We cannot push vehicles into the market against demand
Martin Sander
Head of Ford Model e Europe
Maintaining An Older, High Mileage Fleet
Larger fleet operators traditionally replaced their vans every 3-5 years. Now, however, that timeline has stretched to 6-8 years, as many operators look to sweat those assets harder. Similarly, many smaller fleets, who often bought used or nearly new vans from leasing and rental companies or auctions, and ran them for 5-10 years, are now starting their cycles with vans that are already 6-8 years old.
With a possible supply shortfall of new vans in 2025 that could be in the region of 200,000 units, larger operators will likely keep their existing vehicles for much longer and may even turn to the second-hand market for used vans – if they can get hold of them. As we saw earlier, fleets that would have bought new vans already are holding back. The result has been a 25% drop in new diesel LCV registrations for January 2025 over January 2024.
This means less vans are coming into the used van market, with the supply channels of used vehicles for the smaller fleets likely to dry up, much like what happened at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when demand for home delivery surged unexpectedly.
As a result, regardless of fleet size, effective preventive maintenance will become vital to guard against unplanned vehicle downtime due to mechanical breakdown and the inevitable service disruptions that follow.
Let’s examine some of the new issues operators could face, starting with evaluating your maintenance regime.
Larger fleet operators traditionally replaced their vans every 3-5 years. Now, however, that timeline has stretched to 6-8 years, as many operators look to sweat those assets harder. Similarly, many smaller fleets, who often bought used or nearly new vans from leasing and rental companies or auctions, and ran them for 5-10 years, are now starting their cycles with vans that are already 6-8 years old.
Routine Servicing, Maintenance and Repair (SMR)
Ensuring proper routine servicing and maintenance is the first step.
Fleets that didn’t previously need to worry about timing belts, for instance, will now need to incorporate them into their regular schedules. Belts on a Vauxhall Vivaro for example need changing every 5 years.
Some operators may have previously defleeted vehicles before the belt change was due, but now they’ll need to factor this into their routine SMR schedules. In the future, they may even need to replace the belts twice before the vehicle is defleeted.
There could also be ‘end of life’ issues for other items, such as perishable seals, further increasing operators’ annual costs for routine SMR. Manufacturer recalls – common for brakes, fuel systems, and airbags – will become more problematic if ignored or delayed. Additionally, MOT advisory notes will likely become more common, as vans are kept for longer. Failure to fix these issues promptly will lead to even more severe problems down the line.
Neglecting regular maintenance will also start to impact the annual cost of consumables such as tyres, brakes, oil, and fuel, as vehicles become less efficient over time.
The demand for replacement parts may strain availability, making timely booking for SMR services crucial to understanding parts supply. Fleets may even start to collect used vehicles or keep older vehicles in the fleet solely for spare parts – a practice some companies do already!
