The UK’s biggest fleets are seeking closer supplier partnerships to navigate a complicated triple whammy of electrification, rising costs and a data influx, according to one of the largest leasing firms.
Dan Carter, head of corporate and international sales at Ayvens UK, told Autocar that it’s “no longer enough to turn up with a product catalogue”, as customers come under pressure to control costs while achieving ever-tougher CO2 reduction goals; now they’re seeking partners who understand their business and can help them navigate what’s ahead.
Sustainability strategies and generous tax incentives for plug-in hybrid and electric cars have pushed company car fleets to electrify faster than the rest of the market. Almost half (48%) of all cars leased to fleets are electric, according to the latest figures from the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA).
However, Carter said that further electrification faces tougher emerging challenges from infrastructure, planning and changing driver behaviour.
That’s unfolding against the backdrop of shifting tax systems and environmental regulations, manufacturer strategies and supply chain disruption, plus a slow market for used EVs, which is suppressing residual values and risks blunting fleet demand for new ones.
Corporate fleets are also facing internal scrutiny of total ownership costs (TCO), which is making artificial intelligence-based optimisation an “essential” tool rather than something nice to have, while dealing with “relentless” compliance pressures and the need to make faster decisions, according to Carter.
“Electrification at scale, cost control and making sense of their data are the big three [challenges],” he said. Procurement is becoming more strategic, more cautious, more evidence-driven as a result. Customers aren’t just buying a lease product; they’re looking for recommendations they can trust and solutions that actually move the needle operationally and financially.”
Carter explained that Ayvens UK has three priorities focused on supporting corporate fleets, who want to connect their data and technology with the operational reality of their duty cycles.
Building closer relationships will help it understand what fleets are dealing with, as well as what they ask for, he said, stressing a need to build a consultative and data-literate sales and accounts team to guide customers through the ongoing uncertainty while ensuring that Ayvens’ technology investments offer “real value, not just features on a slide”.
Those investments are significant. Ayvens is progressively digitalising and streamlining the entire customer journey while combining expertise from ALD and LeasePlan, which merged to form it in 2023.
Carter added that closer collaboration with fleets and between departments and a focus on actions as well as insights are desirable for customers.
“The merger gave us real scale, and we’re building on that,” he said. “We’re accelerating digital transformation so customers get insight they can actually act on, not just dashboards. We’re focused on practical transition support for fleets, not theoretical sustainability targets. And we’re investing in our teams at every level, because none of the technology matters if the people aren’t there to help customers use it.”