Forward Sales(Ecosse) Ltd

Forward Drive Plan

Your business first. The vehicle last.

Most vehicle sites start with a monthly price. We start with how your business runs, the people who drive for it and what your vehicles actually do every day. Only then do we recommend the vehicle, and the way to fund it that fits.

Serving businesses across the UK from offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Chester. Forward Drive Plan is exclusive to Forward Sales, delivered with our sister company Forward Asset Finance and its panel of 20+ lenders.

Sound familiar?

You chose the van. Then your accountant saw the finance agreement.

You pick the vehicle, the dealer offers a lease or finance, and you sign. It feels like a sensible decision in the showroom. Then year end comes round. Your accountant reads the paperwork and the finance agreement, and asks the question nobody in the showroom did: why was it done this way?

It's not hard to see why. Electric, hybrid or diesel. Buy, lease, hire purchase, contract hire or salary sacrifice. New or used, one vehicle or a fleet. There have never been more options, and for a business owner it's a minefield.

What typically goes wrong

  • A van that's too small, too big or the wrong spec for the work it actually does.
  • Contract hire on a mileage limit you were always going to exceed, then paying for it at the end.
  • An agreement that runs longer, or shorter, than you'll actually keep the vehicle.
  • Leasing when owning would have strengthened the business and its balance sheet.
  • A company car chosen without anyone asking what it costs the person driving it.

None of this is the salesperson's fault. Their job is to sell the vehicle in front of you. Nobody in the showroom is asking how your business actually works.

That's the gap Forward Drive Plan fills. We get to know your business, your people and how your vehicles are used first. Then we compare every way of funding, recommend the right vehicle, and put it all in a one-page summary for your accountant to check before you sign. Your accountant sees it first, not at year end.

What's in a Forward Drive Plan

Your business first, a recommendation second, and the vehicle last.

  1. Your business first

    An adviser gets to know how your business runs: who drives, what the vehicles do day to day, the miles they cover and how cash flows through the business.

  2. Funding routes side by side

    Outright purchase, hire purchase, finance lease, contract hire and salary sacrifice, compared on cost, cash flow, ownership and tax.

  3. A vehicle recommendation

    Electric, hybrid, van or commercial, new or used. Whichever fits the work and the people doing it, not whichever is on the forecourt.

  4. Built for your accountant

    A one-page summary of the options, the figures and our reasoning, written for your accountant to check before you commit. No surprises at year end.

  5. Sourced and funded

    We find the vehicle through our direct relationships with manufacturers and importers. Forward Asset Finance arranges the finance.

  6. A review before renewal

    Before your agreement ends, we check in. We review how the vehicle has performed, whether it still suits the work, and estimate the financials using our Equity Track software. Your next move is an informed decision, not a panic buy.

What we look at

Every recommendation weighs up both sides: the business and the people who drive for it.

Your business

  • What the vehicles do and how often
  • Mileage, routes and loads
  • Cash flow and total cost over the agreement
  • Ownership, balance sheet and tax

Your people

  • Who drives, and what they need from the vehicle
  • Business and private use
  • What the vehicle costs them personally
  • Running and charging at home or on the road

Built for businesses whose decisions get scrutinised

Professional firms and owner-managed businesses with turnover up to £15 million, anywhere in the UK. Whatever the sector, the vehicle decision gets judged twice: by the people who use it, and by the accountant who reads the agreement.

  • Accountants and tax advisers

    Partners and directors who will read the agreement more closely than anyone.

  • Solicitors and law firms

    Where the terms of the agreement matter as much as the vehicle.

  • Surveyors and property professionals

    High-mileage, client-facing roles where the car is part of the job.

  • Construction managers and contractors

    Site vehicles, vans and crew cabs that have to earn their keep.

  • Manufacturers

    Vans and commercial vehicles that keep supply and delivery moving.

  • Hospitality and leisure

    Hotels, restaurants and venues running vans for supplies, events and staff.

  • Service and maintenance firms

    Engineers, technicians and trades whose van is their workplace.

  • Delivery and logistics

    Fleets where mileage, uptime and cost per mile decide the margin.

  • Rental and hire companies

    Vehicles that are the product, so the funding has to match how they earn.

  • Medical and dental practices

    Practice owners and partners choosing cars that suit how the practice is run.

  • Franchise and multi-site operators

    Vehicles spread across sites, needing one clear approach to funding.

  • Equestrian businesses

    Horse boxes and towing vehicles specced for the load and the distance.

Even if your asset doesn't drive, we have a finance plan for you.

Equipment and machinery are funded through our sister company, Forward Asset Finance, and its panel of 20+ lenders.

  • Static plant and workshop machinery
  • Kitchen and catering equipment
  • Medical and dental technology
  • IT and digital systems
  • Marine and workboats
  • Equestrian facilities
  • Signage and fit-out
  • Specialist equipment
Explore Forward Asset Finance

The right vehicles for the work

New and used, for sole traders, company directors and fleet operators across the UK. If it drives, tows or digs, Drive Plan covers it.

Company cars

Electric, hybrid, prestige and executive, matched to mileage, charging access and what they cost the driver.

Classic and collectable cars

Sourced with care and funded on terms that reflect what the car is worth, not just its age.

Vans and pick-ups

Panel, crew and converted vans, refrigerated and welfare units, specced for the job and the payload.

Trucks and HGVs

Tippers, dropsides, Lutons and articulated lorries for contractors and hauliers.

Minibuses and people carriers

For staff transport, schools, care providers and hospitality.

Yellow plant

Excavators, mini diggers, telehandlers and dumpers for site work and hire fleets.

Forklifts and materials handling

Counterbalance, reach and rough-terrain forklifts for warehouses, yards and sites.

Agricultural machinery

Tractors, combines and harvesters, with funding that can follow the seasons.

Trailers and horse boxes

Plant, flatbed and box trailers, and horse boxes built for the load and the distance.

Already know what you want? Get a quote, or tell us the make, model and spec and we'll find it for you.

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Call us for a quote

Book your Drive Plan consultation

Around 30 minutes by phone, by video, or at our Glasgow, Edinburgh or Chester offices. Tell us how your business runs and how your vehicles are used. Your accountant is welcome on the call.

Call 0141 882 4288
Phone
0141 882 4288 (pilot: dedicated Forward Sales number)
Email
info@forwardsales.co.uk
Offices
Glasgow: The Edison Hub, 100 Carnegie Road, Hillington, Glasgow G52 4JZ
Edinburgh: (pilot: address to confirm)
Chester: (pilot: address to confirm)