Fuel Card Distribution through Leasing Companies

Publication Date	July 2007
Publisher	Datamonitor
Product Type	Brief
Pages	23
ISBN Number	not applicable
Product Code	DAT05953

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Summary

Introduction

Financing company vehicle fleets through operational leasing contracts is popular across Europe and management services are often provided in the agreements. Fuel card issuers are taking advantage of this trend, using leasing companies as a distributor for their cards. This brief assesses growth in the sector, identifies the main players within it and the key relationships with card providers.

Scope

Analysis of the size of the fleet leasing market segment Ned by operational leasing, finance leasing and outright purchases.
Forecasts of operational fleet leasing vehicle numbers across Europe to 2011 relative to the overall company car market.
Insight into the size of operational leasing market oil company card providers have access to through their relationships with leasing companies.
An overview of the remaining partnership opportunities for card providers and leasing companies.

Highlights

Between 2003 and 2006 the number of operational leasing cars grew by 660,000 across Europe, creating numerous opportunities for leasing companies and affiliated service providers. The growth is greatest in Poland, Austria and Hungary.

Oil card providers, including BP and Shell, have gained access to a high percentage of the leased vehicle parc through partnerships with fleet lessors such as LeasePlan and ALD Automotive. These relationships have enabled some fuel card issuers to distribute their cards to up to half of the operational leasing fleet within selected markets.

There are many remaining opportunities for fuel card issuers to enter into partnerships with operational fleet lessors. The sheer number of fleet lessors in the large Western European markets provides numerous opportunities as does the fast growing Central and Eastern European markets.

Reasons to Purchase

Understand the importance of the operational fleet leasing market to fuel card providers and assess how growth will continue over the next five years.
Gain insight into the relationships between fuel card providers and fleet lessors, and uncover the number of vehicles it gives card providers access to.
Identify how leasing and fuel card company partnership opportunities differ between markets.

Content

Overview
Catalyst
- Summary
- Sources
- Analysis
- Operational company car fleets are the fastest growing fleets in Europe
- Company cars account for a third of commercial vehicles across 16 European markets
- Across the European car fleet leasing market, growth in the operational leasing segment has been most pronounced
- The distribution of fuel cards through operational leasing arrangements is an increasingly popular route to market
- The operational car leasing market is most developed in the Netherlands and the UK
- Operational leasing of LCVs is less common than with cars but the market is growing
- The operational car leasing market will continue to grow significantly over the next five years
- The development of operational leasing in CEE provides new opportunities for fuel card providers
- Fuel card providers have gained access to a high proportion of the leased vehicle parc through partnerships with fleet lessors
- Shell has access to almost half of the operational leasing market in France
- BP has the potential to supply fuel cards to a third of Germany's operational leasing market
- Total's relationships with lessors in France offer it the potential to supply almost half of the operational leasing market
- Repsol's agreements with fleet lessors in Spain give it access to almost a third of the country's operational leasing market
- The Esso fuel card has strong bases in France, Germany and Belgium
- A wide range of partnership opportunities remains for fuel card providers
- The competitive landscape is highly fragmented in mature operational leasing markets
- The high number of fleet leasing companies in mature European countries provides fuel card issuers with opportunities
- Leaseplan has generated a strong market share in small western European countries
- Smaller western European markets show comparatively high levels of concentration
- Western European fleet lessors have gained significant shares in CEE
- The development of the eastern European leasing market will benefit fuel card providers with pre-existing relationships
Appendix
- Definitions
- Sources
- Western European Cards Database
- European Fleet Market Database and European Fleet Lessor Database
- Further reading
- Ask the analyst
- Datamonitor consulting
- Disclaimer
List of Figures
- Figure 1: The proportion of commercial vehicles accounted for by company cars ranges from 13% to 53%
- Figure 2: Operational leasing has experienced the greatest growth of all the leasing segments
- Figure 3: Operational car leasing is more common than outright fleet purchasing in four markets
- Figure 4: The operational leasing LCV parc is forecast to grow at a higher rate than the total LCV parc
- Figure 5: The operational leasing segment is forecast to grow at a much greater rate than the total market
- Figure 6: Shell has relationships with three of the largest operational fleet lessors in France
- Figure 7: BP has a high number of partnerships in Germany
- Figure 8: Total has agreements with the four largest fleet lessors in France
- Figure 9: Respol has relationships with four leading fleet lessors
- Figure 10: Esso has access to 11% of the operationally leased vehicles in France
- Figure 11: The competitive landscape is highly fragmented in mature operational leasing markets
- Figure 12: Leaseplan has generated a strong market share in small western European countries
- Figure 13: Western European fleet lessors have gained significant shares in CEE