The average lease car added to British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association member fleets in 2015 emitted just 112.6g/km of CO2 in 2015.
This compares to average new car emissions of 121.4g/km of CO2.
These statistics come from the rental body’s latest quarterly survey of its leasing members.
The survey also found that one in 20 of all lease cars registered in the final quarter of 2015 was a plug-in hybrid, while more than 25% of lease cars now sit in VED band A – meaning free road tax thanks to CO2 emissions below 100g/km of CO2.
According to the latest BVRLA research, leasing companies were responsible for around 1.3 million business cars and vans at the end of 2015, which was a 5.5% year-on-year increase
“More and more businesses are turning to leasing as a source of finance and BVRLA members are helping these companies to operate cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles,” said BVRLA chief executive Gerry Keaney.