An updated version of the Association of Fleet Professionals’ (AFP) Dealer Standard has been published.
The document sets out how dealers should carry out fleet vehicle deliveries, and was first launched in 2022, with subsequent signatories including Marshall Motor Group, Inchcape, Sytner, William Morgan Group, and Walton Audi.
The document has now been revised, with the number of points listed increased from 28 to 34. The AFP said it wanted to promote wider commitment and account for evolving vehicle technology.
AFP company secretary and director Richard Baird said: “We’ve seen a strong response to the Standard over the last couple of years from many parts of the dealer community who recognise the importance of ensuring consistently high service levels when it comes to dealer vehicle handovers to fleet drivers. It’s been very encouraging.
“However, our members continue to report widely varying and sometimes poor experiences from some dealers who have not committed to the agreement so we want to use this moment, with the reworking of the document, to repromote the initiative.
“Our aim is to both encourage more manufacturers and dealers to join and also to create a position where fleets insist their suppliers adhere to the Standard. Really, it should become an industry default.”
AFP director Julie Summerell said the revised standard had been created with input from fleets, dealers, and manufacturers.
She said: “The Dealer Standard is quite simple in its intent – to ensure the vehicle is delivered in excellent condition to the fleet end user, who is shown the fundamentals of how it works and treated courteously – and that remains the core of the reworked document.
“However, we’ve especially worked to tackle issues around increasingly sophisticated in-vehicle technology and growing adoption of electric vehicles. Dealers should carry out proper familiarisations.
“This is especially the case where drivers are moving from a petrol or diesel vehicle to a plug-in hybrid or full battery electric vehicle for the first time. They need to feel confident about factors such as understanding vehicle range and carrying out charging.”
