As fuel prices top £1 per litre, rising petrol and diesel prices are having a growing impact on the types of company cars being bought and how they are driven.

When asked to list the most important factors when constructing a fleet, 90% of managers with responsibility for choosing and running company cars cited fuel economy as the fastest growing factor – up 14% year on year.

What’s more, 88% said fuel costs were having an impact on the number of business miles covered by their company cars, a rise of 7% compared to the same period in 2006, indicating that some managers are encouraging drivers to consider alternatives.

This is supported by other figures in GE Capital Solutions’ quarterly Company Car Trends report, which suggests that home working is having an increasing influence on company car mileage.

Environmental issues are showing similar rises in importance to fuel and are mentioned by 6% more managers of company cars than the same period 12 months ago.

“Company car managers are becoming ever more conscious of the need to reduce the environmental impact of their activities and a fleet that has more fuel efficient vehicles and covers fewer miles is one that will produce a lower carbon footprint,” said Rich Green, managing director at GE Fleet Services.