Four out of 10 fleets (40%) plan to start using second-hand vans in the next three years, according to research by Arval.

Arval found the trend towards used vans is consistent across all fleet sizes

The analysis also shows that 16% of operators are already using pre-owned light commercial vehicles (LCVs).

The findings are taken from the 2024 Arval Mobility Observatory Fleet & Mobility Barometer, which also revealed that more than half of UK fleets (54%) now buy used cars for company purposes and a further quarter (24%) plan to do so in the next three years.

It’s the first time that the research has explored take-up of second-hand vehicles – and Shaun Sadlier, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said there were a number of factors underway that could explain fleet plans to adopt used LCVs.

“The most likely is that, since the pandemic, new van supply has been limited and therefore fleets have been turning towards alternative sources of meeting their needs, including the used market. For some operators, buying used has become relatively commonplace, and it has been an effective way of meeting their requirements.

“The same supply trend also means that fleets have been continuously extending replacement cycles and have learnt, to some extent, that vans have potentially longer fleet lives than they once thought, even if maintenance becomes more of an issue over time. This has potentially removed the fear from buying older vehicles.

“Finally, prices of new vans have been rising quite rapidly in recent years, and so buying used provides a route to reducing acquisition costs.”

The trend towards used vans is consistent across all fleet sizes, according to the Arval Mobility Observatory, with 18% of fleets with fewer than 10 employees already operating them and 36% planning to add more. This compares to 14% and 43% respectively for those with more than 1,000 employees.

Sadlier added: “It’s interesting that almost irrespective of the size of organisation, fleets are coming to the same conclusions about used vans. Clearly, similar factors are affecting operators right across the board.

“Of course, it is entirely possible that if we see a continuation in the improvement of new supply that has been underway over the last couple of years, this trend towards used vans will fail to materialise. However, it’s a strong indication of how van fleets view the current situation in terms of vehicle availability and operational issues.”

This year’s Arval Mobility Observatory questioned 8,605 businesses in 30 countries about their vehicle operations.