Four out of 10 fleets plan to start adding used vans to their roster in the next three years, according to new research.
Some 16% of the 8,000-plus operators in 30 countries questioned by the Arval Mobility Observatory Fleet & Mobility Barometer revealed that they are already using pre-owned light commercial vehicles (LCVs).
The research did not reveal the reason for the trend towards used vehicles, but Arval Mobility Observatory’s UK head Shaun Sadlier said there could be a number of probable explanations for what he described as an “interesting response” to the question asked in the poll.
“The most likely is that, since the pandemic, new van supply has been limited and therefore fleets have been turning towards alternative sources of meeting their needs, including the used market – for some operators, buying used has become relatively commonplace, and it has been an effective way of meeting their requirements,” Sadlier said.
Business Vans Award Winners 2024
Business Vans Award Winners 2024
Business Vans Award Winners 2024
Business Vans Award Winners 2024
Business Vans Award Winners 2024
Business Vans Award Winners 2024
Business Vans Award Winners 2024
“The same supply trend also means that fleets have been continuously extending replacement cycles and have learnt, to some extent, that vans have potentially longer fleet lives than they once thought, even if maintenance becomes more of an issue over time. This has potentially removed the fear from buying older vehicles.”
The significantly rising prices of new vans was also likely a major factor, according to Sadlier.
“Finally, prices of new vans have been rising quite rapidly in recent years, and so buying used provides a route to reducing acquisition costs.”
The trend appears to be consistent across different sizes of operators – 18% of fleets with fewer than 10 employees are already operating used vans and 36% planning to add more; compared to 14% and 43% respectively for those with more than 1,000 employees.
“It’s interesting that almost irrespective of the size of organisation, fleets are coming to the same conclusions about used vans. Clearly, similar factors are affecting operators right across the board,” Saddler added.
“Of course, it is entirely possible that if we see a continuation in the improvement of new supply that has been underway over the last couple of years, this trend towards used vans will fail to materialise. However, it’s a strong indication of how van fleets view the current situation in terms of vehicle availability and operational issues.”
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