Firstly, we ask McCrossan what has changed at Northgate? He says: “We have increased investment in our people, fleet and locations over the past year, which will increase our capacity, and we have seen continued strong demand for LCVs from existing and new partners.
“Demand for our services remains strong, and we continue to support our customers with their electrification journey. Our major focus is on our Customer First programme. That is all about putting the customer first in everything we do. We recognise their needs and then deliver these to the highest standard. This includes helping customers get the right LCV solution for their business, which is part of our agnostic approach as more companies commit to reducing their transport emissions. This could include supplying them with the right diesel vehicle, or introducing them to EVs, and other alternatives as and when they are ready to do so.
“A big change in 2024 was carbon reduction becoming the primary reason for LCV fleets looking to transition from diesel and petrol to electric vehicles, according to our customer research.
“62.5% identified carbon reduction as their main motivation for lowering emissions, a notable increase from 50% in 2023. While cost reduction remained a significant driver for electrification, it stayed relatively consistent with 22% of fleets citing it as a motivation, nearly unchanged from 20% in 2023. Additionally, 22% of fleets indicated that meeting customer requirements was a key factor in their electrification efforts, as ESG plays an ever more important role in tendering.”
Next, we talk about the main growth areas at Northgate, to which McCrossan tells us it has seen growth across its business. He says: “Our fleet and our on-hire numbers have grown, and so also has our revenues from the range of fleet services we provide such as accident management, fleet management, telematics, and fuel cards, for example.
“We anticipate a growth in our new electric micromobility business, as several customers successfully trialled a range of vehicles and we expect this fleet to expand.
“We’ve also successfully launched a new Northgate Cars proposition, which is working well for our customers and us. Interestingly, a third of the cars on hire are electric or hybrid.”
McCrossan moves on to tell us that on top of winning our Best Eco Initiative, Northgate Vehicle Hire is most proud of its Drive to Zero initiative. He says: “It is at the heart of our business, and a commitment over the last 24 months to help support our customers in their individual electrification journeys.
“We have run over 40 EV roadshows across the UK over a two-year period, where we bring EVs of all shapes and sizes for customers to drive at a local Northgate branch.
“We also run a charging workshop with the support of our partners at ChargedEV, and at each one, survey each group of customers to understand their concerns, hopes and fears for going down the EV route.
“Not only have the roadshows been a terrific opportunity to meet customers and talk to them about electrification, but it has also given us a valuable insight into their current and future needs, which is where more specialist transport like our micromobility vehicles come in. They have been able to trial these vehicles in a controlled environment.
“The roll out of our One Road initiative, that allows all Northgate customers, including Blakedale, FridgeXpress and ChargedEV, to access our services through a single point of contact and trading account has also been very rewarding.
“Our Customer First programme has been a game changer. Northgate has a Trust Pilot score of 4.9, that has risen on the back of this initiative and is well above the industry average for the rental sector of 3.2. On top of this, our customer loyalty metric, the Net Promotor Score (NPS) has improved, with our branch operations consistently scoring 80%-plus with our customers.”
We then push McCrossan on any future developments at Northgate this year. He says: “Our telematics provision continues to form a crucial first step for fleets looking to transition to EVs, with the data captured by Northgate building an accurate picture of vehicle usage, from which an EV suitability report is generated, and a robust transition programme is designed and implemented.
“2024 saw more than 60 customers start their fleet electrification journeys with us. We remain agnostic on vehicle or fuel type and are constantly working with fleets to supply them the most appropriate vehicles for their needs, whilst helping and supporting them on their electrification journey.
“Our fleet of EV rental options has now risen to 12 different van types – including traffic management and chilled/frozen spec vehicles – and six micromobility vehicles, which are designed to operate within areas where a fully-sized EV is not as viable.
“As detailed previously, our Northgate Cars and micromobility solutions are set to both grow, while fleets continue to take advantage of our EV bundle, which enables customers on 12 months-plus contracts to rent an electric LCV and charger for a single monthly payment.
“It remains the only electric LCV hire contract of its kind, where a single monthly payment covers a fully maintained vehicle and a charger. We continue to work with our sister company ChargedEV daily, to advise companies both on workplace and home charging.”
McCrossan tells us that Northgate’s Drive to Zero initiative has been at the heart of their business for more than two years – and is why they stand out against the opposition. He says: “All our environmental initiatives are launched under this umbrella, and it has become an integral part of our business for our office and branch teams. They live and breathe it, at a time when our customers need help and support with creating their own zero-emissions road map.”
It is obvious that McCrossan is pleased with the Best Eco Initiative award at the Business Car Awards. He says: “It is always nice to be recognised by the industry for the work we do with the nation’s fleets. Our Drive to Zero will continue to go from strength to strength in 2025, so we look forward to competing in this category again and going up against the rest of the fleet industry.”
