Europcar is “turbo charging” its EV fleet and launching a new stress-free approach to driver charging to help businesses and motorists on their net zero journey.

New additions to the Europcar fleet include the recently launched fully electric Jeep Avenger

More than 12% of Europcar’s rental fleet was battery electric (BEV) or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) by the end of 2023 – a year-on-year increase of 379% – with customers driving more than 3.5 million EV miles and 50,000 more EV rental days than in 2022.

The company is ramping up its plans for 2024 even further as it schedules a range of new electric models for the fleet.

Vehicles already available or arriving this summer include the recently launched Jeep Avenger, the Škoda Enyaq and the Volvo XC60 and XC90 PHEVs. These join the existing fleet of Tesla Model 3s, Mercedes-Benz EQ models and MG4 EVs available from Europcar locations across the UK.

Europcar has also introduced a new approach to vehicle charging for its rental fleet to ensure customers don’t have to worry about returning the vehicle with a full charge. Every electric vehicle is provided at the start of rental with between 50% and 80% charge and the vehicle can be returned with just a 20% battery level.

Tom Middleditch, head of electric mobility at Europcar Mobility Group UK, said the fleet strategy is designed to give both business customers and private motorists a wider choice of vehicle types to experience zero-emission motoring in real-world conditions.

“The latest new car sales figures show that there continues to be an appetite for electric motoring, however much of that is currently driven by the corporate sector, where business drivers can benefit from company car and salary sacrifice schemes.

“The issue – revealed in our own research – is that there are still underlying concerns about the cost of entry into electric motoring with two in three private drivers surveyed in Q1 citing this as a barrier.

“Charging infrastructure also remains a barrier for half of private drivers, despite the availability of charging growing significantly in the last year. Plus, lack of knowledge was named by more than one in five (23%) respondents as a key challenge they face in making the switch.”

Middleditch added that rental provides easy access to electric motoring in a low-commitment way, including for individuals, who can rent a vehicle when it’s needed, for just a few days or weeks, while at the same time learning about the best way to optimise performance.

“Long-term rental also makes sense for businesses as they transition to zero emissions,” he added. “It provides the ultimate flexibility to optimise fleet size as well as provides access to the latest vehicles and technology without having to commit to lengthy lease agreements.”

The Europcar electric vehicle fleet is available from locations across the UK as well as for delivery and collection to most business and private addresses.