End of petrol and diesel era is biggest fleet challenge, Arval research finds

Adjusting to the end of the petrol and diesel era is now the biggest challenge facing fleets over the next three years, according to new research from the 2026 Arval Fleet and Mobility Observatory.

The study found that 38% of businesses believe adapting to restrictive public policies on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles will be a major issue, up from 32% in last year’s research.

The findings reflect growing concern among fleet operators as the UK moves closer to the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and the impact of the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate continues to reshape the market.

“As the UK’s 2030 ICE production end date for cars looms, fleets are becoming more and more aware of its implications, as well as the growing effect of the Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate,” he said.

“It’s no real surprise to see this area rising up the fleet agenda and it may well further grow in importance in future research.”

The annual Arval Fleet and Mobility Observatory Barometer tracks the priorities and concerns of fleet managers, with this year’s results showing some of the most significant changes in sentiment seen in recent years.

While adapting to restrictive ICE policies rose to the top of the agenda, several previously dominant concerns declined notably year-on-year.

Mitigating increases in total cost of ownership fell from 48% in 2025 to 35% this year, while implementing electrified vehicles dropped from 46% to 33%. Concerns around encouraging more responsible driving also declined from 39% to 29%.

Peters said the findings suggested fleet managers were reassessing priorities rather than abandoning core concerns.

“There is no doubt that decision makers continue to view these as core concerns – whole life costs, driver safety and electrification are all crucial to fleet management in 2026 – but there does appear to have been a reshuffling of priorities and perhaps a general fall in overall anxiety,” he said.

“It may be that, with the pandemic and its many fleet issues now starting to recede into the past, fleet managers are just a little less worried generally. Relative to recent years, the situation may feel under greater control.”

The report also pointed to growing stability across several other operational challenges. Adapting to low emission zones remained largely unchanged at 33%, compared with 32% in 2025, while managing longer vehicle delivery times fell slightly from 25% to 23%. Implementing other mobility solutions dropped from 12% to 9%.

Peters said the findings indicated that many issues which had dominated fleet discussions in recent years were becoming more manageable.

“None of these are becoming less important to fleet managers but also, they’re not developing into bigger concerns. There is a sense of increased stability,” he said.

The research also highlighted similar trends across international markets, with 14 European countries ranking restrictive ICE policies as either their first or second biggest fleet concern.

“As with other major fleet developments in Arval Fleet and Mobility Observatory Barometer, trends across borders appear to be highly consistent,” Peters added.

According to the research, the top challenges facing fleets over the next three years are adapting to restrictive public policies on internal combustion engines (38%), mitigating increases in total cost of ownership (35%), implementing electrified vehicles (33%), adapting to low emission zones (33%), and encouraging more responsible driving (29%).