WHILE human resources-led fleet policies appear to be shifting towards wider choice lists governed by contract hire rates, companies looking at fleets from a financial perspective still appear keen to cash-in on the discounts which accompany solus deals. Fleet Management Services believes the days of strictly limited choice could well be numbered. It says more and more of its customers are opting for an open car policy, allowing drivers a wider choice of make and model within agreed contract hire bands.

However PHH Vehicle Management Services reports that - in terms of job need cars - it is seeing a significant shift towards single manufacturer policies in order to maximise discounts. Nigel Harris, product manager - finance at PHH Vehicle Management Services, said: 'Vauxhall, Ford and Rover are the obvious solus badges, but we are increasingly seeing aggressive pricing policies from Japanese manufacturers, such as Toyota, to gain a share of this market. For 'perk cars' which represent the smallest proportion of fleets, user-chooser policies remain.'