Lowering environmental impact biggest driver of fleet EV adoption - Arval

LOWERING environmental impact is the biggest driver of EV adoption by fleets in 2026, according to Arval.

The Arval Mobility Observatory Barometer shows 32% cited this as a reason for adopting the technology, compared to 31% last year.

It was followed in second place by lower fuel expenses, named by 31% of respondents against 29% in 2025.

John Peters, Head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said: “Environmental impact was also the top response when this question was asked last year. The key reason for electrification is obviously for transport to play its part in carbon dioxide emissions reduction and our results show fleets remain keenly mindful of that fact.

“It’s also notable that fuel costs are so prominent in the research. This has clearly become a much more urgent issue in recent months and fleets are increasingly aware of the day-to-day savings possible through EV adoption compared to petrol and diesel.”

John Peters, Head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK Tweet

Several other factors mentioned by fleets in answer to this question have shown substantial increases on last year’s responses. Adopting EVs to fulfil employee requests is up from 20% to 30%, taking advantage of tax benefits up from 23% to 28%, improving company image through EV up from 24% to 30%, and the ability to drive in low emissions zones up from 20% to 24%.

The percentage stating they were considering adding EVs to their fleet for CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) reasons fell from 22% to 20%. CSR differs slightly from ESG (Environmental, social and governance) in that it’s not recorded by numbers.

John said: “All of these, in one way or another, are reflective of growing awareness among fleets and their drivers of advantages provided by electrification. These vehicles offer lower tax, can be used in a wider range of urban areas, and project a positive image of your organisation to customers.

“It’s especially interesting that there has been such a sharp rise in employee interest. There is quite a lot of both formal research and informal feedback that few drivers who switch to EVs would want to go back to petrol or diesel, and this is perhaps evidence that message is spreading.”

Why are you already, or are considering, adopting electric vehicles on your fleet?

	2026	2025
Lower environmental impact	32%	31%
Reduce fuel expenses	31%	29%
Improve company image	30%	24%
Fulfil employee requests	30%	20%
Tax benefits	28%	23%
To drive in low emissions zones	24%	20%
Company CSR policy	20%	22%
Total cost of ownership	17%	17%

For the 2026 Arval Fleet and Mobility Observatory survey, 10,157 company decision makers were interviewed across 33 countries by the independent research company, Ipsos, out of which 305 interviews took place in the UK.