9 in 10 business drivers say brand isn't a priority when choosing a vehicle

A new study of 2,000 UK drivers (513 of whom drive for work) by vehicle leasing experts ALD Automotive | LeasePlan UK, published today on World EV Day, found that price or value for money was the priority characteristic for fleet drivers (36%). This was closely followed by reliability (33%) and fuel efficiency (31%).

The findings show that fleet drivers tend to be more particular about their car than regular drivers. The majority (70%) said they wanted specific features, compared to less than half (48%) of other respondents.

Parking sensors and cameras were the most desirable feature, selected by just over half of respondents (53%), while 41% wanted satellite navigation and 36% would favour models with heated seats or steering wheels.

Almost half of business car drivers (47%) are considering SUVs, while 31% said they would like to drive a hatchback and 22% are wanted a saloon.

Almost two thirds (62%) said they wanted to drive an electric car, compared to 38% of the wider population.

Of these, a third (32%) said they’d be happy to buy or lease from an automotive brand they hadn’t heard of if it allowed them to make the switch.

Commenting on the findings, Alfonso Martinez, UK Managing Director of ALD Automotive | LeasePlan UK, said:

Among business drivers who want to drive an electric car, reducing air pollution was the most common selling point, cited by almost half (45%) of respondents.

Forty two percent said that electric vehicles are the future of driving, while 40% said quiet driving was a reason to switch. Modern and up-to-date technology was another leading factor, cited by 24% of drivers.

To support fleet managers with the switch to EVs, ALD Automotive | LeasePlan has developed a range of online tools, available to use free of charge.

These include an EV readiness tool to determine how ready organisations are to go electric at this point of time, and what preparations need to be made to facilitate the transition; and a Driver EV assessment tool, which provides a bespoke summary of how compatible individual drivers are to EVs based on their driver profile.

There is also a specific Commercial Vehicle tool to assess suitability, and an EV charge cost calculator which allows drivers and fleet managers to work out how much their EV will cost to run based on the model and range.

Research carried out by OnePoll in September 2023. Sample comprised of 2,000 UK drivers, 513 of whom drive for work.

ALD Automotive | LeasePlan is a leading global sustainable mobility player providing full-service leasing, flexible subscription services, fleet management services and multi-mobility solutions to a client base of large corporates, SMEs, professionals and private individuals. With the broadest coverage in 44 countries through direct presence, ALD Automotive | LeasePlan is leveraging its unique position to lead the way to net zero and further shape the digital transformation of the industry through innovation and technology-enabled services to enable the transformation towards large scale adoption of sustainable mobility.

With 15,700 employees worldwide, ALD Automotive | LeasePlan manages 3.3 million vehicles (at end-March 2023).

The company is listed on Compartment A of Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0013258662; Ticker: ALD). Societe Generale is ALD Automotive | LeasePlan’s majority shareholder. Find out more at www.aldautomotive.com