The construction and facilities management sectors are driving strong demand for commercial vehicles and have overtaken logistics as the fastest-growing users of commercial vehicles.
Flexible vehicle leasing firm Sogo said that while new leases in February were 12% down on the same month last year, this was due to delivery delays and demand actually remained ahead of 2021, supported by key sectors.
Karl Howkins, managing director, explained: “The commercial vehicle sector continues to perform strongly. We have seen our commercial vehicle fleet grow by 31% over the last 12 months and demand continues to grow, particularly in the construction and facilities management sectors.”
Latest SMMT figures show that UK new van registrations were down 6% in February, mainly due to the semiconductor shortage, but the market remained 14.6% above pre-pandemic levels, reflecting continued demand from key sectors.
Sogo said it was seeing strong demand for panel vans, tippers and pick-ups, and that it was meeting requirements thanks to good relationships with manufacturers.
Howkins continued: “Companies of all sizes are looking to reduce their carbon footprint. Our partnership with BP Target Neutral is attracting new fleet operators to our services, along with the opportunity to rent vehicles on a monthly basis.”
The tie-up with BP, announced last year, enables Sogo to offer a carbon-neutral fleet across petrol, diesel and electric vehicles. It’s helped fleet operators and consumers offset over 5,200 tonnes of carbon in the last 12 months.
