Seat has retained its title as the fastest-growing volume UK car brand, with true fleet sales growth of 45%.

The company’s latest sales results show year-on-year Fleet and True Fleet sales growth of 27% and 45% respectively – despite the market declining by 7% overall and by 8% in True Fleet.

Overall, the Barcelona-based manufacturer has taken a 4% share of the UK True Fleet market.

Peter McDonald, head of business sales at Seat UK, said: “The first half of the year has been a fantastic success with fleet operators turning to SEAT thanks to growing interest in our brand, our broadened product portfolio and our genuine intention to make it easier for customers.

“Programmes like our four-day test drive make us unique; it is much easier for company car drivers to access a demonstration vehicle for a meaningful period of time – the feedback is excellent and it’s a standout element of our a proposition.

“Similarly our approach to launching SEAT Arona was to include, for example, metallic paint into the price and improve the standard specification, eliminating the need for options. The response has been extremely positive, making it easier for the customer to specify and transact. We have plans underway to be even more ambitious in this objective to make the journey easy for customers.”

Alongside winning several honours for its range of vehicles, Seat was named Most Improved Manufacturer of the Year at the Fleet News awards.