Medium-term rental specialist Meridian is offering petrol cars for the first time in line with a move to eventually provide a choice of petrol and diesel in each model range covered.

Meridian is now offering petrol-engined versions of various models including the Volvo XC60.

Although managing director Phil Jerome warned of the need not to overstate how much diesel is falling out of favour with fleets – and to ensure any rebalancing of its fleet mix was carefully done – he said that the industry was seeing growing acceptance of petrol models, generally as a result of the negative press that diesel has received and the latest Budget changes.

“Our view is that a Euro 6 diesel remains the best fleet solution for the majority of fleet users when you weigh up factors including emissions, economy, tax and performance,” he commented. “The latest generation of petrol engines have, however, made strides and are also a good option for some operators. We expect to see a gradual increase in the percentage of petrol vehicles on our fleet over time.”

Jerome added: “We are moving away from a one-fuel-fits-all situation to one where fleets are gaining knowledge about the suitability of different fuels for different applications. Medium-term rental companies like ourselves will change their proposition to meet this need.”

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