Commercial vehicle windows

[dilby]

Hi everyone - my accountant is currently away for a little over 2 weeks and am in a hurry to source a new vehicle which I’m finding confusing and was hoping some kind folks could help.

I am a videographer who travels around filming for clients, and need a van to fit my gear. However I regularly travel with a crew and need two rows of seats. There are several of these locally I’ve found that fit the bill but they all have windows next to the second row of seats, and from what I can read that means I can’t claim it as a business vehicle. Of course to me this seems odd, as having a growing business with bigger jobs is the very reason I need more seats, and I don’t really like the idea of putting people in the back without windows, makes me feel like a people smuggler or drug runner and I’m surpised it’s encouraged!

To confuse me more, it seems all my competitors have vans with windows in the back and they are clearly signwritten for the business; so is the assumption that they aren’t claiming for these or that it’s one of those grey area laws that there is more ifs and buts for me to consider? Or is it simply as black and white as I’ve stated?

And then to make matters even murkier, I’ve read that a double cab pickup truck is fine if it has windows in the back (not sure why a different shape changes everything) but is it correct that that’s my only way to have people in the back who can see outside? (Outside of having an electric vehicle, which from what i can understand isn’t very practical for larger loads at the moment.)

Thanks!

 

[DWS]

Sole trader or Ltd Company?
Just because it has windows does not mean you can’t claim it as a vehicle for your business, whether you get the tax relief you desire is another matter!
I’d be waiting for the return of your accountant if I was you.

 

[IanSuth]

Also this is an area in flux - read this

HMRC U-turn on double cab pick-up tax

On 12 February 2024 HMRC updated its guidance on the tax treatment of double cab pick-ups. Since then they have withdrawn the guidance and will continue to treat double cab pick-ups as goods vehicles for the purposes of benefit in kind (BIK).

www.pricebailey.co.uk

in Feb they said they would tax doublecab pickups as BIK like a car, then uturned - it means it is on their radar as a possible source of more tax however

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

I second the suggestion by DWS to await the return of your accountant - he/she will have all of the relevant information.

Whether you are a sole trader or a limited company will make a big difference hence the question asked by DWS.