Liquid Fleet has reported a 25% increase in its rental fleet in 2025, taking its total to more than 2,000 vehicles, as the UK rental market continues its strong post-pandemic recovery.
The company attributed its growth to rising demand across both corporate and retail sectors, coupled with a shift in customer preferences and greater flexibility in vehicle selection.
The business broadened its purchasing agreements with OEMs in response to rental firms becoming less rigid about vehicle categories.
Martin Potter, commercial director at Liquid Fleet, said: “We have benefited from being able to offer a much wider variety of brands and models to our rental, corporate and subscription company customers.
“Since Covid, they have been all about getting the right cars for their different types of customers rather than because they fit within a specific rental band or group.”
Popular models such as the Vauxhall Corsa, Nissan Juke, Kia Ceed and Peugeot 2008 remain in high demand, but fleets are increasingly open to larger SUVs, premium models, and even trialling Chinese brands.
However, electric vehicles are still being approached with caution, due to both limited customer demand and constraints around charger infrastructure at fleet depots.
Instead, hybrid vehicles have grown in popularity, providing a lower-emission alternative without the operational challenges posed by full EVs.
The company also reported increasing adoption of its damage contribution product, a tool designed to help rental brokers and fleet operators manage whole life costs and cashflow more effectively.
This has become especially relevant as many customers continue to onboard cars in Q2 and retain them for two rental seasons – typically 15 to 18 months – before returning them, affecting vehicle age and mileage profiles at disposal.
In 2025, Liquid Fleet has already disposed of 775 cars, with average mileage falling to 13,717 miles, down from 16,457 miles in 2024.
Correspondingly, average de-hire recharges have decreased from £393 to £326.
While overall damage costs are falling, interest in the contribution product has grown, as customers look to gain greater financial control from the outset of each contract.
Potter added: “The two rental season approach is mixing up the age and mileage of vehicles we are selling into the used market, which is much better from a remarketing perspective.”
