The report shows that the majority of fleet managers in the UK are bracing themselves for increased cost pressures. However, the view is not so pessimistic across the rest of Europe. A total of 67% of UK companies with less than 100 employees expect cost pressures to increase compared to 40% in Europe; while 63% of UK companies with more than 100 employees expected tougher times in 2011 compared with 48% in other European countries.

Mike Waters, director of market insight at Arval, commented: 'There is a clear expectation that cost pressure will grow in the UK while European fleet managers don't envisage quite the same conditions. The UK Government has taken tougher steps to reduce the national deficit than many other countries and it seems that the expectation of a difficult year ahead is clearly recognised by those responsible for operating UK business fleets.

'Organisations have come out of the economic downturn with a clear focus on cost management and this research shows that the vehicle fleet remains an area of focus. In this backdrop, fleet managers must take a TCO approach in order to effectively operate their vehicles in the most efficient way while delivering the sustainable cost savings that are being demanded of them.'