FLEET TRANSFORMATION: INTEGRATING USED-CAR LEASING FOR COST EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABLE IMPACT

Arval Mobility Observatory’s latest white paper highlights how used‑car leasing is becoming a strategic lever.
In a rapidly evolving European market, professionally refurbished vehicles — especially second‑life BEVs — help organisations and individuals manage rising costs, speed up electrification, and reduce environmental impact while maintaining a strong employee experience.

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The Arval Mobility Observatory has released its latest white paper, “Fleet Transformation: Integrating Used-Car Leasing for Cost Efficiency and Sustainable Impact.” The report highlights how used-car leasing (UCL) is becoming a central strategic lever for organisations and individuals facing rising mobility costs and increasing sustainability requirements.

Used Vehicles Already Embedded in Corporate Fleets

The European used‑car market continues to show strong momentum, with fast turnover for 3‑ to 5‑year‑old vehicles and price levels well above historical baselines. Many fleets already integrate used vehicles as a cost‑efficient and reliable component of their sourcing strategy, including growing volumes of second‑life BEVs entering the market.

From Ownership to Leasing: A Structural Shift

While traditional used‑vehicle purchasing exposes fleets to capital expenditure, unpredictable maintenance and volatile resale values, Used-Car Leasing reverses this model. Residual‑value risk is transferred to the leasing provider, and companies gain access to refurbished vehicles—often including BEVs still under battery warranty. This approach streamlines operations, accelerates delivery, and enables 10–25% Total Cost of Ownership savings compared with equivalent new vehicles.

A Solution Aligned with Today’s Challenges

Used-Car Leasing helps organisations and individuals manage inflationary pressure, regulatory constraints and the accelerated push toward electrification. Lower monthly payments, reduced exposure to depreciation and the flexibility of shorter lease cycles make it an effective tool to scale BEV adoption and test electric‑vehicle suitability within driver populations.

Incentives: A Key Factor for Market Stability

The white paper emphasises that targeted incentives for second‑life BEVs can play a critical role in stabilising the market. In several countries, weak private‑buyer demand has created steep residual‑value declines for BEVs. Incentives focused on refurbished used EVs, combined with greater transparency on battery health, can support demand, reinforce confidence and complement existing policies built primarily around new vehicles. Arval’s recent analysis of 24,000 battery State‑of‑Health certificates confirms that used electric vehicles remain highly reliable, retaining 93% capacity at 70,000 km and staying above 90% even after 160,000 km. This predictable, slow degradation — when backed by certified assessments — strengthens trust in second‑life BEVs and enhances the impact of well‑designed incentive schemes.

A Clear Framework for Implementation

The paper outlines a structured roadmap for deploying Used-Car Leasing:

Establish clear standards (age, mileage, refurbishment quality, SoH thresholds, warranty coverage).
Launch a 0–6‑month pilot to assess performance.
Evaluate TCO and sustainability impacts at 6–9 months.
Scale the model by integrating Used-Car Leasing into fleet policy and employee mobility schemes.