The company looked back over months of new vehicle registrations and found that at the end of Q4 in 2014, diesel models accounted for 90.4% of all new models ordered on the CLM fleet. However, by the end of Q1 of this year that rate had fallen by 4.8% to 85.6% of all new orders.

Although CLM’s data shows that fleets are switching to more efficient petrol models, hybrids and electric vehicles are beginning to increase their toehold on the CLM managed fleet of 14,000 vehicles. Although the starting point is still from a very low base, the number of hybrids and plug-in hybrids now being ordered by CLM has increased to 4.9% of the fleet mix.

However, it said that pure electric vehicles continue to struggle to make an impression on the order statistics, accounting for just 0.2% of the fleet mix at the end of 2014, but enquiry levels are rising.

CLM said the reasons for the changes could include the introduction of stricter new Euro 6 emissions standards and increasing health concerns about the safety of diesel emissions, particularly nitrous oxides.