A major new survey by Lex Autolease found that two-thirds of FDs (65%) are confident that hybrid or even electric vehicles will be a more popular company car choice than petrol in 10 years' time.

And company car drivers were even more certain that they would be driving cars using electric power in some form: 8 out of 10 business motorists reckoned they would be more popular.

Chris Chandler, principle consultant at Lex Autolease, said: '10 years is less than three company cars away for most business drivers, so these options are being looked at by finance chiefs and drivers with a greater degree of seriousness than many believed, even within the industry. Employees are readied for change and the business benefits are becoming more and more apparent to financial stakeholders too.'

Further findings from Lex Autolease's driver survey show that 87% would consider a diesel for their next company car, while just 28% would put a petrol option on their shortlist. However, exactly half of the drivers polled would also include a hybrid, in either petrol or diesel form, which suggests that the latest batch of hybrids have overcome many of the perceived barriers to entry.

Indeed, almost half (47%) of all drivers polled would like to road-test either a hybrid or a fully electric vehicle, while almost two-thirds (64%) of finance bosses believe that employees should be given the option to add these vehicles to their company car choice list.

'For the time being diesel is king, but we are witnessing a shift in the market dynamics with new developments coming to the fore with potentially significant benefits for both drivers and companies. FDs are often cautious by nature, so the optimism coming from the shop floor to the boardroom is encouraging to say the least,' added Mr Chandler.