Fleets drivers going green quicker than private motorists

Fleets are going green faster than the general motoring public and are also reducing emissions faster than the national average - new research suggests.

According to the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) British fleets have reduced their carbon footprint by three million tonnes over the past three years - the equivalent of one-and-a-half tonnes for every car run by its members.

This reduction in CO2 emissions is down to fleets leasing greener cars and demanding that their drivers cover fewer annual business miles.

BVRLA director general, John Lewis, said that average mileages have reduced from more than 25,000 miles per annum to 21,643 miles last year.

He added that this is a resounding success in its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the fleet sector.

The figures were obtained from a survey of fleets carried out at the end of 2007 that found average CO2 emissions have reduced from 171.8g/km in 2003 to 157.4g/km in 2007.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), in 2007 average new car CO2 figure dropped 1.4% year-on-year to 164.9g/km - a fall of 13.1% since 1997.

The SMMT claims that improvements in vehicle technology have seen savings of around one million tonnes per year across both fleet and private registrations.

These figures suggests that almost all the CO2 savings are coming through the registrations of fleet vehicles, and that the effect on private buyers of tax incentives are less effective than those incentives in the fleet market.