Rental fleet sales spurred a recovery in overall fleet sales in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching the highest level since the automotive sales implosion of the pandemic year 2020.

2025 fleet sales numbered 2,227,876, up 4.8% over 2,125,441 in 2024. 2025 sales also exceeded the 2,179,751 vehicles sold in 2023.

Credit for the recovery goes to rental fleet sales, which reached 1,206,713 cars in 2025, up 16.4% from 1,036,830 in 2024. Rental cars accounted for 54% of total fleet sales in 2025.

“Any given year, rental is the largest fleet segment, so it is not atypical for it to be the largest channel for sales into fleet,” said Zohaib Rahim, senior manager of economic and industry insights for Cox Automotive. “While sales into rental were up modestly for the first half of 2025, growth accelerated in the second half, likely driven by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).”  

The rental segment contrasts sharply with commercial fleet sales, which fell 4% last year. 2025 sales dropped to 781,986 commercial fleet vehicles, down from 814,391 in 2024.

Government fleets recorded the lowest sales in 2025, down 12.8% to 239,177 vehicles sold, from 274,220 in 2024.

Despite the 2025 uptick, combined fleet sales across the commercial, rental, and government segments were below pre-pandemic levels (2019), down around 20% in 2025, Rahim said. He attributed most of the half-decade decline in sales to the rental segment, still below 2019 levels.

December A Better Month For Fleet Segments

While the annual fleet scene was split, all three fleet segments showed sales gains for the month of December 2025, a rarity for the year:

• Rental fleet sales barreled up 17.1% for the month, from 92,386 rental cars sold in 2024 to 108,216 vehicles sold last year. 

• Commercial fleet sales rose to 74,543 vehicles from 64,978 in December 2024.

• Government fleet vehicles, which fared the worst of the three fleet sectors throughout 2025, ended the year on a stronger note, with 22,242 vehicles sold in December, up 5.8% from 21,031 in December 2024.

That resulted in total December fleet sales of 205,001, up 14.9% from 178,395 fleet vehicles sold in December 2024.

December fleet volume increased 15% year-over-year, with truck sales up 17% for the month compared to last year, Rahim said. Fleet sales continued their positive momentum and gains in December, after increasing 18% year over year in November, he added.

2024 Fleet Sales Review

Total U.S. fleet vehicle sales eased by 2.5% in 2024 as OEMs met demand from fleet operations that have since restored fleet sizes after the pandemic, which constricted supply, according to Bobit/Automotive Fleet sales data.

Rental and government fleet vehicles showed slight gains for 2024, which wasn’t enough to offset the larger decline in commercial fleet vehicles sold. Rental fleet vehicles comprised almost half of all fleet vehicle sales in 2024.

Across commercial, rental, and government fleets, total sales in 2024 reached 2,125,441 vehicles, up from 2,179,751 in 2023 and 1,698,656 in 2022. That represents a 2.5% decrease over 2023 but a 20% increase over 2022.

Looking ahead to 2026, Cox Automotive anticipates a decline in fleet sales compared with 2025, as slower economic growth limits demand and weakens the commercial and rental segments, Rahim said. “Those also happen to be the largest segments of fleet. Supply should be relatively stable, as the headwinds are demand-driven.”