ACCORDING to a report by the Energy Saving Trust (EST), in partnership with the British Vehicle Leasing and Rental Association (BVRLA), there are 14 million grey fleet cars – that is employees using their own cars – driving approximately 12 billion business miles each year on UK roads.

The report says that grey fleet vehicles cost the private sector almost £5 billion, emitting 3.2m tonnes of CO2 and 7,038 tonnes of NOx.

In addition, grey fleet vehicles are typically over eight years old and less reliable, increasing the risk of breakdowns, with staff potentially driving unroadworthy vehicles. Of course, these older vehicles will also bump up a firm’s total emissions, making it an issue for corporate environmental objectives.

The right mobility solution for the job

Vehicle hire services offer SMEs some simple solutions to help them tackle the grey fleet challenge.

Calculate cost

By using a cost calculator to assess the distance of a journey, employers can identify when it makes sense for an employee to use their own vehicle and when it’s best to use an alternative form of transport.

Reducing travel costs

Embracing alternative fuel technology with quality vehicle hire provides SMEs with options to cut emissions as well as having a positive impact on the firm’s travel costs – many car hire providers today offer electric vehicles and modern hybrids.  And rental fleets are usually young and well-maintained, bringing access to the latest models and new technology for more efficient travel budget.

Hire by the hour

And for some journeys, hire by the hour through car clubs with vehicles accessible from convenient local locations is a good alternative to employees using their own vehicles.

SMEs keen to stay in control of costs and wanting to lower emissions can turn to vehicle hire to help them reduce the impact of grey fleet usage.