It’s a wrap for this year’s Great British Fleet Event and Awards – but the praise and plaudits for last week’s show keep pouring in.
Held at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes, the event gathered together UK car and van operators with some of the UK’s foremost fleet experts for a truly incredible day for the sector.
Highlights included the UK debut of the striking Canoo Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle (LDV) electric van – already successfully used by NASA, Walmart and the US postal service and clearly much in demand by UK fleets judging by the reaction on the day.
The incoming MG Cyberster electric sports car also caused a big stir ahead of its launch here later this spring.
Other headturners included Volvo’s new EX30 small SUV, Honda’s new CR-V Plug-in Hybrid and the all-electric e:Ny1, Mazda’s MX-30 R-EV range-extended crossover and the BMW iX2 and i5 Touring. And the highlights included the newly launched Ford Explorer electric SUV and the all-electric Mini Cooper.
It wasn’t just the vehicle makers making a big splash though. Northgate used the event to unveil its new micromobility programme to great acclaim – offering solutions including electric utility vehicles and eCargo bikes.
Geotab launched its ground-breaking new EV report at the show – revealing that the UK is the most suited market in Europe for electric vehicles. And that two-thirds (66%) of UK light vehicles currently operated by private and public sector organisations are ready to go electric.
And Driving for Better Business, the free-to-access government-backed National Highways programme, debuted its new Driving for Work Policy Builder tool.
The event also included a highly popular breakfast briefing roundtable event for delivery fleets, held in association with Paragon from Aptean.
The Masterclass conference sessions were heavily attended as well – including talks from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) within the Department for Transport, plus National Highways, DPDgroup, EY, Diode and many others.
Then it was onto the venue’s ballroom for a glass of champers, three-course meal and the reveal of the winners in the evening’s Great British Fleet Awards 2024 – celebrating the decision-makers, suppliers, cars and vans breaking new ground in the fleet sector.
Winners included Volkswagen as the Fleet Manufacturer of the Year and BYD as the Fleet Rising Star. .Meanwhile, Stellantis took the Van Manufacturer of the Year crown while Canoo was named ‘One to Watch’. The awards also included a guest talk from top rugby referee and barrister Wayne Barnes.
A big thank you to all our visitors, exhibitors and sponsors for truly making this the biggest and best Great British Fleet Event yet.
But don’t take our word for it – here’s just some of the feedback.
“Thank you for putting on another brilliant event. We had some mega conversations – so thanks for facilitating more work for us to do! Big fan of you guys and the work you do – you should all be super proud.”
Dan Lawrence-Eyre, Co-Founder & COO at Diode
“The event, with a sharp focus on the EV transition and fleet cost control, was very well-attended by a mixture of lessors, rental companies and OEMs, as well as EV charging solutions providers.
“Fascinating to hear plenty of engaging discussion and debate around the challenges facing the UK in pursuit of mass EV uptake, total cost of ownership (TCO) and the importance of data in fleet management.
“There was a magnificent selection of new electric vehicles on offer too, including some that were especially eye-catching!
“Thanks again to everyone who made it such a great spectacle of an event. I will definitely be back next year.”
Mark Main, UK Transport Lead at EY
The date for GBFE 2025 has also been announced – next year’s event will take place on 8 May, returning to the Marshall Arena, MK.
We look forward to seeing you there!
