A quiet but significant shift is taking place on Britain’s roads, and it tells a wider story about how work itself has changed. New research from Sixt UK suggests that traditional company car schemes are no longer aligned with modern working patterns, leaving a growing number of UK workers using their own vehicles to keep businesses moving.
According to the survey, three quarters of employees now rely on their personal cars for work-related journeys. Only one in five have access to a company car, with alternatives such as short-term rentals, shared vehicles or employer pool cars remaining marginal. It is a striking snapshot of how mobility has failed to keep pace with the realities of hybrid and remote working.
The context matters. Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 41 per cent of the UK workforce now works from home either part-time or full-time. This shift, accelerated by the pandemic and reinforced by environmental commitments, has reshaped expectations around travel. Fewer daily commutes do not necessarily mean fewer work journeys, but they do mean those journeys are less predictable.
Government figures underline the trend. The Department for Transport reports that 42 per cent of UK businesses are using video conferencing to reduce travel and emissions, while 40 per cent allow staff to work from home for the same reason. Nearly half say remote working has reduced some business travel, with a further 19 per cent saying it has replaced most or all journeys.
This changing pattern has weakened the traditional logic of company cars, historically reserved for roles involving frequent travel. Yet the number of company car drivers is still rising even with the home vs office debate. Figures from HMRC show an increase from 760,000 drivers in 2022/23 to 840,000 in 2023/24. The explanation lies not in greater travel needs, but in the rapid growth of salary sacrifice schemes.
These schemes, which allow workers to fund vehicles through their pay, have surged. The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association recorded more than 191,000 such cars on members’ fleets in the second quarter of 2025, a year-on-year rise of 118 per cent. However, access is uneven. Not all employers offer these schemes, and affordability remains a barrier, particularly where monthly costs risk pushing take-home pay close to the legal minimum.
The result is the expansion of so-called grey fleets: privately owned vehicles used for work. For organisations, this raises questions around sustainability targets, duty of care and public image. For workers, the pressures are more immediate. More than half of respondents said using their own car reduced productivity, with insurance and administrative burdens topping the list of frustrations.
Financially, the strain is clear. Seven in ten drivers reported being left out of pocket after claiming expenses. While HMRC permits claims of 45p per mile for business use of personal cars, that rate has not changed since 2011. Rising insurance costs, higher maintenance bills and volatile fuel prices mean the calculation no longer stacks up for many.
There are alternatives emerging, but uptake remains limited. Sixt UK points to growing interest in flexible car subscription models, allowing vehicles to be booked on rolling 30-day terms with most costs bundled in. Yet only one per cent of surveyed drivers currently have access to such options. As a spokesperson for the BVRLA noted, rental vehicles are still primarily used for short-term gaps, with small and medium-sized enterprises accounting for around half of demand.
Andrew Smith, managing director of Sixt UK, argues that the issue is no longer about cars alone, but about adaptability. Businesses, he says, need mobility solutions that reflect flexible work rather than legacy models. Done right, that could improve satisfaction, efficiency and resilience in an increasingly competitive environment.
For UK workers, the implications are tangible. Using personal vehicles has become the default rather than the exception, often without systems fully reflecting the cost or complexity involved. At The Workers Union, the focus remains on ensuring that changing ways of working do not quietly shift burdens onto individuals without recognition or support.
What is clear is that mobility has become another frontier where work has moved on faster than the structures around it. As flexible working and work life balance become embedded rather than experimental, the pressure will grow for solutions that are fair, flexible and fit for modern working life.
