Fleet owners snap up Cobra speed limiters and slash fuel costs

Cobra, the leading safety, security and telematics provider is reporting a 100% increase in sales of speed limiters to fleet customers over the last three months.  Cobra has seen a marked increase in companies fitting them to cars, not just vans and LCVs. The most recent orders are for a fleet of Vauxhall Astras and another for Land Rover Defenders.
 
“The surge in demand for speed limiters is remarkable and momentum continues to build as fleets realise the huge benefits they can offer,” says Andrew Smith, Managing Director, Cobra UK Ltd. “As the financial year end approaches for many companies, fleet operators are looking at ways to cut costs and work with smaller budgets in the coming 12 months. Speed limiters offer a practical solution and are a cost effective way of bringing costs down.
 
“Last year Cobra demonstrated how a VW Transporter achieved a 37% reduction in fuel use with its speed limiter* and in a second independent test a 26% fuel consumption improvement was achieved.”
 
Protecting a driver while they are using a vehicle on company business is also paramount to any modern day company's Health and Safety strategy, and a speed limiter goes some way to helping protect drivers' licences, by reducing their speed and their chances of being involved in an accident. Fleets also benefit from lower emissions with a speed limiter, as well as improved engine life.
 
Cobra speed limiters can be fitted to the majority of light commercials up to and including 3.5 tonnes and are programmable to 56mph, 60mph and 70mph. The limiter is compatible with Euro 4 and Euro 5 petrol and diesel engines, and comes with a two year parts warranty.

*Cobra's speed limiter was restricted to 56mph and fitted to a 2.0 diesel Volkswagen Transporter Sportline van. Over a 260 mile trip on semi-urban parkways, city roads and motorways in the East Midlands, the van returned 43.91 miles per gallon. With the limiter removed and driving the identical route at usual motorway speeds, the fuel economy figure dropped to 32.01mpg.
 
This meant a fuel cost saving of £16.86 with the limiter fitted for this short trip alone, which could equate to an annual saving of £1,686 on a Transporter van covering 26,000 miles each year. Whatever your fleet size, this type of fuel saving cannot be ignored and should be a crucial consideration when looking at reducing whole life costs.