2026 Fleet industry trends to keep an eye on

Before we dive into what’s coming up this year, it’s worth looking back at the major themes that shaped 2025.

 

2025 was a year that saw continued momentum behind electrification from the government, an increased use of data to drive smarter fleet decisions and a stronger focus on sustainability and compliance dominated conversations.

A lot to balance for fleet operators whilst managing economic uncertainty and evolving regulations, and yet, it’s these challenges that have set the tone for what’s likely to define the year ahead.

Let’s discuss.

 

EV adoption gathers pace

The push towards electric vehicles is set to intensify in 2026 as the UK moves another year closer to petrol and diesel phase-out, whether that be in 2030 or 2035.

Government incentives, ZEV mandates, and corporate sustainability targets will continue to drive change. For example, the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate for 2026 requires manufacturers to sell 24% of their new vans as zero-emission vehicles.

For fleet managers, the focus will be on careful planning and introducing EVs where they make operational and financial sense, while keeping a close eye on regulatory movements.

Telematics and AI-powered insights drive smarter fleet management

A focus in 2026 looks to be around reducing a fleet’s total cost of ownership rather than the upfront price of vehicles alone and machine learnings are poised to play an even bigger role in fleet optimisation.

This means solutions like telematics may no longer be a “nice to have”, especially with the cost of vehicle parts, servicing, and maintenance still rising.

Proactive fleets that leveraged real-time data to help predict maintenance needs, reduce downtime, and extend vehicle lifecycles data-led operations, saw the most joy in 2025 – a trend that’s set to continue with winning on the margins taking precedence this year.

Greater focus on driver support and retention

Driver shortages and staff turnover can disrupt operation efficiency and in a fleet industry with a decreasing margin for error, the best fleets will place an importance staff retention and stability.

2026 may see more emphasis on driver support through training, safety programmes, and EV familiarisation to improve confidence and buy-in, as well as more collaboration and direct lines of communication between drivers and other key stakeholders in the business.

ESG moves from ambition to requirement

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategies are becoming more significant as regulations tighten, and sustainability criteria increasingly influence contract tenders.

In 2026, fleet managers will need to demonstrate clear progress on decarbonisation, emissions reporting, and duty of care. This will drive demand for consultancy-led solutions that help businesses align fleet operations with regulatory and commercial expectations.

A smarter roadmap to an EV fleet starts here

We have designed a consultancy service tailored specifically to your unique commercial fleet requirements and challenges.

The Northgate Drive to Zero Consultancy gives you a dedicated EV expert who will take a deep dive into every part of your fleet - from mileage and route analysis to emissions and downtime - powered by real-world data from our Drive to Zero hub.

We will help you:

• Identify your current vehicles that can be transitioned to EV based on journey data, dwell locations, and operational downtime impact.
  
  
• Map out where and when your vehicles should charge (including on-site infrastructure assessments).
  
  
• Calculate the true cost of transition - including savings potential.
  
  
• Create a practical, phased EV rollout strategy linked to your renewal cycles.
  
  
• Identify your true carbon savings potential in-line with your ESG goals.

And more.

Lead your fleet into the next era of fleet mobility - with confidence. Don’t just take our word for it, click here for a real-world success story.