How do I calculate my salary sacrifice car budget?

Salary sacrifice overview

Salary sacrifice is one of the most affordable ways to drive a car, with tax savings and an all-inclusive package* to make your money go further.

You can browse, compare, and order online in a matter of minutes. To help you get started, here’s an overview of what you need to know before building your quote.

Working out how much you can spend with salary sacrifice

If your employer’s scheme with us is already up and running, you’ll be able to view our vehicle budget calculator and affordability calculator on our driver website.

Our vehicle budget calculator will help you find a package in line with what you currently pay for your car and its running costs. Zenith’s all-inclusive* package covers insurance, servicing, maintenance, and more – so wave goodbye to managing multiple costs and bills.

Our affordability calculator will help you get the most out of your benefits package.

You enter your salary, benefit contributions, weekly working hours, and whether you’re based in London, and then you’ll be shown which cars are within your budget. This calculator takes your reduced tax into consideration, so your budget may stretch further than you anticipated.

What are the employer approval checks?

Before your order is placed by Zenith, your quote needs to be approved by your employer, to make sure that your monthly pay does not dip below National Minimum Wage after the sacrificed amount. The check looks at your salary, as well as any other benefits that you may have through work, such as health insurance or childcare vouchers.

As soon as your employer approves your quote, you’ll receive an email letting you know that your order request has been approved. The order is then passed back to Zenith, and we’ll give it a final check before placing the order with the dealer. We’ll send you another email to confirm the order has been placed with the dealer and keep you in the loop in the run up to delivery day. 

Cost-cutting tips

If your order is rejected, don’t worry! Your employer or our Sales team will be in touch to help you find a car that will keep you above the National Minimum Wage threshold.

• Optional extras: you may be able to afford the same car if you remove optional extras like premium paint colours.
• Term and mileage: tweaking your mileage or term length can bring the cost down, but make sure they still meet your needs.
• Consider a different make or model: compare a few different options and check out our special offers to see if there’s a car that meets your needs within your budget.
• Save with electric: electric cars have lower Benefit-in-Kind rates, meaning they’re often more affordable than petrol or diesel options (they also have lower fuel costs, meaning you’ll keep on saving after delivery day).

^{*Salary sacrifice pricing includes all maintenance and servicing, road tax, insurance, breakdown and recovery, tyres, glass and accident management. It excludes the cost of manufacturer subscriptions, the end-of-contract collection fee and any increases to road tax (increases will be subject to VAT). You will not own the car. T&Cs and exclusions apply, check your employer’s scheme policy for details. Subject to eligibility. Benefit in Kind (BiK) tax payable. Savings dependent on tax band.}