When you run a business that involves deliveries, transportation, towing, hauling, shuttling, or some other kind of commercial service that requires multiple vehicles, it typically benefits you to buy a fleet. Why? Because of the discounts and deals you can get on fleet sales from the dealer or an auction that allows you to get the most for as little as possible. Some of the biggest automakers have special fleet vehicles available for those who run big, medium, or even small businesses.
If you did have a small business and you were considering Chevy as your supplier of commercial vehicles, there are some things you might want to know first and foremost about the availability of Chevy vehicles for commercial purposes. What are these things? Well, let’s start with the most important factor in buying fleet vehicles: discounts and eligibility.
Chevy Fleet Business Eligibility
Before you dive headfirst into buying a number of fleet vehicles for your business, you should know that you can actually gain very significant discounts and allowances by joining the fleet business customer association. If you want to purchase Chevy vehicles, you will need to be part of the GM Fleet program.
So how do you earn eligibility into the program, and what are the benefits? You get cash-back allowances, as well as very lucrative purchasing options when buying or leasing vehicles in bulk. There are also specific financing and connectivity options made available with the OnStar Business Solutions program.
However, before you get all the benefits and incentives, you first have to qualify for becoming part of the GM Fleet. If you do qualify, you’ll be granted a Fleet Account Number, which will be your gateway to all of the membership benefits that come along with your business being a qualified member of the fleet. However, qualification does require a commitment on your part.
What sort of commitment? You will need to have purchased or leased at least five vehicles in 12 months. They can be any car, truck, or SUV and from any combination of vehicle types from a manufacturer. Alternatively, you can become eligible if you already own or lease five medium-duty trucks or you have a total of 15 vehicles – regardless of type or manufacturer – within your fleet.
Taking Advantage of Small Fleet Options
Maybe leasing or buying five vehicles in 12 months is just outside the scope of your business. What if you have three or four vehicles as part of your fledgling business, but you plan on scaling up in the future? Well, there is a solution for those of you out there as well looking to take advantage of fleet sales for your business.
The GM Fleet Small Fleet segment can award you anywhere between $500 and $1,000 if you’re a member of the Associated Builders & Contractors, Associated General Contractors of America, or the National Association of Home Builders of America. If you work internationally and are part of groups like the National Electrical and Communications Association but have operations Stateside, you will have to go through the parent organization to take advantage of the fleet discounts available for international business owners operating fleets in the United States.
In addition to the GM Small Fleet benefits, you can also talk with participating dealers about fleet sales in your region. There are a number of dealers who are part of the GM Fleet program operating as Business Elite dealers. These are specially trained sales specialists to help you get the best deals and discounts on commercial Chevy vehicles.
Discounts and Allowances on Chevy Fleet Vehicles
There are different discounts, allowances, and deals on various GM vehicles. If you were specifically looking to buff up your fleet with Chevy cars, trucks, or SUVs for your small business, then you’re in for a treat. There are some excellent deals on Chevy vehicles, especially when it comes to model year incentives. Once you acquire a Fleet Account Number (or if you already have a Fleet Account Number), you will be eligible for taking part in the purchase program allowance available to fleet members.
You will need to be sure to check the eligibility of the allowances based on the allotted time frame. For instance, all 2020 incentives were available between January 1st, 2019, and December 31st, 2020. The 2021 model year incentives operated from January 1st, 2020, up through December 31st, 2021. You will need to contact your local dealer for the fleet sales incentives and discounts available for ordered vehicles or vehicles purchased from the dealer’s inventory.
Some discounts that were available for the 2021 Chevy line-up of vehicles included up to a $6,000 allowance on the Chevy Bolt EV and the Silverado Medium Duty 6500. You could get a $5,500 allowance on the Silverado Medium Duty 5500 series and up to $4,000 on the Silverado Medium Duty 4500 series. You could also take advantage of allowances of up to $5,700 on the Express 3500 Cargo and $4,400 on the Express Cutaway.
Nearly every fleet variation of a Chevy is available at a discount, including the highly popular Silverado 1500 series, where the crew cab Work Truck trim could net you an allowance of up to $4,100. That makes for a compelling purchase for those who need reliable trucks for snow plowing services, lawn maintenance, or for towing. The discounts for the line-up are varied and steep depending on what you need and how many you need.
What Chevy Vehicles Are Available for Fleet Purchase?
There is a line-up of older and newer model-year nameplates from the Chevy brand that cycle into the GM Fleet program. The prices vary depending on which iterations of the vehicles you happen to be looking for. For instance, you can have police modified iterations of certain vehicles, cutaways for upfitting, or passenger vans for shuttle purposes. You can even turn sedans into executive travel vehicles if you need them for an upstart travel service. The complete list of the current line-up of Chevy vehicles part of the GM Fleet can be viewed on the GM Fleet website.
Choosing Chevy for Your Small Business
So now that you know a little bit about the ins and outs of the GM Fleet program, you’re probably wondering if Chevy fleet sales are right for your business? Well, there are many options, so if you need a bunch of subcompact sedans for food delivery, they have those in the Spark. If you need electric vehicles for an eco-friendly travel service, you have the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV. Executive travel services? You have the Malibu. Need something for towing? The heavy-duty and medium-duty Silverado are available. Passenger services, catering, deliveries, or utility work? The Express Cargo Van and Express Passenger Van are available.
Basically, whatever kind of small business you run where you need starter vehicles to help get you going, there is something available for your needs. One of the benefits of Chevy over GMC or Buick is that there is more variety covering more segments based on what you need. With Buick or GMC, the options are a bit more limited, so that’s something to consider as well. And if you have a small business, it’s usually best to go with a brand that gives you more leeway both in terms of customization and segment diversity based on the kind of commercial vehicle work you need to get done, and that’s an added bonus with the Chevy line-up of the GM Fleet service.
