The Road to Zero Report, released by the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), has found that zero emissions vehicle vehicle (ZEV) demand for business leasing has remained strong, while rental fleets have seen lower demand for ZEVs.
The percentage of ZEVs in the business leasing sector has increased to 40%, up from 34% in 2024, driven by increased ZEV demand for company cars, with the sector seeing twice the level of ZEV uptake of the wider market (20%).
Demand for ZEVs from salary sacrifice scheme customers was even higher, at 87%.
Despite an increase in the size of ZEV rental fleets, rental companies saw decreasing demand for ZEVs, with utilisation now at 69% for ZEV cars, compared to 83% for internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, and the 73% ZEV utilisation seen in 2024.
ZEV utilisation for rental vans also decreased, down to 77% from 81%, lower than the 86% of ICE vans.
Personal leasing demand for ZEVs increased, taking up 28% of the market share, up from 16% in 2024.
The report also found that charging at ultra-rapid charge points was more expensive than petrol, with an average equivalent per-litre cost of 190p per litre, compared to average petrol costs of 138p per litre in April.
However, average costs at non-ultra-rapid charge points were lower than petrol, with an average equivalent cost of 124p per litre.
Charge point numbers continued to grow, with the UK working towards its aim of 300,000 public charge points by 2030, with non-rapid charge point reliability increasing too, at 99.1%, although rapid and ultra-rapid chargers have a reliability rate of 97.2%.
The report highlighted a lack of easy payment solutions for business ZEV drivers, with leading EV fuel cards only covering 75% of the UK charging network.
Van accessibility for EV charging was also lacking, as there remains no centralised system for fleet operators to find suitable chargers.
Home charging was significantly cheaper than fuelling a petrol car, with equivalent costs of 59p per litre at the domestic price cap, or 18p per litre during off-peak charging.
Aftermarket support for ZEVs has improved, with Fleet Assist reporting that EVs have 25% shorter repair times than ICE vehicles, as well as 45% lower parts costs.
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) reported that 27% of technicians were TechSafe EV-qualified as of 2024.
