Recent research by Arval has suggested that up to one-third of business have diesel-only policies but only a fraction are reaping financial rewards.
Out of the 432 businesses quizzed, 33% admitted tying themselves to the black pump – double the number back in 2003 – but out of those, only 21% have recorded savings.
Most moved to diesel expecting to reduce fuel bills by 15%, but once in place, less than a quarter have benefited from the change.
The poor number of those making fuel savings has been blamed on diesel’s higher fuel and vehicle cost, and businesses failing to meet a vehicle’s break even point.
Despite this, there’s little evidence of diesel’s popularity waning, with the fuel’s penetration expected to grow from 73% to 79% in 2007.
Number of fleets with diesel-only fuel policies
