A new white paper revealing the challenges facing van fleets and managers’ main concerns is now available from Europcar Vans & Trucks.
The free publication, available online, surveyed 300 business decision-makers running vans within the UK and the results underscore that vans are driving the economy. The majority of businesses (58.4%) use their vans every day of the week. And nearly a quarter (23%) use vans between four and six days per week.
The survey also looked at typical fleet make-up and found that the UK van fleet averages around 11 to 30 vehicles. But there’s a sizeable 20% of businesses that use between 31 and 50 vans every year. In addition, another 20% say they only use between six and 10 vans over the course of a year.
The Europcar research also identified some of the biggest headaches for commercial fleet managers. After road congestion (57%), next on the list of concerns was vehicle condition, with 42% citing it as their second biggest worry. As fleet managers juggle multiple vehicles, driven by many different drivers, the availability of vehicles was an issue for 40% of the decision-makers questioned, with nearly three-quarters (71%) admitting to having ‘spare’ vans in order to mitigate the risk of being left without a vehicle. And the bigger the firm, the more likely they were to have ‘just-in-case’ vehicles: 92% of companies with 500+ employees.
Vehicle acquisition was also explored and the Europcar research found nearly two-thirds (58.7%) use outright purchase and just over half opt for long-term lease.
But long-term rental is also favoured by over a quarter of businesses (25.9%) while short-term rental is also in the mix for nearly one in five firms.
To access the Europcar research, click here.
