As the association’s 50th year drew to a close, BVRLA membership reached 931, with a record fleet size of almost 5 million vehicles – that’s 1-in-8 cars, 1-in-5 vans and 1-in-5 trucks licensed on UK roads.
An increasing number of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) joined the BVRLA and all core membership categories saw a year-on-year increase. The association recruited 77 new members over the course of 2017 and saw a net year-on-year gain of 23 members across all sectors.
The largest growth area during 2017 was the leasing broker sector, which grew 4.3% to 318 members. Rental membership rose to 276, representing a 1.5% increase. The association sees this sector as a priority for recruitment efforts over the coming year.
The total combined BVRLA members’ fleet size was up 2% year-on-year. This was driven by generic growth, member acquisitions and new members joining the association. Cars continue to be the most dominant vehicle type on fleet, remaining stable at 3.9 million. The number of vans on fleet continues to grow, with both the LCV and HGV fleet sizes increasing significantly, up 13% and 18% respectively.
Personal contracts remained buoyant throughout 2017, accounting for over 1.6 million vehicles – that’s 34.5% of the total BVRLA fleet, in line with the same period last year. The overall picture for corporate leasing remained static representing over 2.6 million vehicles – that’s 55.8% of the total BVRLA fleet.
The BVRLA rental sector fleet grew by almost 39,000 units in 2017, with over half of those coming in the short-term car rental sector and a third in the short-term LCV van rental sector. The rental sector fleet has increased by 9% with both cars and LCV’s showing an increase.
