David Savage, chief revenue officer at Lightfoot, says global markets are out of fleet managers’ hands, but driving efficiency remains the ultimate hedge against rising costs.

Pump prices remain unpredictable, but how efficiently vehicles are driven is something fleet operators can control – and the savings are significant.

With petrol prices ranging from around 106p to 191p per litre over the past five years, and diesel from 112p to nearly 199p, long-term fuel cost planning has become increasingly difficult for fleet operators. These aren’t marginal shifts, they represent swings of up to 80% that can dramatically alter operating budgets with little warning.

A range of factors have driven this instability. Issues such as Covid, the threat of international tariffs, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and domestic challenges including increased taxation have all contributed to significant fuel price uncertainty in recent years – and with the global outlook remaining unsettled, there is little indication that volatility will ease any time soon.

The fluctuations serve as a clear reminder of where fleet managers should focus their energy.

Petrol and diesel costs can spike rapidly due to global events or supply pressures, and for fleets running hundreds or thousands of vehicles, even small per-litre changes can add hundreds of thousands of pounds to annual fuel bills.

In 2025, Lightfoot drivers saved around 109 litres of fuel for every 10,000 miles driven. If fuel reaches £2 per litre, that’s roughly £218 saved per vehicle – and for large fleets those efficiency gains quickly add up. That’s a meaningful financial buffer against market uncertainty.

The impact doesn’t stop at the forecourt. Rising energy costs can ripple through supply chains, pushing up delivery costs and squeezing operational budgets at a time when many businesses are already navigating rising expenses across the board.

With the UK electricity network still partly dependent on gas-fired generation, Savage also warns that fleets transitioning to EVs aren’t immune to energy price swings.

Volatility doesn’t just affect petrol and diesel – it can also influence electricity prices. That means even fleets moving to electric vehicles need to think carefully about how they manage energy use and efficiency. The underlying principle is the same whatever the fuel type.

Lightfoot’s in-cab driver coaching technology targets the behaviours that burn fuel unnecessarily – excessive acceleration, harsh braking and engine idling. Fleets using the system have reported fuel economy improvements of up to 15%, with a further 9% MPG uplift available through the Lightfoot driver app.

The reality is that fleets can’t control what happens to energy prices. But they can control how efficiently their vehicles are driven. In an unpredictable market, reducing consumption through smarter driving and better data is one of the most effective strategies available to fleet managers – and the results speak for themselves.