From the outside, fleet management can seem like just another area of procurement. The net result is that fleet management is becoming something of a moving target, with policies needing to be constantly adjusted and refined.

It means that the whole function needs more expertise and management time than it did 10 or 20 years ago. This is something that is not always clear to executive decision makers, who simply want their fleet managers to find the cheapest way to meet short-term fleet management needs, without paying sufficient regard to medium to long term sustainability considerations.

There are more factors today than ever before that need to be weighed and balanced when making fleet management decisions. These include new vehicle technology, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions, types of powertrains and WLTP results to name just a few.

At the same time, the opinions of those employees who might spend hours behind the wheel every day cannot be disregarded, so vehicle appeal and driver experience, as well as benefit-in-kind tax implications are as important today as they have ever been.

Market research in the automotive sector draws these diverse strands together and delivers insights to help business leaders and to craft a fleet management strategy that will be cost-effective while not being at odds with the organisation’s broader sustainability aspirations – and that will ensure those who are quite literally in the driving seat have their voices heard and their needs met.