To arrive at a short-list of cars they examine the rules and formula closely, working out how to minimise their Company Car Benefit-in-kind taxation.

Having found a nice list of sub 120 g/km cars they will be delighted there is still a good choice, including upper-medium sector diesel product such as Mondeo, Passat, 508, S60, Superb and even a few C-Class and 3 Series saloons.

In short there’s pretty much something for everyone.

And the best part is that before applying the 3% surcharge on diesels, sub 120g/km CO2 emissions means a Benefit-in-kind rate of 10%.

So they can pay tax on a BIK value that is just 13% of the P11D price – for a £25,000 diesel car thats a BIK value of £3,250.

Even for 40% taxpayers that’s a very low Tax bill of £1,300 in the current 2011-12 Tax Year – a highly economical £108.33 per month.

Job Done?

Well, only until the tax bands change.

In 2012-13 the 10% band becomes 14% – plus the 3% for diesel takes it up to 17%. Then a further 1% rise in 2013-14 makes 18%.

In the third year this produces a rather larger Benefit in-kind Value of £4,500 shifting the monthly cost from £108.33 to £150 – a 38% increase.

If you provide drivers with information on company car tax this is one you should really be watching out for.

For some Fleet Operators I’m convinced it means No Idea.

There were few people involved in Fleet – whether Fleet Operator, Manufacturer or Supplier – who weren’t waiting to see how the Budget would affect the sector.

But if we are all paying so much attention to how Vehicle Excise Duty, Fuel Duty, Employee car Ownership Schemes and Benefit-in-kind Taxation might affect us, why doesn’t Employer’s NI attract the same attention?

The reality is that many fleets don’t pay enough attention to National Insurance (levied at 13.8% on the BIK Value of a car) when setting their policy. There are several reasons for this, but I suspect the main one is that no-one has to “sign-off” the Month’s NI bill as they do with most other fleet operating costs.

So is it such a big deal?

I think it is.

NI costs for top selling 2.0 diesel fleet cars such as A4 TDI SE 136, 3i8d SE, Mondeo Titanium TDCi 140 & Insignia SE CDTi 130 range from £472 – £625 in the 2011-12 tax year. If you have a hundred of these cars on your fleet and the cost could range from £47,200-£62,500, a potential differential of £15,300.

That’s the equivalent of an average £153 per year increase in VED.

To actively manage this cost you should seek to make new low emission products available at the earliest opportunity, provide clear information to drivers to help encourage more tax-efficient choices, but above all you need to account for it as an identifiable cost when setting your policy in the first place.

Now, this is an interesting car.

A7 has all the key Audi strengths, with the latest technology (much from the new A8) powerful efficient drivetrains including a 245PS 3.0 TDI Quattro returning 47.1 MPG & only 158g/km emissions – so suppressing Benefit-in-Kind tax to 23%.

A great looking, fast, refined executive cruiser, the car handles and rides very well. But what makes it really interesting is that it’s a hatchback. Albeit a little larger than most, and at around £45-50K it’s also more costly.

The UK doesn’t have a tradition of successful large, executive hatchbacks but people may forget that Audi has some real legacy in this area going back to the 100 coupe produced from 1970 – 1976.

Nevertheless versatility is king and A7 has great flexibility and certainly provides ample room for golf clubs, although the 4 seat format may not suit everyone.

The key is for A7 to establish executive-sector credibility quickly, essential if it is to compete against the non-standard competition such as Mercedes CLS and BMW 5 Series GT as well as traditional saloons and estates.

Personally I think this is a great executive car, and with such a strong fleet proposition it should find plenty of buyers.

We all know people who were in upper-medium sector cars like Mondeo a few years ago and now drive lower-medium Focus type products. But you might not have realised that today’s Focus is actually big car compared with the original Mondeo.

So it seems we haven’t really been downsizing, just moving down a sector. If you can find one, jump in a MK1 Golf and you’ll see what I mean.

I think the latest generation of small cars is finally going to change all that.

Until recently the key discouragement was that a small car, well, it just felt like a cheap version of the real thing – particularly when it comes to ride comfort, quality of interior and noise level.

Several of the latest small cars that I’ve driven manage to create that big car feel like never before.

The current Mini Cooper delivers an engineered ride and Citroen’s DS3 managed to deliver a sporty but quite supple set-up that you simply aren’t used to getting on a car of this size.

Audi’s new A1 hatch deserves praise for a ride that’s more compliant than normally associated with the brand, plus it’s great inside with soft touch materials really adding to that big car feel.

So, maybe downsizing really will be the next big thing.

Maybe not new, but this is certainly unusual. I’ve just driven the 875cc Fiat 500 TwinAir.

“I bet that was dull” do I hear you say?

I beg to disagree.

High technology can be mind numbing due to its complexity, but the engine in this car manages to be both clever and fun.

The unit is a 2 cylinder Turbocharged Petrol producing 85 bhp and yet only emits 95g/km of CO2 while reaching 68.9 mpg. Torque of 145 Nm at 1900 rpm means great pick-up from low revs to match brisk acceleration.

Great fun, easy to park, no Congestion charge and 100% capital write down in the first year.

It probably isn’t one for your CEO, but I think it’s tremendous.