If uptake is currently modest, there is little doubt that leasing and fleet management companies must replicate company car schemes to woo the growing number of drivers being offered cash-for-car options. This is an extension of outsourcing, says Tim Holmes, director and general manager of Swan National, where a number of large fleets already cede responsibility for direct driver contact to their outsourcing provider.

'Our mindset has to be one of delivering total motoring solutions and finding new ways to do things,' he said. 'We need to present choices and options to customers. We need to invest more in finding out and understanding their needs and we need people who are trained and knowledgeable, about cars, and about people.'