Renault has signed a deal with Arval UK allowing it to offer lower contract hire rates as part of a strategy to double its fleet market share.

Arval is providing funding as a white label service to small fleets under the Renault Business Finance brand.

“Arval is one of the biggest suppliers in the UK and has given us access to better rates than we had been enjoying,” said Darren Payne, Renault’s new fleet and commercial vehicles operations director.

Among a range of other initiatives is a charter on service standards which fleets can expect to receive from Renault dealers.

The French carmaker wants a 5% total market share, up from 3.17% last year, which includes a 5% share of fleet (currently 2.56%).

To achieve this, it needs to be active in every area, including short-term hire and Motability – two sectors it abandoned last year – as well as being more attractive to end-user fleets, lease companies and small fleets.

“We have restructured the fleet team so we have a new focus on large fleet customers.

"We have also doubled our field team focused on the small fleets and they have moved from being dealer-focused to being customer-focused. We have also got a team focused on the contract hire and leasing industry,” said Payne.

It gives Renault four teams: large end-user fleets, contract hire and lease fleets, small fleets (which also get support from dealers at a local level) and a fleet programmes team which manages business from organisations such as driving schools.

Renault is also promising a service charter for fleet customers and contract hire partners.

“It will predominantly centre on service and quality,” explained Payne.

With this new fleet focus, Renault says it will recapture the hearts of fleet managers.

“The fleet market is critical to us,” said Payne.

“You can’t achieve a 5% market share without having a strong presence in both fleet and retail.”

Echoing Mazda and Fiat, which have also just returned to the short-term rental markets, Payne assures Renault will not write unprofitable business.