A traditionally slow January saw an 8.8% increase in fleet registrations compared with the first month of 2006.
A total of 90,794 cars found their way into the business market last month, with Ford, Vauxhall, VW and Peugeot holding station as the top four, although Audi made a surprise jump to fifth place, outselling arch rival BMW three-to-one.
Renault struggled, sliding behind Audi and Toyota, the Japanese brand enjoying 30% growth last month.
Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra were, as usual, the two biggest-selling models, with the two brands sharing out the top six places between them.
Fleet sales took nearly 55% of January registrations as retail buyers shied away from showrooms.
