ARVAL MOBILITY OBSERVATORY 2026 GLOBAL FLEET AND MOBILITY BAROMETER: Half of Romanian companies are considering introducing or increasing operational leasing, while 25% expect fleet growth over the next three years
Fleet electrification gains momentum in Romania: 24% of companies already operate at least one electrified passenger car technology (HEV, PHEV or BEV)
Fleet electrification gains momentum in Romania: 24% of companies already operate at least one electrified passenger car technology (HEV, PHEV or BEV)
Arval Romania, part of the BNP Paribas Group and a major player in full-service leasing and mobility solutions, today presents the findings of the 2026 Fleet and Mobility Barometer conducted annually by the Arval Mobility Observatory. The 2026 edition highlights cautious optimism among Romanian companies regarding fleet dynamics: one in four companies expects fleet growth over the next three years, while 65% anticipate maintaining fleet size at current levels. Nearly half (49%) of Romanian companies participating in the study intend to introduce or expand operational leasing for fleet financing, up from 42% in 2024. At the same time, fleet electrification and adaptation to restrictive internal combustion engine (ICE) policies are identified as the main fleet-related challenges, each cited by 41% of respondents. The Romanian findings are based on more than 300 interviews with fleet decision-makers and form part of a global study conducted across 33 countries, involving 10,157 interviews. The 2026 edition points to a decisive shift: companies are moving from ambition to implementation, reshaping their electrification, total cost of ownership (TCO) and mobility strategies with a stronger operational focus. Operational leasing accelerates, driven by SMEs The study shows that 49% of Romanian companies plan to introduce or expand operational leasing within the next three years — 7 percentage points higher than in 2024 and 13 points above the European average of 36%. Growth is particularly driven by small (54%) and medium-sized companies (48%), surpassing large organizations (37%) and reversing the traditional pattern in which large corporations typically led adoption and SMEs followed.
“The SME segment has clearly evolved, that is one of the key takeaways of this year’s edition. Five years ago, conversations with SMEs started with the fundamentals of operational leasing. Today, they begin with specific requirements: upgrade flexibility, digital reimbursement and 36–48 month contracts. SMEs are catching up with corporations, but doing so with a level of operational clarity we were neither seeing in the data nor in practice just three years ago,” said Roxana Lupescu, Managing Director of Arval Romania.
Fleet electrification: one in four companies already operates electrified vehicles (BEV, PHEV, HEV) Electrification continues to play an important role in fleet strategies, reflecting both environmental ambitions and long-term planning. This year’s Barometer confirms that more than half of surveyed companies have adopted or are considering electrification policies: 24% already operate electrified vehicle technologies, while another 38% plan to introduce them within the next three years, signaling that the transition is becoming increasingly tangible.
