Mobility on subscription

The registration statistics speak for themselves:

The car market will continue to move towards electrification in 2026 – but not in a linear “everything is going electric now” development. The latest ACEA data for the EU for 2025 shows that purely electric cars have a 17.4 percent market share, hybrid vehicles are the strongest drive type at 34.5 percent and petrol and diesel together still account for 35.5 percent. It is precisely this mixed reality that is also crucial for companies, fleet managers and company car owners.

In the B2B context, it’s not just about personal preferences, but about reliable mobility decisions in the area of conflict between costs, usage profiles, charging infrastructure, employee acceptance and residual value risks. For many fleets, the drive transition is therefore not an either-or question, but a management task: which vehicles already fit into the daily routine of field service, management or pool vehicle use – and where does a flexible transition make more sense than a long-term commitment?

The Global Automotive Consumer Study 2026 by Deloitte shows that people are increasingly value-oriented when it comes to vehicles and mobility decisions and, in addition to quality and innovation, pay particular attention to trust, fairness and transparency. At the same time, electrification remains a market with regional and practical differences – especially where economy, charging options and suitability for everyday use are weighed against each other. Even though the study primarily looks at consumers, the findings are highly relevant for the company car market: This is because company car drivers and fleet decision-makers also ultimately evaluate new drive systems according to usability, reliability and economic predictability.

This is precisely why flexibility is becoming a strategic advantage in the B2B sector. When companies have to weigh up between hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric, but at the same time costs are under pressure and technological conditions are changing rapidly, the car subscription becomes a particularly useful model. It lowers the barrier to entry because it makes the decision reversible: companies can test electrified drives in real-life application scenarios – in everyday sales, on long journeys, in urban commuter traffic or in mixed operation – without making an immediate long-term commitment.

This is particularly important for the company car sector. This is because new mobility solutions not only have to be individually convincing, but also fit into processes, car policies and budget logic. A car subscription can help to reduce uncertainties during the transition phase: when it comes to the question of the right type of drive, fluctuating needs in the fleet or even the temporary replacement of classic leasing models. This makes mobility more predictable for companies without losing adaptability.

Trust and transparency become the decisive fleet factor

Deloitte also shows that service quality, trust and transparency play a particularly important role in the selection and evaluation of vehicle and mobility providers. This is key for the B2B market, as a company car or fleet vehicle is not just a product, but part of a long-term service relationship. Companies expect clear conditions, reliable processes, comprehensible costs and fast support in day-to-day operations. This is precisely where it is decided whether a mobility model really works in a business context.

Then there is the issue of connectivity. Deloitte points out that consumers value networked functions above all when they offer security or concrete added value – but at the same time react sensitively to issues of data usage. This is particularly relevant for company cars: As soon as vehicles become more digital and data-based, the requirements for transparency and trust also increase. For providers of company car and fleet solutions, this means that connectivity must not be sold as a buzzword. It is crucial to explain clearly what data is used for what purpose, what benefits arise from this and where clear boundaries are drawn.

Conclusion

In a market in which electric drives are growing but hybrids continue to dominate and in which trust, cost sensitivity and transparency are becoming noticeably more important, the car subscription is also becoming a rational way through the transition in the company car sector. Companies need mobility that remains economically calculable and at the same time can adapt to changing requirements. This is precisely the strength of the model: flexible, transparent and without the risk of committing oneself too early in a dynamic market environment.

Click here for the cited study!