Kwik Fit is to celebrate the 35th anniversary of opening its first fleet account this summer.  

Kwik Fit said collaboration with its fleet customers had been vital in enabling it to develop a business model that meets the needs of an industry at the forefront of technology and innovation

The business signed its first agreement in 1987 and has since grown to comprise a team of 200-plus people supporting over 4,000 fleet customers and 1.5 million drivers.  

Along the way, it’s also replaced more than 20 million tyres and carried out over one million MOTs on fleet vehicles, with recent years also seeing a rapid growth in brake inspections and servicing agreements.    

Since 1987, the tyre requirements of fleets have grown in complexity. Back in those days, just 50 tyre options covered 90% of fleet fitments whereas Kwik Fit’s most popular fleet tyres now span some 250 sizes, with the list of additional options running to over 1,000 sizes. This is in line with new technology and the much greater breadth of vehicles run under fleet contracts.  

Kwik Fit also continues to expand its service offering; innovations over the years include the launch of Kwik Fit Mobile and the subsequent expansion of this service with Mobile-7. Kwik Fit’s tyre management and fleet web booking systems also ensure it offers the best driver support services, authorisation and management information solutions for partners.  

More recently, Kwik Fit Fleet has enhanced its work in providing significant support to fleet customers looking to improve their sustainability. The company is now a key partner in Project Tree, enabling it to make more tyres available that support sustainable natural rubber production, helping to protect both rainforest areas and rubber farmers’ livelihoods.  

Kwik Fit Fleet director Dan Joyce said: “As sustainability and ESG becomes an ever more critical factor in fleet operator and consumer purchase decisions, Project Tree provides a unique solution to support demand.”  

Kwik Fit Fleet has also responded to recent short- and long-term changes in the fleet sector – including new car supply issues that have seen demand for fleet maintenance increase in line with an ageing fleet.  Over the last 12 months, Kwik Fit has carried out over one million MOTs. Almost 10% of these have been for fleet customers, with this number expected to grow as more fleets retain vehicles for longer.  

The company is also continuing to support the roll-out of ADAS vehicles and EVs on fleets.  

Kwik Fit has begun to deploy its first tranche of ADAS calibration centres in order to provide customers with greater choice and convenience as they introduce increased vehicle autonomy into their fleets.  

And Kwik Fit’s strategic planning for the increased use of electric vehicles has seen it respond with what’s billed as the largest EV technical training programme in the sector, ensuring that customers are fully supported across the UK. It’s also able to support fleet drivers with both pre-booked and on-demand tyre requirements and every Kwik Fit centre is able to meet the demand for EV and hybrid tyre fitting. All the company’s MOT centres can complete MOTs on EVs and hybrids and Kwik Fit has a large and growing number of technicians qualified to complete SMR work, with over half of its network offering full coverage for EVs and hybrids.   

Dan Joyce finished: “As we reach this milestone, we would firstly like to thank our customers for their support across many years. Collaboration with our customers has been vital in influencing our progress and has allowed us to develop and mould our model to suit the needs of an industry at the forefront of technology and innovation.  

“We believe that it’s not just the breadth and depth of our operation that has led to us maintaining long-term relationships with customers, it is the fact that we never take their business for granted and are committed to delivering our service at a consistently high standard. The recent years have been very challenging but the amazing resilience of our teams on the front line have allowed us to navigate the pandemic period and keep our customers safe on the road.   

“We have received many messages of thanks from customers who are aware it’s our 35th anniversary – we look forward to another 35 years with them.”