Five vans you can write off on your tax now

Thanks to the federal government's recently expanded instant asset tax write-off scheme  and a raft of keen end-of-financial-year deals from manufacturers, now's a great time to save on a new van for your business – but the clock's ticking.

Back on March 12, the federal government announced it was raising the instant asset write-off (IAWO) threshold for businesses from $30,000 to $150,000, thereby giving businesses with annual turnover of up to $500 million a helping hand while also stimulating the broader economy.

The scheme applies to purchases made and first used by June 30, 2020. Click here for more information on how the scheme works and how it could benefit your business and its bottom line.

On top of that, a wide range of manufacturers are currently offering end-of-financial-year deals on their commercial vehicles, with value-packed offers on everything from compact LCVs to medium and large vans.

Here we're focussing on vans, which play a key role in our economy encompassing freight and last-mile logistics to all manner of tradies and much more. As we count down to the end of the 2019/2020 financial year, here are five hot deals on new vans that could save your business plenty…

The Volkswagen Caddy dominates the compact end of the Australian van landscape with a market share of over 70 per cent.

Now, and after the recent unveiling of the all-new 2020 Volkswagen Caddy in Europe, the German maker is giving its smallest LCV a further push with keenly priced examples of its limited-run Caddy Urban Edition, while offering drive-away deals on other Caddy models.

The Caddy Urban Edition is actually based on the Caddy Maxi TSI220. Limited to 70 units, the Volkswagen Caddy Urban Edition comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights with cornering function, powerful H7 headlights with daytime running lights, and a 6.3-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.

Powered by a 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine (92kW/220Nm) with seven-speed DSG auto, the Volkswagen Caddy Urban Edition has a handy 4.2 cubic-metre load capacity, a maximum payload of 840kg and rear barn doors, and is priced from $36,990 drive away (including GST).

And if you can't snap one up before stocks run out, Volkswagen Australia is also offering drive-away deals on a variety of Caddy models until May 31.

Offers start from $31,990 for a short-wheelbase Caddy Van TSI220 and $33,990 for the diesel, to $36,990 for the long-wheelbase Caddy Van TDI250 (all prices are drive away, including GST).

Click here for more Volkswagen pricing

Undergoing a minor facelift in 2018, the Hyundai iLoad is a capable, no-fuss option in the medium van segment, where it has commanded healthy sales in Australia for many years.

Powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel with either a six-speed manual (100kW/343Nm) or five-speed automatic (125kW/441Nm) transmission, the Hyundai iLoad comes in standard van or crew van formats, with either a rear top-hinge tailgate or barn doors.

And now, until May 31, Hyundai Australia is offering its iLoad three-seater lift-back manual van from $41,380 drive-away (including GST), with all ABN holders eligible for Hyundai's National Fleet Discount (excluding government, fleet and rental buyers).

Hyundai Australia says that represents a saving of over $4000 for small business owners.

Click here for more Hyundai offers

As the dominant player in Australia's large van segment, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter had a significant update in 2018 that brought with it new front-drive variants to complement existing rear-drive and all-wheel drive models.

The new model also ushered in a major interior facelift that included the brand's MBUX integrated infotainment and telematics system, and next-level safety tech, among others.

Across myriad choices spanning engine and transmission combinations, wheelbase, height, GVM (gross vehicle mass) and more, Mercedes-Benz says up to 1700 different variants of Sprinter are possible, meaning there's something to suit virtually any large van application.

Until July 31, Mercedes-Benz Vans is offering deals on its low-kilometre dealer demonstrator Sprinter models (and also Vito medium van and X-Class ute models).

The brand says it's supporting its dealers with a manufacturer bonus of up to $5000 on Sprinter demo models, while also covering the cost of the first three scheduled services. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter demonstrator models also come with a standard five-year factory warranty.

Find out more about Mercedes demo vans

Australia's top-selling medium van underwent a generational change in 2019, when the sixth-generation workhorse emerged on the first all-new platform for the nameplate in 15 years.

The new Toyota HiAce adopts a semi-bonneted design over the old cab-over-engine format, with a nine-strong line-up spanning LWB Van, LWB Crew Van, SLWB Van and SLWB Commuter models.

A hefty power hike comes courtesy of a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel (130kW/450Nm) and 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine (207kW/351Nm), with drive fed to the rear wheels via either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

The Toyota HiAce also comes with a host of passive and active safety technology, including autonomous emergency braking, as standard, helping the model achieve a full five-star ANCAP safety rating.

Until June 30, Toyota Finance is offering a sharp finance rate of just 1.9 per cent per annum to business applicants on its 2019-plated petrol auto HiAce LWB Van and SLWB Van models.

Click here for more Toyota deals

French maker Renault is a mainstay of the European LCV scene and its medium van, the Renault Trafic, has carved out a reasonable slice of the market here in Australia.

Renault also has a number of Renault Pro+ outlets across Australia, which offer a range of business-focussed services to help its commercial customers get the most from their Renault LCV, whether it be a custom racking and fit-out solutions to extended service hours, LCV loan vehicles and LCV-trained staff.

Renault has been steadily enhancing its Trafic family in recent years, adding a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel and an EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) automatic transmission to the mix from the end of 2019, along with a work/play crossover model in the Renault Trafic Crew Lifestyle and a return of the sporty-looking Renault Trafic Formula Edition.

The Renault Trafic Pro is powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel (85kW/300Nm) with six-speed manual, while the Renault Trafic Premium is powered by the 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel with manual transmission (103kW/340Nm) or the new 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel with six-speed EDC auto (125kW/380Nm).

The Renault Trafic offers a maximum payload of up to 1250kg, while the long-wheelbase model has a 1630kg braked towing limit. The vans are covered by a three-year, unlimited-kilometre factory warranty while service intervals are pegged at every 12 months or 30,000km, whichever comes first.

And until the end of May, Renault Australia is offering some special deals on its Trafic SWB Pro manual (85kW/300Nm) and Trafic SWB Premium auto (125kW/380Nm).

The manual is currently priced from $37,990 drive-away while the auto is going from $45,490 drive-away, and ABN holders are eligible for a $1000 factory cashback bonus.

The deals extend to finance too, with approved ABN buyers eligible for an annual rate of 3.9 per cent (with zero deposit, maximum 36-month term and a final payment of $18,995) through Renault Financial Services.

Click here for Renault latest offers