Committed to reducing carbon emissions from mobility, Europcar is helping drivers to make a painless switch from petrol and diesel (ICE) to electric vehicles (EV). The latest Europcar EV barometer showed that the biggest barriers holding businesses back from switching to a more sustainable fleet were costs (38%) and charging infrastructure (29%). 17% said lack of understanding about ownership held them back and 14% said lack of model choice was a barrier.
Breaking down these barriers by growing the fleet of electric cars and vans, Europcar is installing more chargers at its locations, ensuring price parity with ICE vehicles for business customers and giving drivers the knowledge they need to get behind the electric wheel with confidence. The company’s focus on and investment in more sustainable mobility saw an 88% increase in electric during 2025, when full battery electric vehicles accounted for more than 400,000 rental days in the year.
2025: A pivotal year for EV
The latest Europcar Sustainability Report, ‘Electrification reaches operational maturity’ highlights the significant changes that occurred across the industry in 2025, and the trends that are set to shape 2026 and beyond.
Last year saw organisations make a decisive move from early-stage minimum-commitment electrification to full operational integration, with businesses embracing electrification at scale. Fleets also began to focus beyond simply acquiring electric vehicles, looking instead at optimising how EVs are deployed, charged and managed.
As the report looks ahead to what the future holds for electric mobility, it highlights key influences that will shape the road it will take, including regulatory pressure from the ZEV Mandate, Scope 3 emissions requirements and upcoming Benefit-in-Kind changes. Such regulatory shifts require smarter fleet management, with the priority shifting to optimisation: rightsizing fleets, leveraging telematics, adopting Mobility-as-a-Service models, and shifting from vehicle ownership to energy and utilisation-focused strategies. And that’s where rental plays a critical role.
Rental as a strategic tool
To avoid the high upfront costs and rapidly changing battery technology, many businesses are now using rental as a commitment free way to bring zero tailpipe emissions into their operations. And as a leading proponent of electric motoring, Europcar has led the way in delivering mobility solutions that enable organisations to operate efficiently, effectively and sustainably without being tied into long-term lease agreements or residual value risks of ownership.
In 2026, EV rental will deliver a number of critical functions for businesses with fleets:
Myth-busting
With a detailed handover of a carefully selected electric vehicle to suit the needs of the job or journey, even previous EV-sceptics can be converted to zero tailpipe-emissions vehicles. Indeed, Europcar has found that a first electric rental almost always removes or at least reduces the concerns and anxieties surrounding EV-driving
Delivering Scope 3 emissions compliance
With many businesses now seeing Scope 3 emissions as a key criteria for contract awarding, EV rental enables organisations to demonstrate compliance without having to make long-term commitments to vehicle leasing or ownership. EV rental can be used to quickly and affordably to help an organisation meet customer Scope 3 requirements when a fleet is not compliant and there is a risk of missing out on a contract.
Scaling without commitment
Flexible rental allows businesses with seasonal demand or project-based work to add or remove EVs from their fleet as often as necessary. This avoids the costly financial implications of having an expensive asset sitting in a car park during quiet periods.
Tackling BIK
Giving the flexibility of rental with the vehicle model certainty of leasing, Flex Model choice offers specific makes and models from Europcar’s comprehensive BEV and PHEV fleet. Available to book for a minimum of 3 months and up to 12 months at a fixed monthly rate, the service eliminates the long-term commitments and early penalties of leasing. It also means employers can accurately allocate vehicles and forecast Benefit-in-Kind tax expenses.
Europcar’s expert sales team work with each customer to identify the makes and models that suit their use cases, including the length of time they expect to need the vehicles. The long wait times typical of leasing are also eliminated - vehicles are usually available within just 5 working days, anywhere in the UK.
A shared mission to deliver sustainable mobility
At Europcar we know cost, charging and lack of first-hand knowledge are still reasons not to switch, so we have tackled these issues head-on. We continue to grow our EV fleet as well as enhance the information available on our online Knowledge Hub to help drivers get to know their electric car and take to the road in confidence.
To find out more about Europcar’s electric mobility solutions visit www.europcar.co.uk