Has Labour killed off the pick-up truck with tax hikes? We put three popular models to the test to see if they're worth the premium | Retrui News | Retrui
Has Labour killed off the pick-up truck with tax hikes? We put three popular models to the test to see if they're worth the premium
SOURCE:Daily Mail
In April, Labour stopped double cabs from being treated as commericial vehicles, and instead they are being treated as cars.
The pick-up is as much a part of British farming today as a tractor is.
And not only are they the countryside workhorse, but a pick-up is also the workhorse of builders and small traders.
Johnnie Furse, a spokesman for the Countryside Alliance, says: 'Pick-up trucks are of vital importance to working people, both in the countryside and beyond.'
A pick-up is made for hauling and towing, it's hugely versatile, it doesn't suffer from height restrictions unlike vans, it can off-road as well as a leading 4x4 and a double-cab can fit a family in for daily driving like the school run.
And, most importantly, for years the double cab has been able to benefit from capital tax allowance and low fixed company car tax rates.
However, that's gone to pot because since April, double cabs are no longer treated as commercial vehicles by the Government and instead are treated as cars for tax purposes.
In the face of this latest blow from Labour to UK farmers and workers, Freda Lewis-Stempel tried three of the UK's best-known pick-ups to see if there's still hope for these vehicles...
Double cab pick-ups have become 'cars' in the eye of the taxman - this 'hammer blow' to farmers and labourers could mean that the pick-up starts being a scarcity on our roads
The changes to pick-up tax - a 200%-plus tax increase
Last year, pick-ups became 'cars' in the eyes of the taxman.
From 6 April, double-cabs and extended-cab models have been hit with benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax – meaning they will be taxed on CO2 emissions and the vehicle's price list, and will no longer benefit from low, fixed BIK rates or be eligible for tax relief claims.
Most popular double cab pick-ups are now subject to 37 per cent BIK, when before they were fixed at just £3,960 regardless of emissions or price.
That means business-owners with double cabs are now having to try and cobble together thousands of pounds to go about their hard-working daily lives.
Furse commented to Daily Mail: 'Farmers, gamekeepers and other rural professionals were already struggling, and policies like this and the family farm tax, have only made matters worse.
'The decision to reclassify these rural workhorses as cars comes as yet another hammer blow to rural communities. The changes can increase the tax burden on a typical double-cab pickup by as much as 211 per cent.
'The Government pledged not to increase taxes on working people - but these taxes have made life much harder for rural working people.'
The Countryside Alliance told us: 'The changes can increase the tax burden on a typical double-cab pickup by as much as 211%'
Why pick-ups are so important to Britain
Every day pick-ups are used as multi-role vehicles, indispensable to the 24/7 operation of running a farm.
Equipment hauling, livestock management, transportation of produce and supplies, fieldwork and crop maintenance and even emergency response – there is no end to the capabilities of double cabs.
Livestock, sheep dogs, fruit, animal feed to fence posts, fertiliser, tools, harvesting machinery and emergency response kits – the flexibility of a load bay keeps farming communities in movement.
Not everyone is a pick-up fan though. One anonymous source told us in no uncertain terms: 'I hate them. They pull out into the middle of the road, and don't care because they're so big'.
The Ford Ranger is Britain's best-selling pick-up and it is easy to see why. It is able to do everything and look good while doing so. It's a brilliant blend of not too pricey but premium
Ford Ranger Wildtrak – the UK's best-selling pick-up truck
The Ranger is the best-selling pick-up in the UK. It has also been the best-selling pick-up in Europe for 10 years.
And the number of Rangers being snapped up has increased, with 2024 seeing a four per cent increase on the year before.
Ford Pro manager Hans Schep says that the 'Ranger's decade as Europe's favourite pickup has been built on a deep understanding of our customers and how they use their trucks.'
He's right – and it's the reason the Ranger has the most dedicated fandom of any pick-up. The Ranger lived up entirely to being tough, reliable and yet offering an solid level of comfort and style.
In my opinion it is the pick-up that delivers the most all-round affordable mix of excellent on-road driving, off-roading prowess worthy of mountain climbs, and creature comforts such as partial leather heated seats and a heated leather steering wheel. Ambient lighting is thrown in too.
The Ranger is a hefty to beast to try and whip around, unsurprising considering it weighs almsot 3,300kg, but the 2.0-litre EcoBlue Diesel still does the 0-62mph spurt in an acceptable 10.5 seconds thanks to its 202bhp.
I drove the latest model which has a larger load bay, so it's possible to now get a standard pallet it. I didn't attempt to get that in, but I did ferry around my friend's huge desk cabinet, saving her family the need for a removal van.
The Ranger is a hefty to beast to try and whip around, unsurprising considering it weighs almsot 3,300kg
And the number of Rangers being snapped up has increased, with 2024 seeing a 4% increase on the year before
I picked up a desk and a hitchhiker in the Ford Ranger - and there was plenty of space for everyone and everything
On the way back from picking up the desk in Chichester we also decided to pick up a hitchhiker - as you do - and it turns out there's plenty of space for a triathlon runner and three adults in the double cab.
I enjoyed the interior, which is ruggedly stylish with soft touch plastics and partial leather, contrast stitching, embroidered Wildtrak logos, heated seats and steering wheel, ambient lighting, 12-inch screen with Apple Carplay and Ford's SYNC 4A system, wireless charging, and a 360 degree camera (much needed when reversing in London or anywhere to be honest).
Useful features for those on the shorter side of life include the rear bumper step and side step, while other handy helpers include the powered roller shutter to close the load bay up (the Isuzu has the same but the Quartermaster have had a load bay lid), and the tailgate doubling up as a work bench.
Overall, the Ranger was the best for driving in both the countryside and town because the steering was the most precious, it controls its weight well, the power is smooth and it blends out tough road surfaces nicely. Noise insulation in the cabin is excellent as well.
But there's a particular resaon that the Ranger commanded a huge 52.4 per cent of all pick up sales in the UK last year: because it provides the full pick-up package for a price point that's very reasonable.
The Ranger starts from £30,800 – £30,000 less than the Quartermaster.
The Ineos Quartermaster - it looks phenomenal, is an unparalleled off-roader but lack the kind of on-road driving most people want. It is also a pricey pick-up, with leisure buyers the main target
Ineos Quartermaster Trailmaster – the luxury Defender rival
It was 2019 when Sir Jim Ratcliffe announced his idea of a spiritual successor to the Defender: the Grenadier.
Then in the summer of 2023 the Quartermaster arrived – the flatbed truck version with a load bay and a premium price tag.
I'd tested the Quartermaster on launch in Italy, taking to the Tuscan hills' all-terrain routes, but I hadn't put it into proper longer term use, to get a feel for how it transferred from off-road to everyday on-road driving.
So, taking it to Germany for outdoor-filled weekend seemed the perfect way to if this posh pick-up is as versatile as Ineos claims.
The reason it is seen as posh, and as such has got some flak from farmers, is because of the cost: The Quartermaster starts at £62,495 so it's not hard to understand why it's seen as a premium even luxury car with that price tag.
And it's by far the most attention grabbing pick-up on British roads.
Named after the senior military officer responsible for the management of barracks and the supply and distribution of provisions, the Quartermaster is the largest offering from Ineos Automotive and looks like something you'd go to war in – apt considering its name.
The Quartermaster starts at £62,495 so it's not hard to understand why it's seen as a premium even luxury car with that price tag
Driving the road of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The Quartermaster was very at home in Germany's agricultural/equestrian heartland
You select high or low range using the mechanical transfer case selector - and there's a knack to it
There are some strong opinions surrounding the Quartermaster (and Grenadier) when it comes to on-road driving but there isn't a single person I've come across who doesn't think it looks incredible.
It is by far the most classic and timelessly designed 4x4 in my opinion.
Inside it's the coolest by a country mile too; leather, grab handles, that overhead cockpit, the utilitarian screen, the chunky physical buttons and dials, the big steering wheel - it's a luxe fighter jet of a pick-up.
And to drive it is one of the most capable off-roaders money can buy.
Overhead cockpit switches look like a fighter jet and let you change between all the off-road modes
Underneath the military-esque, rugged, boxy styling (reminiscent of 4x4s of the past) is the same ladder frame chassis as the Grenadier.
Add to that the Bosch 'recirculating ball' hydraulic steering, the BMW 3-litre straight-six turbo-diesel and ZF's eight-speed automatic gearbox and you've got yourself a harmonious acapella-like concoction going on.
Without going into too much detail, the Quartermaster requires some traditional 4x4 knowledge because you have to switch to off-road mode using the overhead cockpit switches and then select high or low range using the mechanical transfer case selector - and there's a knack to it.
For the smaller proportion of leisure drivers who will be greenlaning in the Quartermaster, basically all you need to know is that wherever you need this pick-up to go it can go.
However, for many people that 'recirculating ball' steering, so useful when it doesn't snap back, is the sore point of the Quartermaster driving experience.
Because, on-road many drivers feel it is a bit like steering a rudderless boat. It is, but I rather enjoy the feeling of essentially being in a car with no power steering. Lots of people though don't.
It is one of the most capable off-roaders money can buy. Overhead cockpit switches look like a fighter jet and let you change between all the off-road modes
Inside the Quartermaster the coolest by a country mile too; leather, grab handles, that overhead cockpit, the utilitarian screen, the chunky physical buttons and dials, the big steering wheel - it's a luxe fighter jet of a pick-up
While the flatbed is 1619mm wide by 1564mm long, which is big enough to fit a standard European pallet, you can't fit the pallet if the spare wheel is also in there. However, the tailgate can support 225kg - a nice perch for a couple of people.
The other drawback was that the (diesel) Quartermaster's payload is only 760kg - short of the 1,000kg needed for UK commercial vehicle tax benefits.
However that drawback is no longer a drawback because those tax benefits have evaporated.
But even before that was a moot point across all double cabs, we have said that the price point puts this car in the sights of leisure buyers, and we doubt many leisure buyers are paying much attention to payload or to European pallet sizes.
This car is the king for the adventurous buyer with a nice fat wallet.
The D-Max sorted me out when I was moving house and had to take a flat's worth of stuff to the dump. No height restrictions with a pick-up
Isuzu D-Max V-Cross
Test: Moved house in it, went to London's most famous dump
Load bay: Standard size
Price: £40,900 (manual price £38,255)
The Isuzu D-Max is the pick-up you aren't precious about – not that you're really precious about any pick-up.
The Isuzu is not as good to drive as the Ranger. I didn't like it on-road more than the Quartermaster either, but most people probably would only because of the Quartermaster's steering.
The Isuzu just isn't refined - the ride quality is stiff and the steering is loose. it only has 162bhp compared to the and the Quartermaster's 246bhp.
But visibility was great because of the slim pillars and fuel economy in the real world was better than the Quartermaster - about 10mpg better.
The D-Max comes with a oen engine option, a 1.9-litre turbodiesel, but you can choose between six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes. With just 162bhp, it's not the fastest off the mark doing 0-62mph in 11.2-seconds, but its not far behind the Ranger.
The interior is well-kitted out and has good materials: its finished in a new leather upholstery, the front seats are eight-way electronically adjustable and heated, there's a 7-inch display and a 9-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It's not quite as polished as the Ranger but not far behind.
Price: The D-Max costs from £40,900 (manual price £38,255). It is dependable - and is the most authentically no-nonsense sort of farmer pick-up of the lot
With just 162bhp, it's not the fastest off the mark doing 0-62mph in 11.2-seconds, but its not far behind the Ranger
I'd say interior stage space and storage ingenuity was best in the Isuzu though, with under seat base storage, flat folding rear seats, and the load bay cover which opens automatically all making it really easy to pack
I'd say interior stage space and storage ingenuity was best in the Isuzu though, with under seat base storage, flat folding rear seats, and the load bay cover which opens automatically all making it really easy to pack.
Keyless entry and go was also very helpful when I was moving house ladden with bags.
Plus it's not like you're scrimping in safety features or assists either - it comes with everything from front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera to blind spot monitoring, intelligent speed limiter, and forward collision warning.
Not that I had a proper chance to test it off-road - hopefully I will soon - but if you do head for the mud and hills then you've got rear diff lock, rough terrain mode, 4WD Shift-on-the-fly and hill start and hill descent control at your disposal.
I'd sum it up as the sort of the Ikea of the pick-up world. It lacks the refinement and quality of the Ranger, but it is dependable - and is the most authentically no-nonsense sort of farmer pick-up of the lot.