Dubbed Enterprise Flex-E-Rent, the service provides customers with the opportunity to rent vehicles from just one day to three years with the flexibility to return one or all of them at any time without penalty. In addition the light commercials can be liveried and racked according to customers’ specifications, providing a fit-for-purpose and branded vehicle.

The service can be provided as part of a total package that also includes replacement and short-term vehicles as needed.

Although the firm acknowledges that the long-tem rental concept is not new, it says that is proving more vital to businessses in the current climate.

John Collins, sales director UK and Ireland for Enterprise Flex-E-Rent, commented: 'A lot of companies are looking for ways to run fleets without being tied into long-term contracts or having to note the vehicles as liabilities on their balance sheets. With an increase in funding challenges, parts of the industry have been less equipped to meet that need in recent months. Talking to our own customers we’ve found that there remains a significant demand for flexible rental services to help them operate their own businesses more efficiently. That’s something we’re confident we can help with.

'It made perfect sense for us. We have over 340 branches from which to run the service – the most by far of any rental company in the UK and Ireland. The way we fund our fleet means we can grow it to meet the needs of this expanding market, and the high levels of service we’re known for in other parts of the business will also transition to Enterprise Flex-E-Rent and bring huge benefit.'

He concluded: 'It’s likely to make most sense for companies with a need for a mid-sized fleet of commercial vehicles, but it could work equally well for cars used by a sales-force or smaller organisations that benefit from the flexibility long term rental can provide.'