As part of its commitment to reducing fleet emissions, Europcar recently commissioned a study into how businesses are progressing with making improvements to their fleet sustainability. 300 professionals responsible for fleet management and business travel decisions gave their insights into what they have changed, the challenges they face, and what the future holds as they work to reduce the environmental impact of their business mobility. The results are published in a new report: ‘Switching sustainability from buzzword to business benefit’.

It's clear that the introduction of low and zero emissions vehicles is on the minds of over half of those businesses surveyed. 52% already have fully electric vehicles (EVs) on fleet and 54% have hybrids. However, very few businesses are able to make a wholesale switch to electric right now. Instead, many are employing a transitional strategy of reducing emissions through cutting journeys and utilising alternative transport methods, alongside testing new powertrains.

This approach will become ever more important as current fleet vehicles age. More than half of respondents to the Europcar study stated that the average age of vehicles on their fleet is 3-4 years. This is potentially hampering their ability to meet emissions targets, as well as presenting a very real cost concern when it comes to complying with the growing number of Clean Air Zones emerging in UK cities.