Lifestyle

The Top Ten Features in a Company Car that Women Want

Some car tech is just a nice-to-have, other features are essential for our driving safety when we’re clocking lots of miles. When women say yes to a company motor, what do we insist on for the features?

By
19 May 2021

The roads have as many women drivers as men these days, driving the length and breadth of the country. That means that the wheels she drives need to be up for the job for our female company car driver.  And for the Millennial the company car can be a deal breaker often making the difference as to whether they take a job or not.

The company car’s the star

In today’s employment market, younger employees are looking for a company car as part of their package. And the popularity of the company car is not lost on employers either who will often use a dangled car key or fob as part of the negotiations. However, women are less susceptible to the offer of some smart wheels than men according to one study conducted by Skoda. This indicated 68% of men would be swayed compared to just 58% of women.

The same study found the offer of wheels was seen as more important than having a company phone. So what about women and their company cars?  What do they want in their wheels?  Read on for the top ten most popular car tech features. 

1 Automatic entry and start (keyless)

This is a useful feature, however, the Volkswagen Golf, Nissan Qashqai, Ford Fiesta, and Focus that represent the most popular models sold within the UK turn out to be amongst the vehicles most susceptible to theft through their keyless operation.  They are compromised by electronic equipment that can be bought cheap online according to ‘Which?’ and works by operating the keyless system if the fob is close by.

2 Bluetooth connection.

Toptenreviews.com spent an impressive eighty hours researching Bluetooth adaptors for cars.  Including 16 hours of testing, the Anker SoundSync Drive was declared the best Bluetooth car kit. It beat other kits in like for like comparisons offering the strongest and the clearest audio signal. 

3 Sat Nav

Another Which? Report on in-built Sat Nav says that the obvious point is that any in-car Sat Nav needs to allow us to reach our destination easily, without confusing turns off the main road or detours around the houses. Each car model offers different features but most do what it says on the tin. 

4 DAB in-car audio 

This can make a big difference on that long journey and most new cars will offer a decent touch screen DAB audio. 

5 Cruise control

Cruise control is another must-have for those long stretches on the motorway and most of the models produced these days, especially the ones that appeal to fleet buyers, have this very useful feature.  They are good for controlling speed too!

6 Lane departure warning

This very handy feature works by triggering a warning if the car travels onto a lane marking. This will usually be in the form of a visual prompt as well as an audible warning and the steering wheel or seat might vibrate. If the indicators are in use, the alert will not sound.  This is another good aid on that long trip.

7 A warning for blind spot

This vehicle-based sensor device will detect other vehicles that are present on the driver’s side and to the rear of the car. Again the warning might be audible, visual, by seat or steering wheel vibration, or even tactile. Blind-spot monitors are an option that may also offer monitoring of the wider area of the vehicle.  

8 An active Parking Assist

No jokes about women parking here!  But everyone likes a feature that makes what you do well, even easier!

9 Active City Stop (Emergency city braking)

City driving can be trying.  The much-ballyhooed Active City Stop that Ford rolled out some five years has rivals in the market now and this feature detects, via radar, at speeds of 20mph any obstacle in front of the car and then stops it automatically.

10  In-car climate control

This is essential if we are to arrive at our destination looking as fresh as the proverbial daisy.  A must-have. 

Is your must-have in our top ten?  Let us know your experiences of in-car features that you love and hate.