fabric will require more cleaning with specialist tools to keep things pristine.
Another aspect of convenience is size. You want your business to be the go-to for a wide range of customers depending on their accessibility needs, the type of journey and the number of passengers.
Consider adding a range of vehicle sizes to your fleet with your next taxi to accommodate different customers. For instance, for airport trips or business travel, you may wish for a larger, more spacious vehicle to provide a more comfortable journey and better storage options.
That way, you won’t have to turn down those larger, more lucrative fares!
Taxi Insurance
Lastly but certainly not least, is taxi insurance.
Though it may seem obvious to insure your new taxi, you’ll need to consider if your insurance is the right kind for you.
Taxi fleet insurance is available for groups of 3 or more vehicles, which saves you the arduous task of having to take out and renew individual policies for every taxi you buy for your business.
Whether your fleet includes black cabs, minicabs, minibuses or a combination, taxi fleet insurance may be the right call for you to make sure your taxis are protected.
Read more about taxi fleet insurance here.
Start Your new Taxi Search
So there you have it, your guide to buying a new taxi for your fleet! We hope you feel well-armed with facts and thoughts to consider as you shop around for your next taxi. Ready to start browsing? Take a look at our new taxi deals now, or contact us to book a test drive and start experiencing for yourself!