The market research firm for the German fleet market reported that in April 2014 new passenger car registrations in the EU-5 True Fleet Markets (commercial registrations without manufacturers, dealerships and Rent-A-Cars) were not as high as in March but still saw a rise of 11.2% compared to April 2013.

Italy and Spain were very successful with growth rates of +23.2% and +20.1% respectively.

In the UK (+13.7%), France (+8.1%) and Germany (+5.1%) the increase rates for the segment of fleet customers were slightly lower than in March but nevertheless outperformed the growth rates for the total market.

VW again leads the way in the EU-5 True Fleet market followed by Audi, Ford, BMW and Opel/Vauxhall. Within the top 15 brands Skoda (+54%), Fiat (+50%), Volvo (+39%), Nissan (+31%) and Hyundai (+26%) achieved the most remarkable growth rates.

Skoda and Volvo achieved significantly higher registrations in fleets in all five countries. Primarily the Octavia was responsible for Skoda‘s positive result. In France, Italy and the UK the registrations for the Octavia were more than doubled and in the last-mentioned market the Yeti was successful as well.

Dataforce added that the success of Volvo was mainly driven by the performance in the UK where the V40 and XC60 shined by a growth of 100% in April. Volvo‘s market share within the top 5 markets was the highest in almost two years (May 2012).

Compact cars are still number one in terms of volume (+13.2% compared to April 2013) followed by the SUV segment, which gained the highest rise with nearly 35% in the EU-5. In the United Kingdom SUVs reached their highest share ever, with more than 21%.

Diesel engines are still dominating the EU-5 True Fleet Markets, accounting for three out of four new company cars. In France and Spain the diesel share in April climbed to even 87%.

Passenger cars with an alternative fuel type are still a minority with a ratio of only 2.2%. However, in the Dutch fleet market the situation is quite different: 23% of the company cars new registrations are using a hybrid, CNG, LPG or electrical powertrain.