Almost half of fleets are either operating used vans or intend to do so within the next three years, Arval has revealed.

The figures indicate that 49% of fleets are either operating used vans or intend to do so

Some 13% of fleets already own at least some second-hand vans, while 36% plan to buy these vehicles by 2028, according to the 2025 Mobility Observatory Fleet and Mobility Barometer.

John Peters, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said the figures were significant but also a lot lower than for used car adoption. Arval’s analysis shows 47% of fleets already have used cars and 22% plan to add more.

“The question here is why the existing penetration for van operators is lower and why they intend to acquire so many more in the future. Our feeling is that van fleets have as strong an interest in the used sector as their car counterparts but have generally found it more difficult to acquire vehicles on the used market following the pandemic, especially where they need multiple units. In the future, they hope that improved supply will enable them to buy more.”

Peters also said that some may be planning to turn to the used sector for diesel vans to circumvent the growing electric van supply that will result from the ZEV mandate as the decade progresses.

The Arval Mobility Observatory Barometer also reveals little variance between fleets of different sizes when it comes to used van acquisition. For small companies, 11% are already operating some vans and 36% plan to add more within three years, with medium companies at 12%/37% respectively and large companies at 17%/36%.

Peters said: “To an extent, these figures are surprising. We’d expect there to be both more existing use and more future enthusiasm for used vans among smaller and medium companies that can more comfortably buy low numbers of vehicles on the second-hand market. However, we are seeing a consistent level of interest across the board.”

Also notable is that UK’s 49% total for fleets already operating or planning buy used vans comes out at the lower end of the international scale. The results from Germany are 64%, France 63% and Italy 53%.

Peters said: “When looking at comparable countries, it does appear that second-hand van use is becoming a much more accepted part of the market. Given the high level of intent among UK operators to increase buying from this source in the future, this situation may change rapidly in the years to come.”

Does your company operate vans that were not new when you acquired them, or are you considering doing so in the next three years?

The Arval Mobility Observatory Barometer research classes small companies as those with 1-99 employees, medium companies with 100-999 employees and large companies with 1,000 employees or more.