Vroom at the top – how the other half drives

More than half of new cars sold in the UK are bought on business accounts and the majority of executive cars are sold to businesses or bought on company car purchase schemes.

Our random sample includes Audis, Bentleys, a BMW, two Mercedes-Benz and then there are two British supercars. There is little more eye-catching than an Aston or Bentley coming down the road.

Absent from our snapshot are Jaguar, maybe because compared with its German rivals it sells relatively few cars.

Paul Schofield

Car: Aston Martin

Title: Chairman

Company: Union Industries

Comment: Aston Martin is celebrating its centenary this year. It has always been involved in motor sport and attracts the sportier owner. They are hand-built and the engine growl is epic. It is not a purchase for the casual buyer on a tight budget. The cheapest is nudging £90,000 and the majority are well over £130,000. By reputation they can be bothersome – and do not have the rock solid use-me-daily all-year reliability of, say, a Porsche.

Andrew Hobson

Car: Land Rover Discovery 4, diesel

Title: Managing director

Company: Fantastic Media

Comment: Although now controlled from India, Land Rover remains so very English and makes all-terrain cars which are either for real work (the Defender), very posh work and play (a Range Rover) or general purpose work and luxury – the Discovery. The Disco is roomy, can seat up to seven, and is entirely practical. It can ramble over a peaty moor, tow huge weights, yet is smart enough for any social occasion. A great vehicle.

Simon Wadsworth

Car: Nissan LEAF

Title: Managing Director

Company: Igniyte

Comment: The LEAF one of two really green cars in this selection. It is powered by batteries which are charged on mains electricity and by the motion of the car. It emits no pollution in use but power station electricity leaves a carbon footprint. The range between charging has recently been extended in the 2013 version but you need to be wary of running out of juice. The range depends on the terrain. Made with pride in Sunderland.

Joanna Gray

Car: Nissan Qashqai + 2.

Title:Business services director

Company: Armstrong Watson

Comment: Mrs Gray’s diesel powered Qashqai is one of the ultra practical cars here. It seats up to seven and the diesel engine gives plenty of miles per gallon. The extra seats can be folded away when not needed. They are not daft money, either, with the cheapest petrol model just over £18,000. Good looks and a UK-built passport from Sunderland – and a huge success, exported through the EU.

Gerald Grimes

Car: Audi A5.

Title: Managing director

Company: Hitachi Capital Consumer Finance

Comment: Audi is the biggest selling premium brand in Britain. It has left BMW and Mercedes-Benz in its slipstream. Its profile has thrived on its domination of the Le Mans endurance race. The A5 is a four-seater sold in various body configurations including a two-door convertible and a five-door fastback, with plenty of engine choice and quattro all-wheel-drive on the powerful models. A car for the style-conscious.

Jim Hart

Car: Mercedes CLS 320.

Title: Chief executive

Company: Europlus Direct

Chris Spencer

Car: Mercedes CLS

Title: Chief executive

Company: Emis

Comment: Two top men go for this sleek and elegant four-door saloon with coupe looks from Mercedes-Benz. The concept has since been copied by Volkswagen and BMW. The CLS is a re-styled E-Class, elevating the classic German taxi and company car to red carpet status. Underneath the slippery shape is a classy Merc chassis, with all the leading safety and technology kit expected from Germany’s premier carmaker. Now in its second generation – many think the first looked more special. Both are great driver’s cars. Diesel engines are the common choice, with AMG petrol models for the power hungry.

Charlie Forbes-Adams

Car: Audi A6 allroad, diesel

Title: Owner

Company: Escrick estate

Peter Constance

Car: Audi allroad

Title: Owner

Company: Pancredit

Comment: More Audi, and Messrs Forbes-Adam and Constance have the all-terrain estate car with adjustable ground clearance, underbody protection and 4x4 traction. The A6-based allroad is a thoroughly capable land car and on moderately rough going matches a loftier 4x4 with the advantages of near-normal looks and main road refinement. Ideal for the country and county sets with land to inspect, for the angler and gun, towing anything from a two-berth caravan to a double horse trailer, coping with snow on the daily commute. Peter Constance s ownership of one of the early models illustrates shrewd use of finances and the longevity of the allroad.

Tom Keeney

Car: Ford S-MAX

Title: Regional director

Company: BT

Steve Barrett

Car: Ford Galaxy

Title: Managing director

Company: Henderson Insurance Ltd

Comment: Two cars from Ford here, sharing the same platform underneath quite different body styles. The S-Max driven by Tom Keeney is sleek, low, almost a sporting estate car with room for a family and their kit. A rear pair of seats means up to six passengers, so this is a practical people carrier with lots of space. The Galaxy also seats seven but with more rear headroom. Often found in taxi or hotel livery, or as a company shuttle car for visitors. Pricing is affordable, too, with well-specified versions of either S-MAX or Galaxy under the £30,000 tariff.

Jacqui Hall

Car: Convertible BMW 3

Title: Managing director

Company: Contract Natural Gas Ltd

Comment: Jacqui Hall drives a car which can be fun at the weekends with the roof down, but smart and practical for business calls. The folding hard top is practical, resists the wear and tear which can afflict fabric roofs, and allows a coupe-like roof for this two-door car. Its peers at Audi and Mercedes-Benz continue to use canvas-type roofs on their rival dropheads, which they say look authentic. I say choose the marque you like best. Like the Merc, the BMW is rear-wheel-drive which can give more involvement and driving refinement.

Juliette Healey

Car: VW Golf Bluemotion.

Title: Yorkshire & The Humber Agency

Company: Bank of England

Comment: Here’s a thinking person’s choice. The Bluemotion is the ecologically-sensitive sub-brand from VW, giving the highest mileage per gallon and the cleanest engine emissions. In the Golf the blue diesel technology and energy scavenging systems result in CO2 emissions well under the 100g/km mark, meaning no annual road tax, no congestion zone charge in London, and a tolerably light eco tread on the planet. A sound choice – especially so if you pay your own fuel bills.

Alan Rogan

Car: Bentley Continental GT.

Title: Managing director

Company: Spirit

Chris Rycroft

Car: Bentley Continental GT

Title:Chairman

Company: Vida Healthcare

Comment: Bentley is the super duper UK offshoot of Volkswagen Group. Its cars are made by hand in Crewe (with some major mechanical bits sourced from Germany) and the GT is the two-door coupe that transformed a British legend which was crumbling through a lack of money and planning. BMW achieved a similar transformation with Chichester-based Rolls-Royce, once the owner of Bentley. The GT is all-wheel-drive, and most have immensely powerful six-litre engines.

Imposing stuff.