Fleet bosses are being forced to think green as rocketing fuel prices and tighter tax rules limit their vehicle choice.

Not only has the price at the pump soared - with some areas reporting a 5p leap in the space of 48hrs last week - but regulation introduced in the Budget means that fleet owners are now punished heavily if their cars or vans pollute extensively.

Renault fleet boss Keith Hawes is among those reporting a change in direction although he does not feel the present demand for green cars is overwhelming.

“If a finance director is looking at his fleet, he would be doing the analysis of what cars are most fuel-efficient. And there will be a point at which they’re going to look at changing their fleets,” commented Hawes.

“The 160g/km limit has not had an impact yet, but will on lease and rental rates.”

Despite the likes of Ford, Vauxhall and Volkswagen reporting a high take-up for their eco-friendly green cars, Hawes believes that demand is yet to take off with Renault but doubtless will in the future.

Hawes said: “We have the Eco2 brand. It is not a specific model in each range it just has to meet three criteria: less than 140g/km CO2, built at an eco factory meeting an environmental ISO, and has to be a minimum of 95 per cent recyclable.

“We don’t have a Bluemotion, but we do have 37 cars in our Eco2 range. Eco2 is a label, not a badge. Going green should be everything you produce, not a specific model.”

For more information on green cars, visit thegreencarwebsite.co.uk.