“Dramatic mismatch” between Govt and fleet eLCV expectations, Arval warns

Arval has warned of a “dramatic mismatch” between Government and fleet expectations of the electric light commercial vehicle (eLCV) transition.

Fleets surveyed by Arval in 2026 said they expect 16% of their fleet to be electric within three years, compared with 14% in 2025 and 15% in 2024.

Within three years, fleets surveyed in 2026 expected 74% of their LCVs to be petrol and diesel, up from 71% in 2025 and 64% in 2024.

Despite UK fleets having stagnant expectations of the eLCV transition, Arval found that global fleets expected to be 11% electric within three years, while European fleets expected to reach 14% eLCV.

John Peters, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said: “Fleet difficulties in moving away from traditional, internal combustion engined vans are underlined by the responses to this question.

“They show electrification of LCV operations remains a significant issue. The forecasted percentage penetration is almost flat over the last three years while the ZEV Mandate target for new electric vans sales is 58% in 2029.

“There is clearly a quite dramatic mismatch between Government and fleet operator expectations.

“It is widely recognised that fleets face significant challenges when it comes to electric van adoption in areas including range, payload, and charging.