CONGRATULATIONS to Autohorn Fleet Services, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this month.
What started as a small vehicle rental office operating from a York railway station platform with nine Rovers 400s, is now one of the country’s leading vehicle hire and fleet providers.
It’s been quite a road from the platform office to the 24-acre purpose built site Autohorn operates from today, serving a national customer base while remaining a cornerstone of York’s business community.
Since its inception in 1995, the business has grown into a full vehicle solution provider offering car and van rental, contract hire, salary sacrifice and subscription.
Autohorn says that strategic growth remains core to its operating model as it continues to explore new opportunities for further expansion across the fleet and mobility sector.
Scott Jenkins, Operations and Sales Director for Autohorn Fleet Services, commented:
“Reaching 30 years is a fantastic achievement and testament to the hard work of our whole team. When we started out in 1995, we could not have imagined the scale of the business as it stands today – we’re very proud of the business we’ve built and our long-standing customer relationships. We’re now looking forward to the next chapter as we continue to expand and innovate – here’s to the next 30 years!”
Key milestones in Autohorn’s 30-year journey
1995 – Business is started by Richard & Frances Baines in York as a British Car Rental franchise
1999 – Opened sites in Hull, Bradford and Leeds as a Europcar franchise
2010 – Acquisition of 1st Car Leasing
2013 – Relocation to 7-acre site at Leeman Road
2014 – Launch of Flexed brand for vehicle subscriptions
2018 – Awarded ‘Fastest growing company in Yorkshire’ by Insider
2022 – Autohorn hits £50m turnover
2023 – Relocation of head office to larger Clifton Moor site
Early 2024 – Amicable separation from rental partner Europcar, enabling full independence as Autohorn Fleet Services
December 2024 – Acquisition of Meridian Vehicle Solutions
February 2025 – Fleet Alliance partnership announced
June 2025 – Expansion of headquarters site to house 2,500 vehicles
To mark the anniversary milestone, Autohorn hosted an invite only black-tie celebration in central York on 09 September, welcoming 250 guests – including long standing customers, suppliers, plus business and charity partners.
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Ralph Morton is the leading journalist in the leasing broker sector and editor of Broker News, the website which provides information and news for BVRLA-registered leasing brokers. He also writes extensively on the fleet and leasing market in both the UK and Europe.
