1320 - Major Citroen C1 AccuRead order

1,320 Citroen C1 cars are now being supplied to AccuRead, the UK’s largest meter reading company, which is owned by G4S plc. AccuRead will distribute the five-door Citroen C1 1.0.i Rhythm cars - which boast CO2 emissions of just 106g/km and an exceptional 60+mpg combined cycle fuel economy - amongst its 2,000 employees, who collect data on behalf of major gas, electricity and water companies across the UK.

Citroen gained the AccuRead order through Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions, who manage AccuRead’s fleet. AccuRead was attracted to the C1’s unique package of financial, environmental and operational benefits.

Jeff Cooke, AccuRead’s area service delivery manager, comments, “We researched a wide range of cars working with our account manager at Hitachi Capital, prior to selecting the Citroen C1. Our meter readers can be in and out of their cars up to 50 times a day, so easy accessibility is a must. The C1 provides this, together with high standards of comfort, exceptional manoeuvrability and easy parkability. Also, the C1 is highly cost-effective due to its low running cost, with 60+mpg fuel consumption and very low CO2 emissions of just 106g/km, so it also a great choice for the environment.”

AccuRead is operating its C1 cars on Hitachi Capital’s 18-month, with-maintenance contract hire agreements. There is an option to extend these up to 24 months as required. During their service life with AccuRead, the C1s will average around 13,000 miles per year on a demanding stop-start operation, with can see them making up to 40 or 50 calls a day, with meter readers reading hundreds of meters per shift.

AccuRead specified its C1 Rhythms in five-door format as this offers improved accessibility and safety in restricted parking spaces or on busy roads. In Rhythm trim the C1 includes remote central locking, vital when so many entry/exit operations are carried out. The AccuRead C1s are being supplied in Caldera Black, Carlinite Grey, Electra Blue and Gallium Grey metallic paint finishes.

The C1 is one of Citroen UK’s most popular cars and is available in three and five-door formats, with a choice of 1.0i petrol or, uniquely to Citroen, 1.4HDi diesel engines, both of which are below the critical 110g/km CO2 emissions level and – significantly – both offer exception 60+ mpg combined cycle fuel economy figures.