Ford vans and Vauxhall cars top tables

VAUXHALL is the leading car supplier to both the daily rental and leasing markets, while Ford dominates the light commercial vehicle sectors. British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association members spent £3.5 billion on 310,000 short term hire cars in 1998, according to the association's 1999 Industry Review.

During the year the UK's daily rental parc averaged about 255,000 vehicles, with Vauxhall accounting for a 23.43% market share, followed by Ford with 17.51% and Peugeot with 9.8%. Rover, however, slipped to eighth place in the daily rental suppliers' table, underlining the manufacturer's determination to withdraw from fast cycle business.

But in the contract hire market Rover moved up to third spot, from fifth in 1997, with a 7.21% market share, behind Vauxhall (24.4%) and Ford (18.77%). In the LCV market Ford is comfortably the market leader, with a 47.16% share of the daily rental market, followed by LDV (13.55%) and Vauxhall (11.29%); while in the contract hire market Ford achieved a 44.59% share, followed by Vauxhall (21.75%) and Mercedes (5.93%).

The contract hire market for vans rose by 80.6% to 145,513 vehicles (80,558) in 1998, although the BVRLA attributed this to the contribution of new long term rental members with a high proportion of LCVs on their fleets.