A strong 2.9% organic fleet growth during 2023 has been announced today by Arval UK, in a challenging market constrained by new car supply and inflation.
The figure brings the total UK fleet size to 192,068 at the end of December 2023 and much of the rise has been powered by the ongoing transition towards battery electric vehicles as Arval’s UK fleet now includes 44,021 BEVs which account for a 23% share of the total – up by 52% year-on-year with 33% of new vehicle orders placed during December for BEVs, so the transition away from petrol and diesel will continue.
Around two-thirds of non-EV drivers say they will still not be switching to an electric car any time soon.
A recent survey conducted by Refused Car Finance shows a number of customers said they would not consider buying an electric car as their next vehicle.
The EU’s plan to reduce its emissions by 90% by 2040 marks a historic day for the climate yesterday.
But, the announcement of policy for 2040 makes no mention of a phase out of oil and gas, even though this is imperative to meet the target, said Transport and Environment, who go on to say its uncertain what will happen to the automotive industry’s programme.