Nottingham City Council has introduced a new car salary sacrifice scheme, partnering with specialist provider Tusker to offer sustainable motoring to around 7,000 eligible staff.

The new Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) scheme enables qualifying employees to access a brand-new electric or ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV), directly from their salary. It includes insurance, servicing, maintenance and breakdown cover for fixed, cost-effective motoring.

Under the new scheme, Nottingham City Council enables eligible employees to access new hybrid or electric vehicles, as well as optional access to charging points around the country. Additionally, employees can choose to take the car over periods of between 24 and 60 months, creating choices to reduce monthly amounts.

The scheme provides employees with budgetary certainty at a time of significant economic volatility.

Nottingham City Council’s HR reward consultant, Lynn Griffin-Pearce, said: “Our new benefit provides a cost-efficient and environmentally responsible alternative to traditional vehicle ownership, and is supported by competitive Benefit-in-Kind rates and optional access to a nationwide public charging network.”

The initiative, which officially went live on 10 March, marks a return to a partnership that first began a decade ago.

The programme is a cornerstone of the council’s ‘Works Perks’ benefits package, designed to offset the rising costs of vehicle ownership while slashing the authority’s carbon footprint.

The new scheme has already seen an unprecedented level of engagement. Within the first 24 hours, 216 employees signed up for the portal and 21 vehicle orders were placed in the first week alone – meeting one-third of the council’s annual target in just seven days.

Officials said this success was due in part to a streamlined communication strategy. By using Tusker’s suite of ready-made videos and FAQs on the internal intranet, the HR department reported receiving only a single enquiry.

Building on this early success, Nottingham City Council and Tusker will also introduce a Pre-loved car scheme, providing employees with an additional, cost-effective route into low-emission and electric vehicles. This extension to the offer will increase affordability and widen access across the workforce.

Kara Harrison, HR reward advisor at Nottingham City Council, explained that preparation and setting clear guardrails was essential for the scheme, to reduce the financial risk to the council.

“Our payroll, finance, and legal teams were all involved to ensure scheme compliance. It had to be fully robust pre-launch for all parties. Beyond Tusker’s protections, we also ask that managers approve the cars to help protect against people leaving or retiring.”

The council also benefits from Tusker’s Lifestyle Protection programme to protect employees and employers from early termination fees from unforeseen circumstances, such as maternity, long-term sickness or death in service.

Cheryl Clements, head of business development at Tusker, said: “We are so pleased to welcome Lynn, her team and Nottingham City Council back to Tusker. HMRC has set clear guidelines that protect car salary sacrifice schemes for the future, plus there are robust systems and guardrails to protect employees and employers. The green movement makes complete sense when a council such as Nottingham is so focused on building a sustainable, inclusive city.”