Under its previous moniker of ALD Automotive Leaseplan, which represented the names of the two companies that merged in May 2023, this giant of the leasing world won the Leasing Company of the Year award in 2024.

Now rebranded as Ayvens, it has scooped the prize for 2025. While last year was about integrating the two companies, it says this year is all about Ayvens, a new brand and proposition that’s the direct result of customer engagement and the culmination of investments in innovation and organisational capability.

By focusing on its customers, Ayvens, which boasts the UK’s largest vehicle-data repository, says it has launched new tools to help customers address the strategic challenges of today and tomorrow. As a result it claims to have increased customer satisfaction, retention and conversions from competitors.

Through tapping into its data resources, Ayvens has delivered a long-term predictive cost analysis for a large-scale transition to eLCVs as well as a garage-mapping strategy to cut vehicle off-road time by a claimed 60% across large LCV fleets.

Initiatives launched in 2024 to make life easier for fleet managers include the introduction of a 365-day, 24/7 maintenance service together with an increase in the provision of mobile servicing through the piloting of a new, automated maintenance platform. Ayvens now offers full-service LCV maintenance across the UK.

In 2024 Ayvens also launched VanFinder (Ayvans), which it describes as a highly customisable tool that allows customers to refine vehicle selections across multiple criteria such as dimension, transmission, fuel type and range, making it a useful resource in maximising fleet performance.

Ayvens achievements during the last year include a 70.4% increase (10,127) in the number of vehicles managed through its Uptime platform, a 54% rise in mobile service, maintenance and repair, from 33 to 51 patrols, a 220% expansion in mobile ancillary equipment management, from 58 to 128 patrols, and a 600% increase in mobile plant equipment management from 23 to 138 patrols.

Ayvens claims to have bucked market trends by increasing the number of eLCVs in its fleet by 19% and to have grown the percentage of electric light commercials in its fleet from 4% to 5.3% in 2024. It has grown its rental LCV Flex Fleet by more than 15% and reduced average fleet downtime by three days despite the average age of fleet vehicles increasing by three months to 44 months.

Ayvens has taken on 39 new contracts in the past year, including major organisations such as Microsoft, Adidas, Unilever, National Grid and Scottish Power.

Looking ahead, the company plans to launch a Europe-wide LCV Academy for training staff in the first quarter of 2025, to develop an insurance scheme for fleets and in the second quarter of the year to introduce a risk management programme to help fleet managers assess risk across fleets and driver populations.

Ayvens is confident it has everything in place to support all customers with their decarbonisation journeys, from SMEs to multi-national fleets. It has already undertaken major projects to transition national fleets like Virgin Media and National Grid to electric LCVs.

Highly Commended: Holman

Holman’s flexible finance lease solutions are designed to put its customers in control of their fleet investment. In an industry often constrained by rigid contracts and inflexible terms, its approach is designed with the customer at the centre – maximising value and return on investment at every step.

Unlike traditional contract hire models, which prioritise the lessor’s assets, Holman’s approach aims to empower its customers, with complete transparency and flexibility. From the way its vehicles are financed, to managing the entire lifecycle of each vehicle, Holman claims to ensure that its customers get the most value from their investment.

Through a combination of vehicle monitoring, strategic investments, and expert service it claims to have been able to save customers more than £100m in the last year. Holman claims to achieve an industry-leading vehicle off-road time of 2.84 days.