Fuel Card Distribution through Leasing Companies

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.



Report 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.


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Overview 1
Catalyst 1
Summary 1
Sources 1
Analysis 2
Operational company car fleets are the fastest growing fleets in Europe 2
Company cars account for a third of commercial vehicles across 16 European markets 2
Across the European car fleet leasing market, growth in the operational leasing segment has been most pronounced 3
The distribution of fuel cards through operational leasing arrangements is an increasingly popular route to market 4
The operational car leasing market is most developed in the Netherlands and the UK 5
Operational leasing of LCVs is less common than with cars but the market is growing 6
The operational car leasing market will continue to grow significantly over the next five years 7
The development of operational leasing in CEE provides new opportunities for fuel card providers 7
Fuel card providers have gained access to a high proportion of the leased vehicle parc through partnerships with fleet lessors 9
Shell has access to almost half of the operational leasing market in France 9
BP has the potential to supply fuel cards to a third of Germany's operational leasing market 10
Total's relationships with lessors in France offer it the potential to supply almost half of the operational leasing market 11
Repsol's agreements with fleet lessors in Spain give it access to almost a third of the country's operational leasing market 12
The Esso fuel card has strong bases in France, Germany and Belgium 13
A wide range of partnership opportunities remains for fuel card providers 14
The competitive landscape is highly fragmented in mature operational leasing markets 14
The high number of fleet leasing companies in mature European countries provides fuel card issuers with opportunities 14
Leaseplan has generated a strong market share in small western European countries 16
Smaller western European markets show comparatively high levels of concentration 16
Western European fleet lessors have gained significant shares in CEE 18
The development of the eastern European leasing market will benefit fuel card providers with pre-existing relationships 18
APPENDIX 20
Definitions 20
Sources 22
Western European Cards Database 22
European Fleet Market Database and European Fleet Lessor Database 22
Further reading 23
Ask the analyst 23
Datamonitor consulting 23
Disclaimer 23

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Figure 1: The proportion of commercial vehicles accounted for by company cars ranges from 13% to 53% 2
Figure 2: Operational leasing has experienced the greatest growth of all the leasing segments 3
Figure 3: Operational car leasing is more common than outright fleet purchasing in four markets 5
Figure 4: The operational leasing LCV parc is forecast to grow at a higher rate than the total LCV parc 6
Figure 5: The operational leasing segment is forecast to grow at a much greater rate than the total market 7
Figure 6: Shell has relationships with three of the largest operational fleet lessors in France 9
Figure 7: BP has a high number of partnerships in Germany 10
Figure 8: Total has agreements with the four largest fleet lessors in France 11
Figure 9: Respol has relationships with four leading fleet lessors 12
Figure 10: Esso has access to 11% of the operationally leased vehicles in France 13
Figure 11: The competitive landscape is highly fragmented in mature operational leasing markets 14
Figure 12: Leaseplan has generated a strong market share in small western European countries 16
Figure 13: Western European fleet lessors have gained significant shares in CEE 18

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