He added: “Company car management services are designed specifically to be a cost efficient alternative to managing in-house and is much cheaper than many businesses expect.

“Experts help pick the right vehicle and use their buying power to get the very best rates, manage fuel cost, assist in budgeting, ensure businesses meet all the legal requirements and most importantly, ensure Britain’s small businesses are kept on the road. ”

According to Ford Retail’s research, fuel management and the increasing cost of fuel is the number one fleet management concern for SMEs (56%).

With the average small fleet of 10 vehicles clocking up 156,624 miles a year (15,624 per vehicle), it’s easy to see why.

Other major worries include keeping the cost of maintenance down and budgeting accurately.