Company Car in Action: The Main Event for Electric-Heads!
Company Car in Action is the UK’s premier fleet test-driving event. This year, it took place over the 23rd and 24th June at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedford. What a great little event it is! Electric cars and plug-in hybrids really taking centre stage with new releases. We’re expecting the event to go fully electric soon, wouldn’t that be a treat! In this piece, the team are going to let you know how we feel about the cars we tested out, so stay tuned for honest feedback!
Day 1
We split the team up, half of us went on day 1 and the other half on day 2. Of course, day 1 was a lovely, warm, sunny day. The same can’t be said for day 2 but that’s okay, what’s important is the cars…
Charlotte, Jordan, Amy, and Katie arrived at around 10 am, early, right? Well, sadly not. They only managed to get their names down for 2 cars. Luckily though, they were both electric. They test drove the Ford Mustang Mach-e and the beast that is the Fiat 500e. What do they think about the cars?
Day 2
On day 2, Emily, Jordan 2, and Charlotte 2 (that’s me!) hit the tracks. Although it was slightly overcast, we managed to scope the area. We got our names down for everything we could, electric or not. We tested out the Polestar 2, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the Jeep Wrangler, the Fiat 500e, and the Jaguar F-Pace. Let’s see what the team thinks.
Amy Mellings, Driverline Executive
“The Mustang has a massive screen that I’m not the biggest fan of, it’s more distracting than anything. The big distracting screen has Bluetooth though, so that’s a plus in my books. The car itself also does not even look like a Mustang; it doesn’t have as much power as you would think either. The seats were very comfy though! It was spacious but not huge, big but not too big, it was juuuuust right. Also, great aircon.
However, the doors were stupid because they had the child lock on, and I was locked in the back! That may be helpful for some though. According to car attendant, you can put a pin code on the car for if you forget your keys! (If I remembered that correctly…)
All in all, I’d give it an 8/10 – it sadly loses points on the big screen.”
Jordan Hastelow, Green Car Scheme Specialist
“The Mustang is sick! It’s slower than expected but it does loads of miles. The Fiat is cute but loses lots of miles when going 70mph+.”
Jordan Walker, Operations Specialist – Designated Driver of Day 2
“I found the Jaguar F-Pace the easiest to drive. It the sort of vehicle you can imagine yourself commuting in, going to the shops in, and running your kids about in. It’s smooth, responsive, and gorgeous.
The Polestar was definitely my favourite. It was even more responsive than the Jag and genuinely fun to drive. As someone who has never driven an electric car before, I was amazed at being thrown back in my chair from the sheer power. The interior is beautiful and high-tech like you would imagine.
I was the most disappointed from the Mustang. When you hear the name Mustang, you automatically think power. Being thrown back in your chair like the Polestar was where my expectations were. Unfortunately, the Mustang didn’t meet those expectations. As a car, there was nothing particularly bad with it, it was smooth and comfortable, but was slow to gain speed both from a standstill and whilst moving.”
Emily Ballinger, Driverline Team Leader
“Company Car in Action was good, there were a lot of different manufacturers with new electric vehicles. Out of the 5 we drove the Polestar was my favourite as it was the most comfortable. My least favourite was the Mustang Mach-E, the exterior was really nice, however, the interior was too futuristic, and I found the large iPad in the centre distracting. The Fiat 500 electric was also up there as a favourite.”
Next up, let’s discuss the cars we took a spin in.
Mustang
As you can tell, we all were slightly let down by the Mustang, especially right after being in the Polestar. We all agree that it’s not as powerful as you’d think it would be. Though, we’re divided over the interior; some think it’s ugly, some think it’s comfy, but we can all agree that the screen is comically big.
That’s not to say the car is a total write off. It’s still got the great Mustang badge and looks sleek inside and out, even if it is lacking the traditional Mustang style. It didn’t have the same GO as the Polestar, but maybe you don’t want that. If you ger car sick or motion sickness, this is probably a great electric option for you!
According to EV Database, the Ford Mustang Mach-E has a real-world range of 215 miles and reaches 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds.
Fiat 500e
We all tested the electric Fiat 500, which may seem like a wildcard in the scope of the other EVs we drove. So, why did we all test it? First, it’s electric. Second, pizza. Za is the real answer. Or more specifically, tokens for the pizza. And you know what, the pizza was great! Surprisingly though, the car was a great little go around, especially for a short commute or in-city driving! We were all pleasantly surprised at how nippy it was. It even had a button to pop open the door; now THAT is the future.
According to EV Database, the Fiat 500e has a real-world range of 185 miles and reaches 0-62mph in 9.0 seconds.
Polestar 2
This EV is obviously the crowd favourite, the class act, the standout, the golden child, need I go on?
The Polestar was a lustrous little thing, a saucy exterior with a saucy interior. The shift gear was hollow in the centre so you can grab it fully, which I thought was a nice feature. The screen in the Polestar was a lot less distracting as it was smaller and lower down. Speaking of the screen, it has Google integration, which apparently has maps and traffic too. We didn’t get chance to test the live traffic feature (as we were on a test track) but if it’s true then it’s very cool, no need to waste your data for your drives!
A little feature we thought was quite funky with the Polestar was that you can kick or swipe your foot under the boot, and it will open. Isn’t that cool?! Hands full with the shopping? Just boot under the boot! You might look mental to outsiders but when they see that boot pop open, they’ll think you’re magic.
According to EV Database, the Polestar 2 (Long Range Dual Motor) has a real-world range of 245 miles and reaches 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds.
Jaguar F-Pace
The Jaguar F-Pace was definitely a smooth ride. The interior was sleek with leather seats and has incredible visibility through the windscreen. The F-Pace boasts a sleek centre console, with a smaller integrated screen. The dash is sloped, which allows for a more seamless positioning of the screen and actually helps with visibility.
As the F-Pace is a hybrid, it has an electric range of just 33 miles and reaches 0-60mpg in 6.6 seconds.
Notable Mentions
Tesla police car. Need we say more?
The Jeep Wrangler in RED! We love it so much… from the outside. It’s such a beauty but it’s not electric, so that means we hate it with every fibre of our being. It was quite a rough ride in fairness, probably be good for off-roading, beach days, you know the drill.
The real winner of the event was the cake thing, just look at it. Delish. Check out more photos we took on the day below! If you want to get in touch to hear more about electric cars, click here to contact us!
