The FTA study also found that there was an almost 50% failure rate on first time MOTs for vans on UK roads.

Ken McCall, managing director of Europcar UK Group, explained: ‘These figures from the FTA go to illustrate something that has been known within the industry for a long time – businesses are holding onto vans for longer, without having them properly maintained. This is a false economy for businesses at a time when costs are all important – as eventually the vans will either breakdown or fail their MOT.

‘While it may seem counter-intuitive to some businesses to hire all or part of their van fleet rather than own, the market is changing, and owning and maintaining a costly fleet of vans is no longer the default option.’