Leasing members of the BVRLA registered nearly £7bn-worth of fleet cars, or half of all new fleet cars, last year, according to the organisation. The average retail list price was £19,698.

“The high-profile scrappage scheme has provided a valuable boost to the car industry in its time of need, but it is a one-off,” said the organisation’s chief executive John Lewis. “These figures show just how vital the leasing market is to car makers and explains why they are all investing so heavily in their fleet sales operations this year.”