Craft businesses demand mobility that adapts: flexible in use, calculable in price and quickly ready for use.
This is shown by a new representative survey conducted by the European mobility company MHC Mobility.
Bockel, 12.12.2025 – The German skilled trades think pragmatically: mobility must work – affordable, flexible and immediately available. A recent, representative survey by MHC Mobility of 700 German trade businesses shows what requirements the industry places on vehicle and mobility providers today and in the future.
Most important criteria for providers of vehicle subscriptions / mobility solutions
- Favorable conditions / predictable total costs: 54.4 %
- Fast availability & simple processing: 46.4 %
- Maintenance, insurance & tire service included: 38.7 %
- Flexible contract terms: 37.7 %
- Personal contact / individual advice: 34.0 %
- Large selection of vehicle models: 33.1 %
- Sustainable vehicle fleet / environmental friendliness: 27.7 %
- Possibility to test a vehicle at short notice: 26.9 %
- Digital administration & transparent processes: 25.7 %
- Not specified: 4.6 %
- Other: 3.3 %
What counts today: Cost control, speed and flexibility
In day-to-day business, the expectations are clear: predictable costs, fast availability and flexible contract models determine the decision for or against a provider.
54% of companies cite favorable conditions and predictable total costs as decisive factors. 46% attach importance to fast availability and simple processing, while 38% want flexible contract terms, such as models that can be terminated on a monthly basis.
“The trade sector is very precise in its calculations – and needs solutions that adapt to everyday operations,” says Rainer Thies, Managing Director of MHC Mobility Germany. “If an additional van is needed because a major order starts at short notice, or if a replacement vehicle has to be ready for use on the same day, then there should be no complicated processes. Our survey clearly shows that companies want mobility that is reliably predictable and flexible at the same time.”
The scope of service is also important: 39% of respondents expect a complete service such as maintenance, insurance or tire service, while a third want a personal contact who knows the business and its processes. The reason for this is obvious: trade businesses want to concentrate their capacities on their core competencies – i.e. on implementing projects and looking after their customers – and not on managing vehicle fleets or service issues. In order to use mobility efficiently, it is crucial that these tasks can be reliably outsourced.
What will be important tomorrow: Efficiency, controllability and flexible use
- Reduction in operating costs through efficient mobility solutions: 37.1%
- Switch to electric or alternative drives: 34.3 %
- Better planning in the event of vehicle breakdowns or peak demand: 31.3 %
- Flexible use instead of classic vehicle ownership: 31.1 %
- Advice on sustainability & fleet optimization: 25.9 %
- More support from providers (service, advice, financing): 24,3 %
- Digital tools for route planning & fleet management: 23.6 %
- Integration of charging infrastructure at the depot: 23.4%
- No change expected: 14.9
- Don’t know: 4.6 %
Looking ahead, the perspective is shifting – but not the basic attitude. Companies expect mobility to become more efficient, plannable and sustainable in the future.
For 37%, reducing operating costs through new mobility concepts is the top priority. 34% see the switch to electric or alternative drive systems as a decisive factor for the future, while 31% expect flexible usage models such as car subscriptions to become more important.
“The figures show: Profitability and change can be successfully combined,” explains Thies. “A roofing company that wants to partially electrify its fleet doesn’t need theory, but planning certainty: How many kilometers can the vehicle cover in winter? What charging times are realistic? And what will it cost per month? Modern car subscriptions like the ones we offer at MHC Mobility combine predictability with mobility.”
Around a quarter of companies are also calling for more advice on sustainability and fleet optimization as well as better planning in the event of vehicle breakdowns. For Thies, this is a clear signal: “The survey shows that many companies are actively professionalizing their mobility by expanding their fleets in a targeted manner, using vehicles more efficiently and systematically planning maintenance and service. This increasingly involves very practical questions – such as how to make optimum use of company vehicles or how to integrate alternative drive systems into existing fleets.”
Consequence: Flexibility remains – predictability wins
A clear picture emerges from both survey blocks: flexibility remains a key factor, but it is increasingly becoming part of a larger system
of reliability, transparency and cost security. Larger companies in particular demand the ability to plan strategically without having to sacrifice adaptability.
“The trade doesn’t need experiments, it needs models that work,” summarizes Thies. “Modern car subscriptions like ours at MHC Mobility close this gap: They offer operational mobility that can be used in the short term but is calculable in the long term – and therefore exactly what skilled trade companies expect today.”
About MHC Mobility
MHC Mobility is a European mobility company owned by a subsidiary of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC and is represented in seven European countries: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Poland. MHC Mobility offers fully integrated and innovative mobility solutions for customers – both locally and across borders.
Our simple and transparent solutions cover everything from leasing and fleet management to comprehensive end-to-end decarbonization solutions for companies, including infrastructure, energy storage and consulting. In this way, we support our customers in overcoming the challenges of operating national and international fleets and reducing their environmental impact.
MHC Mobility is a pioneer in the mobility industry with a fleet of over 12,000 vehicles throughout Germany. In addition to its headquarters in Bockel, the company supports its customers at eight other MHC Mobility Centers throughout Germany. Personal account managers develop customized mobility concepts for business customers and accompany the entire fleet design and management process.
Further information can be found at www.mhcmobility.de
Press contact
Dr. Torben Kneisler
Dederichs Reinecke & Partner
Phone: +49 40 20 91 98 242
E-mail: torben.kneisler@dr-p.de