The achievement was all the more notable for the fact that the UK fleet car market is flat, as revealed by data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

Ewan Shepherd, general manager Toyota and Lexus Fleet Services, said: ‘The growth we are witnessing in fleet sales owes much to the focus we have brought to exceeding the expectations of fleet users with both our products and services.

‘Our vehicles are class leading when it comes to whole life costs and offer the best combination of performance, fuel economy and emissions, whether delivered by our hybrids, or our petrol or diesel models, such as Avensis with emissions from just 119g/km for the 2.0 D-4D diesel,’ he added.

Among the Lexus models, the full hybrid CT 200h has notched up a 71.3% increase in fleet sales in the first nine months of this year. Its appeal will be even stronger with the introduction of a revised 2013 model line-up later this month, with the new entry point S grade bringing CO2 emissions down to a new low of 87g/km.

Growth is set to accelerate later this year when the new British built Auris is introduced. It will be available with petrol, diesel and full hybrid powertrains, the latter delivering 87g/km CO₂ emissions, which means a 20% tax payer will face a company car tax bill of only £34 a month.

‘New Auris has already drawn wide interest from business customers keen to keep costs down without sacrificing performance, style or specification,’ said Shepherd.

‘With eight of our models, from city car to seven-seat MPV, achieving sub100g/km CO₂ performance, Toyota and Lexus are leading the way for business users. By coupling the benefits of the cars themselves with the kind of support and innovative services fleet customers want and can rely on we can deliver a partnership for success,’ he added.