Rental fleets and commercial fleets started 2026 with double-digit gains, while government fleets posted a smaller increase, according to monthly fleet sales figures released by Bobit Business Media on Feb. 3. 

Total fleet sales for January built on the momentum that carried over from last year.

Sales gains in the three fleet segments for January 2026 were as follows:

• Rental fleet sales rose 16.1% for the month, from 90,237 rental cars sold in January 2025 to 104,725 vehicles sold last month.

• Commercial fleet sales rose to 57,132 vehicles last month, up from 50,387 in January 2025, a 13.4% increase.

• Government fleet vehicles, which fared the worst of the three fleet sectors throughout 2025, started the year on a modestly positive trend, with 18,028 vehicles sold in January, up 5.1% from 17,148 in January 2025. (Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota did not provide any government fleet numbers for January.)

That resulted in total January fleet sales of 179,885, up 14% from 157,772 in January 2025.

"The rental channel experienced the most significant growth, increasing by 16% over the previous year, which represents the eleventh consecutive month of year-over-year gains in the rental channel," said Zohaib Rahim, senior manager of economic and industry insights for Cox Automotive. "Rental cars keep sedans alive as sales into rental fleets drove all of the total car gains in fleet year-over-year."

Bobit Business Media (BBM), owner of Auto Rental News, compiles fleet sales figures that aggregate data from the three major Detroit-based auto manufacturers, the Asian Big 7 automakers, and VW. The statistics include cars, SUVs, and trucks.