More than four in 10 UK fleet operators haven’t started getting ready for the 2030 ICE ban, new research from Arval shows.

Only 10% of respondents said they had plans in place and would definitely have a zero-emission fleet by 2030 or soone

When asked “How well prepared are you to operate zero emissions vehicles in response to the Government ban on sale of petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030?”, a total of 42% said they had undertaken no preparation work because there was plenty of time until the deadline.

Only 10% of respondents in the latest Arval Mobility Observatory Barometer said they had plans in place and would definitely have a zero-emission fleet by 2030 or sooner.

A further 24% said they had plans in place and expected to meet the deadline, while 23% ticked the box saying some preparation and planning had been undertaken and they may have a zero-emission fleet by 2030.

Shaun Sadlier, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said that while 2030 still feels like some time away, it’s only two replacement cycles for the majority of businesses with a four-year car replacement pattern.

“For van operators, who tend to keep vehicles for longer, it is even less,” he stated.

Sadlier continued: “Perhaps what the data does indicate is that there is a definite difference in attitude between the six out of 10 fleets who are taking a structured approach towards 2030 and the remaining four out of 10 who may see it as something that they will need to manage in the future or have more urgent challenges to manage today.”

He added that Arval is already working with many businesses aiming to fully electrify their car fleets well ahead of the 2030 deadline – and some are unofficially looking to be fully electric by the middle of the decade.

“This is achievable, and what is interesting is that businesses pursuing this aim represent all sizes and come from all sorts of sectors.

“The process is likely to be more protracted among van fleets – the adoption of electric light commercial vehicles requires a higher degree of operational adaptation while new vehicles have been slower to come to market – but again, relatively large numbers of companies are aiming to fully transition well before the end of the decade.

“Those businesses which don’t have transition strategies in place are not doing anything wrong in strategic terms. However, they may find that factors such as taxation policies, clean air zone restrictions and even vehicle availability may effectively force them into transitioning well before 2030.”

The Arval Mobility Observatory is run every year and surveyed fleet decision-makers in 26 countries for 2022. Research reports are online here.