Arval: ‘number of EV company cars doubled in 2020’

Arval, the automotive leasing company, has seen the number of EV company cars in Belgium more than double over the last year. According to the company’s data, registrations of battery-electric vehicles have increased by 93% between 2019 and 2020, while plug-in hybrids grew by 122%.

Arval wishes to further push that trend and has made changes to its own employees’ car policy to promote electric cars. “Initial hindrances to electric cars are disappearing because an increasing number of them can be tested in person,” notes Arval’s EV specialist, Vincent Vanden Bossche, in the company’s latest press release.

“We are forecasting an increasing number of EVs on the market in 2021 because of the arrival of new models from known manufacturers but also because of the advent of totally new brands. This year, Arval aims at setting up levers for electric mobility through different campaigns.”

+93% growth

The Mercedes A-Class, Peugeot 5008, and BMW X1 have been the most popular company car models leased by Arval in 2020. Concerning fully electric cars, that Top 3 is composed of the Audi e-tron, Tesla Model 3, and Kia e-Niro. This year, Arval foresees market growth fueled by the arrival of the Skoda Enyaq, VW ID.4, and BMW iX3.

The expert in automotive leasing also admits that new models aren’t the only driver to that market growth. Mind-sets are also changing. People don’t choose their company car based on their summer holiday needs anymore, but for day-to-day requirements.

“In our own company car fleet, numerous employees choose EVs. We offer them a home charger, an EV driving course, and, if necessary, an alternative for the holidays. We want to stimulate other companies to follow in our footsteps, and we want to guide them in that process,” adds Vincent Vanden Bossche.