Advertisement feature from Europcar

 

 

Despite concerns around additional waves of COVID-19, the ‘can-do’ attitude of UK businesses continues, with many adapting quickly to a different way of working.

One thing that has not changed however, is business reliance on vehicles and, in particular, as home deliveries remain a mainstay of life, vans. Research commissioned by Europcar Mobility Group UK before the pandemic showed that nearly 6 out of 10 UK businesses use their vans every day of the week. With the surge in customer deliveries and the need for social distancing among employees, this figure could now be higher. And with flexibility a key factor even before COVID-19, over a quarter of businesses said they favoured long-term rental as a method of accessing commercial vehicles. And vehicle ‘usership’ rather than ownership was the preferred option for almost 20% who use short term rental solutions.

‘Usership’ makes sense

As businesses negotiate a constantly changing economic landscape, the notion of ‘usership’ is gaining traction. As well as freeing up cash that would otherwise be tied up in an outright purchase, the research showed that vehicle availability can often be a concern. Having the necessary vehicles available when they are needed was a concern raised by 40% of the decision makers questioned. Nearly three quarters (71%) also admitted to keeping ‘spare’ vans so that the risk of being left without a vehicle was reduced. For larger companies who have 500+ employees, the number who kept ‘just in case’ vehicles, increased to 92%.  In a time when every penny counts, this simply does not make commercial sense.

There is however an alternative when it comes to updating or adding to fleets, which avoids taking on the cost of outright acquisition of new vehicles or leasing with potential early exit penalties. Long-term rental eliminates the need for longstanding financial agreements and provides the flexibility so vital in today’s challenging business environment. The days of ‘spare’ vehicles sitting around not earning their keep may be numbered.

Europcar Flex+ packages provide access to up-to-date well maintained vehicles, with low emissions and the latest in-vehicle technology, so that firms can get on with their business in the knowledge that driver safety and comfort is covered and that vehicles also comply with the latest emissions regulations. With the benefit of no fixed contract beyond an initial three months, customers can also change vehicle type without any additional fees or penalties.

For fleet managers, being able to call on commercial vehicles as and when they are needed helps to keep their business agile during times of fluctuating demand. Europcar Vans and Trucks supports fleet managers to have greater control over their fleet mix with long-term rental going some way to answering the challenges they face by offering a cost effective, ‘pick up and put down’ solution of the latest vehicles.

To find out more about long term rental solutions that can help businesses adapt to changing times, visit www.europcar.co.uk/business/van-and-truck-rental, email businesssolutions@europcar.com or call 0371 384 0140.