Northgate Vehicle Hire’s new vehicles include more than 550 Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, more than 400 Ford Transits, almost 400 Volkswagen Caddy and Transporters, more than 200 Peugeot Partners and almost 400 Ford Focus, Fiesta and Mondeo cars.

Additionally, with a UK-wide hire fleet of some 60,000 vehicles and with a utilisation rate of more than 90%, it means that at anyone time Northgate Vehicle Hire normally has 5,000 to 6,000 cars and vans available for hire.

Northgate Vehicle Hire sales and marketing director Gareth Jones said: “There is turmoil in the marketplace with many of our competitors scaling back their operations and not buying new vehicles.

“We are not only buying new cars and vans but have available an immediate supply of vehicles most of which are under three years in age to meet the ongoing demand from existing and new customers.

“We recognise that vehicle demand from public sector and private sector fleets changes regularly and that often the unplanned is a more common occurrence than the planned. But continuity of vehicle supply and service is crucial and Northgate Vehicle Hire provides access to a modern fleet of vehicles, when organisations need them.

“Business is tough enough for them without having to worry about vehicles and whether they will have access to them. They need sustainability in terms of their transport and distribution requirements which Northgate Vehicle Hire can deliver.”