Corporate fleets in Switzerland: Cautious confidence in a complex environment

The Fleet and Mobility Barometer 2022 is an annual survey conducted by Arval Mobility Observatory. The survey was conducted in 26 countries with a focus on Europe and shows the mood prevailing among fleet managers. Over the next three years, corporate fleets are expected to remain stable or grow as a result of good business performance and staffing needs. However, the uncertain environment resulting from inflation, semiconductor shortages and supply chain problems means that companies in Switzerland are keeping their vehicles longer than in the past - a phenomenon that can also be observed in the rest of Europe. However, the trend toward home offices is only tentatively influencing companies' mobility strategies: just 17 % of companies in Switzerland (Europe: 13 %) are considering adjusting their mobility policies in this regard. 22 % of Swiss SMEs are also planning to introduce or expand full-service leasing in their fleet within the next three years.

Alternative technologies continue to gain ground

Switzerland is in line with the European average when it comes to the introduction of alternative drive technologies: 4 out of 10 companies already have models with hybrid, plug-in hybrid or BEV (pure electric vehicles with battery) in their passenger car fleet. A total of two-thirds of the companies surveyed are using or considering alternative technologies in the next three years.

Hybrid and BEV are used by one in five companies; plug-in hybrid is slightly lower at 16 %. Overall, each of these three technologies is used or considered by one third of the companies. Switzerland is on par with Europe in this regard. Companies with commercial vehicles in their fleet have also already started to electrify their fleet with BEVs: 25 % are already using them or considering them in the next three years. This is more likely to be the case for larger companies than for smaller ones. As for the other technologies, CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) is already used by 7 % of the companies, while hydrogen is only used in 2 % of the passenger car fleets.

Few funded charging points at home

The most important motivation for switching to alternative drive technologies is corporate social responsibility. Here, Switzerland takes the top spot for passenger car fleets with 83 %, closely followed by the objective of reducing fuel costs (76 %), reducing environmental impact (69 %) and improving the corporate image (68 %).

With the strong spread of electric vehicles, the need for charging stations is increasing. Access to charging stations on the road, at home and at work is accordingly not yet rated as optimal. Just under half of all companies in Switzerland have now installed charging stations on their premises or are planning to do so. As far as financial support for employees to install and finance charging stations at home is concerned, Switzerland has a lot of catching up to do compared with the rest of Europe: 52 % of Swiss companies (Europe: 21 %) do not yet provide their employees with any financial support here.

In contrast, alternative mobility solutions, such as combining car, public transport and bicycle, are already widespread: Two out of three companies in Switzerland already offer their employees such models, and three out of four are already doing so or are considering them in the next three years. This is also accompanied by mobility budgets for employees, which are intended to help reduce mobility costs and provide flexible mobility solutions. In this context, one-third of the companies surveyed say they are introducing or still expanding home offices.

Corporate fleets of SMEs: Full-service leasing on the rise

The Arval Mobility Observatory also examines the financing methods of company fleets. Here, full service leasing is currently used as the main financing method by 13 % of companies in Switzerland, which represents a doubling compared to 2020 (2020: 6 %). Among smaller companies in particular, a further 22 % are planning to introduce or expand it in the next three years.

In terms of the use of telematics systems, Swiss company fleets are on a par with European levels at 30 % (Europe: 33 %), with primarily larger companies making progress here and using the technology more for passenger vehicles than for commercial vehicles. The main reasons for using telematics in Switzerland are the same as in the rest of Europe: driver behavior, vehicle safety and location, and operational efficiency.

Source: Arval