Commercial fleets across the United Kingdom are being built around an idea that running diesel, petrol and electric vehicles together works in the operator’s favour. Market data from mobility analysts shows a clear rise in company spending on electric commercial transport.
Figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show battery electric van registrations rose 74.1% in July to take a record 14.7% share of the light commercial market. Year to date the figure stands at 10.6%, the first time electric vans have held a double-digit annual share. The wider market is growing alongside it. July brought 28,578 new light commercial vehicles onto UK roads, up 22.0% year on year and the fourth month of growth in a row, taking the first seven months of 2026 to 187,226 units. Large vans did most of the work, rising 29.9% to 20,842 registrations.
Fleet managers now have the tools to run a mixed operation well. Multi-fuel platforms let them track energy use across both fuel pumps and charge points with a level of detail older systems could not offer. Day-to-day service carries on as normal while emissions fall, and neither goal has to give way to the other.
Logistics and delivery firms working in the big city hubs are leading the spending, telematics and automated fuel tracking give managers a close view of driver efficiency and energy costs.
Running two fuels with one system
A mixed fleet gives operators something an all-diesel operation never had, which is choice. Electric vans can take the city rounds, where charging is easy and running costs are lowest, while diesel and petrol vehicles cover the longer regional work. Matching each vehicle to the right route means the fleet starts paying back straight away, well before the full replacement cycle finishes.
Fuel cards that cover diesel, petrol and electric charging on one report have become one of the most useful tools in this model. Finance teams work from a single set of transactions across every energy type, which cuts duplicated checking and speeds up the monthly close. Hours saved on admin usually go back into planning work worth far more.
Service levels hold steady while the vehicle mix changes underneath, and that steadiness lets each company move at a pace its budget can support.
Telemetry that pays for itself
Telematics fitted to modern commercial vehicles report fuel economy, battery health and engine condition as the vehicle runs. Operations managers use the information to spot poor route planning and to coach drivers across regional delivery networks. Fuel bills come down as a result, and vehicles spend less time off the road for unplanned repairs.
Software now brings fuel transactions and vehicle diagnostics together in one view, as mnagement teams use the figures to work out what each vehicle really costs over its life and when to replace it. A clear picture of energy use also makes it far easier to sign off electric upgrades with confidence.
Automated checks add another aspect of value by picking up unauthorised fuel use and billing errors early. Rules set once make sure every litre of fuel and every kilowatt-hour of electricity does a job for the business. Financial control of this kind is now normal among the strongest operators.
Power secured at the depot
Electric fleets reward careful planning around depot charging and grid connections. Company leaders are working with energy suppliers to secure high-capacity connections at the main hubs before larger vehicles arrive. The operators who move early are the ones with power to spare when demand rises.
Getting the groundwork done protects uptime during the busiest trading periods, which is what customers judge a fleet on. Phased connection deals also let depots add capacity as vehicle numbers grow, so the spending follows the fleet instead of running ahead of it.
Finance for the long cycle
The Workplace Charging Scheme now covers up to 75% of purchase and installation costs at up to £500 per socket, raised from £350 for installations completed from 1 April 2026, across a maximum of 40 sockets. That puts as much as £20,000 within reach for a multi-bay depot rollout, and the scheme runs until 31 March 2027.
Energy costs supply the rest of the case. Depot and off-peak charging is cheaper per mile than diesel, and electric vans need no oil changes, no cambelt and less brake material thanks to regenerative braking. Corporate treasurers are drawing on green bond frameworks and specialist asset finance to fund purchase programmes at scale.
Regulatory deadlines across the United Kingdom and Europe have moved fleet renewal from a sustainability project to a core part of strategy. Companies that build charging networks and multi-fuel systems ahead of the timetable lock in supply, pricing and grid capacity on better terms, and the operators combining digital tracking, careful funding and cleaner vehicles are setting the standard for modern fleet management.