While it’s relatively easy to get a snapshot of the state of the fleet market in one country, it’s much harder to get an overview of how fleets are evolving in multiple markets, across Europe and overseas.

Created by Arval in 2002, the Corporate Vehicle Observatory (CVO) plays a key role here, using its neutral and international data analysis of fleet operators across the globe to provide its International Fleet Barometer report of decision-makers’ attitudes on fleets in their respective countries.

Since it was first published the report has widened every year to include more markets – this year fleet decision-makers in a total of 15 markets were surveyed. These now include Russia as well as Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK.

In total 4,518 interviews were conducted in Q1 2011, including 3,313 through Europe and 1,205 out of Europe. Fleet managers in companies of all sizes were surveyed and, as in previous years, the respondents were split into two categories – above and below 100 vehicles – with four subsets of companies with less than 10 employees, companies with 10-99 employees, companies with 100 to 249 / 499 / 999 employees and companies with 250 / 500 / 1,000 employees and more.

Looking at the major findings, this year’s CVO Barometer once again asked interviewees about their indication to grow or shrink their vehicle fleet over the next three years. The question is asked to gauge fleets’ assessment of the economic situation in their own country as well as their own business.

Mr Rupied says: ‘We make this dynamic every year and it is a very reliable indicator. If we focus on the companies with more than 100 employees, it was clearly red in 2009 when it stood at -2% then it recovered to 2010 to 13% and now it’s 14%. So it’s not bad but far from the levels we had before this crisis, which were beyond 20%. So this is the reality in the 11 European countries we surveyed.’

The results are also very varied within Europe, with the economic situations in the countries covered being very contrasted, from deep recovery to deep crisis.

Denmark and Poland are clearly enjoying strong business confidence, with the results showing that fleet growth potential amongst larger fleets over the next three years stand at 24% and 41% respectively.

This contrast starkly to Greece and Poland, at -4% and -3% – figures that clearly show the business mood in these countries.

Mr Rupied adds that what is also interesting is to look at the results in the non-European countries.

He says: ‘We cannot pretend to be comprehensive but we have the BRIT countries – Brazil, Russia, India and Turkey. And their fleet growth potential is at +56% compared to the 14% we have in Europe. So there is clearly no basis for comparison – Europe is clearly not recovered. These countries didn’t experience the drop in residual values that we had from mid-2008 to mid-2009 and they are progressing at a fast pace.’

The CVO Barometer continued this theme by asking respondents whether they thought cost pressure on the fleet will increase or decrease, and analysed results based on the balance.

The EU results show that it’s clear that cost pressures are not relaxing anywhere, as a result of the economic crisis. Mr Rupied says: ‘We are not looking at the cost pressure as such but the feeling that it is growing. If you look at large companies in Europe the feeling is that it is massively increasing. However, companies of all sizes are showing an increased awareness of cost pressures compared to last year.’

However, the results also show that larger fleets remain more aware of their ability to control costs through various measures. In addition, larger fleets are more likely to extend vehicle contracts to avoid taking new cars.

The CVO Barometer also looked at what larger fleets class as their main added value of leasing.

The results are broadly similar for European and “BRIT” fleets, with most fleets seeing budget control and outsourcing services as being important. 

Outsourced services also came under the microscope and as well as  looking at which services fleets like to outsource, this year’s CVO Barometer also included a new focus, asking which services bring the most savings for the company.

Thee results for European fleet with over 100 vehicles show that – not surprisingly – maintenance comes out as the most popular service to outsource.

However what the Corporate Vehicle Observatory also found interesting was the significant number of major fleets that voted management of insurance as the service that generates the most savings.

Mr Rupied says: ‘All the work that has been done to identify the hidden costs and get them under control through integrated leasing solutions has been extended to insurance widely. It’s not a huge amount but 10% of the largest fleets think that it’s in the first savings area of fleet services to outsource your management of insurance so we see there that the path to maturity as insurance is one of the most elaborate services you can imagine and considering the insurance as the preserve of saving sis quite an interesting attitude.’

The results for the BRIT fleets were also included, which still focus on the importance and costs savings of outsourcing maintenance, although the ratings do differ from the European fleets.

With road risk management playing a major role in the fleet agenda, the CVO Barometer once again looked at the issue of road safety and found that this is evolving amongst fleets of all sizes.

However this year, the CVO Barometer took a slightly different approach and looked at the potential differences regarding the responsibility of the company drivers.

The level of involvement of the concept of responsibility for safe driving behaviour varies, depending on the size of the fleet, with larger fleets more aware of their duty of care here.

The results show that larger fleets are more likely to implement driver training solutions.

The 2011 CVO research also looked at fleet interest in electric vehicles. It is the larger fleets that are most interested in taking up EVs. The Corporate Vehicle Observatory also asked fleets how long a range EVs would need to have before they would adopt them, which came out on average around 300km. The CVO says that this shouldn’t be taken to mean that fleets are doing daily journeys of 300km, just that it’s just a subjective condition by decision-makers to make the step into EVs. While such a range isn’t possible with current battery technology, it will reach this level in the future and this will play a major role in EV take-up amongst fleets.

One final trend that the CVO Barometer looked at was take-up of low-emission vehicles through inhouse pools.

Mr Rupied comments: ‘What we observe is that a recent trend to have inhouse pools of such vehicles within companies – it’s a very initial move still but there’s a lot of interest although few initiatives. But it’s far more than last year and it is a relevant trend that could possibly change a lot of practices including the key business models of lessors.

‘To be classed as “pool” is not just to have the vehicles unallocated but to be able to say they’re sourced to a particular location and in a daily dynamic of reservation and there are very few effective products on the market that enable to you to do that.

‘We see that as a potential source of continuation of changes in the usage of cars and changes in the car type – enabling the possible usage to be kept under control – so these are far-reaching things that could open new doors.’