The number of cars leased with contract hire agreements by British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) members increased by 3.6% to 987,000 units between the first quarter 2016 and Q1 2017, new figures have revealed.
The total number of cars leased by its members grew by 11% year on year with more than half of that growth coming from an increase in personal contract hire leases, the BVRLA’s quarterly leasing survey said.
The light commercial vehicle fleet grew by 15.3% to 358,000 units during the same period, the BVRLA said.
Average car CO2 emissions, meanwhile, fell by 4% year-on-year from 117.7g/km to 113.1g/km. In the first quarter of 2017, the average CO2 emissions for new BVRLA member registrations was 110.8g/km compared with the national average of 120.5g/km of CO2.
Additional analysis by the organisation revealed that the average personal contract car in the BVRLA member fleet had emissions of 118g/km of CO2 compared with 112g/km of CO2 for those on a business contract.
The BVRLA said that less than three-quarters (74.9%) of the total fleet was powered by diesel in the first quarter of this year, compared with 77.4% in Q1 2016, a sign that negative press surrounding the fuel may be starting to affect buying habits.
Despite average CO2 emissions falling, Gerry Keaney, chief executive of the BVRLA, said the progress was not fast enough and that more needs to be done. “CO2 emissions are clearly heading in the right direction, but we are concerned with the lack of progress in the reduction of average CO2 emissions in new cars during 2016,” he said.
Keaney added: “Government has ambitious targets for improving air quality and cutting CO2 emissions. With the right tax regimes, incentives and guidance, the fleet industry can have a huge impact on achieving these goals.”
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