Cash for cars fuels increasing reliance on grey fleet, says Europcar

Almost one-third of employers expect their staff to use their own cars for business use, research by Europcar Mobility Group UK has found.

Its latest insight paper – Is the evolving mobility agenda supporting businesses today? – says more companies are increasingly relying on grey fleet vehicles as ‘cash for car’ schemes become more popular.

Europcar says this suggests a growing duty of care crisis if employers don’t take steps to utilise the latest staff mobility solutions.

Its research of decision-makers responsible for business travel in UK firms found 49% of respondents provide employees with a company car or van, but nearly one-third, however, expect employees to use their own vehicles.

Europcar says grey fleet usage is common in bigger companies with more than 500 employees, with 49% relying on these types of vehicles.

Twenty-eight per cent of companies with 10-25 employees also let staff use their own cars for business travel.

Gary Smith, managing director of Europcar Mobility Group UK, said: “The high usage of grey fleet vehicles underlines the importance of monitoring employee travel.

“Yet worryingly, nearly one in five respondents said they don’t monitor employee travel at all.

“Only 45% of businesses monitor fuel expenses and this only rises to 56% for businesses with over 500 employees.

“The real concern is that the majority of the smallest companies don’t monitor employee travel at all. Combined with firms using less than accurate methods, such as self-reporting, this means employers could be failing on their duty of care to drivers.”

The white paper also found rental remains a useful resource for more than one-quarter of businesses.

Other mobility options include car share or car clubs (22%), taxis (20%) and public transport (22%).

Smith added: “It is clear we are at a turning point in the challenges faced by businesses to keep employees on the road – firms not only need to consider their duty or care responsibilities but the growing government pressure to reduce emissions.”

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