Almost a quarter of fleets have added new entrants to the UK car and van market to their choice lists, new research from Arval reveals.

Some 23% of fleets are already offering vehicles from new OEMs to their employees, while 25% are considering adopting them

The 2025 Fleet and Mobility Barometer from the Arval Mobility Observatory shows that 23% are already offering these vehicles to their employees, while 25% are considering adopting them.

John Peters, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said the data reinforces that the auto sector is in an unprecedented time in terms of the numbers of new manufacturers entering the UK’s new car and van sector from markets including China but also from the US and elsewhere.

“Most of them appear to be offering mainly electric cars and vans that are at least credible and, in some cases, very good – and are often keenly priced with strong equipment levels. For fleets and their drivers that are looking to achieve maximum value in an electric vehicle market where prices often remain high, there are obvious attractions and at Arval UK, we have certainly seen quite a high level of interest from our customers and a steady stream of orders.”

But he also noted that it remains to be seen which of these manufacturers will feature significantly in the long-term fleet market.

John Peters, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK

The Arval Mobility Observatory barometer shows that 25% of fleets plan to wait until the new entrants are more established and that 12% will not be adding them to choice lists in the foreseeable future.

Peters went on: “Stability is crucial for fleets when it comes to everything from predicting residual values to long-term parts and repair availability. No one wants to be left with vehicles if a new entrant decides that the UK market isn’t for them and withdraws.”

He finished: “It’s perhaps interesting to note that we asked the same question in the Arval Mobility Observatory Barometer last year and the results across all questions for 2025 are almost unchanged, except for a small rise from 21% to 25% in fleets who want to wait to see which manufacturers become established, perhaps indicating a slightly increased sense of caution.”

How will the emergence of new entrants impact the choice of manufacturers added to your choice list?