Vehicle provider Motiva Group has increased the size of its fleet by 19 per cent this year and was last week named among the top 30 companies of its type in the UK for the first time.

The Stoke-on-Trent-based firm now sources 85 per cent, or around 850, of its vehicles locally, which means it has spent £16 million in the region over the last 12 months.

Peter Davenport, managing director of Motiva Group (pictured), said: “We always try to source as many of our vehicles as we can from this area. It’s a policy that makes sense for ourselves and one which has obvious benefits for the local economy.

“As the size of our fleet has grown so much this year, so has the amount we have spent with dealers in the Midlands.

“The company’s vehicle stock has grown by 722 vehicles this year, or more than 19 per cent, and that alone means around £16 million has been fed back into the region.

“We have also established several new dealer relationships in and around the city and have purchased a further 350 vehicles locally for our LiteLease short-term rental arm.

“There are occasions when we can’t buy locally for whatever reason, but the figures provide a graphic indication that we try to remember our neighbours and our city and they demonstrate our commitment to the area.”

Motiva Group was celebrating last week after being named as the country’s 30th biggest fleet provider in the FN50 report carried out by Fleet News.

It’s the first time the business, which amalgamated all of its services including M-Way Vehicle Rentals at new headquarters earlier this year, has achieved such a lofty position in the FN50 - a poll widely recognised within the industry.

The results of the survey, revealed at a glittering awards ceremony in London, were the icing on the cake of a stellar year for Motiva Group - now one of the leading privately-owned companies of its type in the UK.

Mr Davenport said: “It’s been a year of exceptional growth and that has been reflected in this survey.

“For the first time, we’ve been named among the top 30 vehicle solutions firms in the country and that’s exciting news.

“We’ll be looking to increase our overall fleet by a further 10 per cent next year as part of our plans to double the size of the business.

“We have big ambitions for Motiva Group and if we can help the local economy along the way then that’s fantastic.”