EXCLUSIVE: Grey fleet is outdated, poll finds

A poll conducted by Business Motoring found that two-thirds of fleet professionals believe grey fleet is outdated, and does not have its place in modern operations.

Just one third of respondents agreed that grey fleet has a place, due to convenience for employees.

The poll was run in response to a recent opinion article, written by Ryan Bushell, head of public sector UK & Ireland at Enterprise Mobility.

Bushell argued that grey fleet is outdated, due to the rising age of vehicles on UK roads, as well as a lack of control and visibility on employee-owned vehicles, and journeys completed using them.

He said: “The use of a personal car is entirely reliant on the employee to ensure that the vehicle is fit for purpose, roadworthy, insured for business use, and has a valid MOT certificate.

“Age is another factor in an age of increasing scrutiny over emissions and road safety.

“The average age of a car in the UK is now ten years, the oldest it’s ever been. Many employee-owned cars will be even older.

“This means grey fleet travel drivers are using vehicles for business trips that lack the most modern safety equipment and may produce higher CO2 than newer cars.