Fleets turn to used vans to cut costs
New research is predicting that fleets will double their adoption of used vans in the next three years.
According to the 2026 Arval Fleet and Mobility Observatory, 15% of fleets operate used vans at the moment but 39% will do so in the next three years.
Enthusiasm is highest among large companies with more than 1,000 employees, 46% of which expect to buy more used vans compared to 35% of those with 100-999 employees and 39% with 1-99.
John Peters, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said: “While van fleets have been slower than their car counterparts to adopt used vehicles – 53% of car fleets currently operate preowned – the gap is quickly narrowing.
“There are probably a number of factors behind this shift for van operators but perhaps the most important is buying new has become more expensive, especially for fleets that are electrifying, so cheaper, used examples are becoming a more attractive alternative.”
Convenience
He continued: “To some extent, this finding is a surprise because larger companies tend to want to buy vehicles in larger quantities, and it would be very difficult for a large corporate to buy identical used vans in the quantities they need.
“However, we hear that many of the preowned vans being bought by fleets are relief vehicles or one-off examples used for specific purposes and, given this fact, the data makes more sense.
“What may well be happening is that the smallest fleets are buying used because it is cheaper, and larger fleets because it is convenient for certain use cases.”
