SEAT is currently the fastest growing manufacturer in the fleet market after enjoying its most successful first quarter ever.

In the opening three months of 2017, the Spanish VW Group-owned brand saw a 32 per cent rise in overall fleet sales, spearheaded by an 86 per cent increase in true fleet sales.

This followed four consecutive years of true fleet sales growth as SEAT strengthened its range with new versions of the Leon [pictured] and Alhambra and the introduction of the Mii city car and the Ateca – the brand’s first ever SUV.

SEAT’s motability volume was also up by 440 per cent in the first quarter of 2017, compared to the same period a year earlier.

Peter McDonald, head of fleet and business sales at SEAT UK, believes the new Ateca SUV – which counts the Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage amongst its rivals – has attracted a lot of attention to the brand.

He commented: “Ateca is a fantastic product in the most important growth segment in the market, but more significantly, it has broadened our brand product portfolio.”

Mr McDonald added that the Ateca had gifted SEAT with the scale and desirability in the fleet market to win new customers.

SEAT’s fleet success isn’t just down to the models though, the brand has invested in the fleet channel with the introduction of new initiatives like the four-day-test-drive programme and its Fleet Excellence scheme, which strengthens investment at the dealer level.

Following the Leon’s facelift earlier this year, the rest of 2017 will mark the arrival of a new generation Ibiza and the Juke-sized Arona SUV.

Ben Robb, brand manager at The Fuelcard People, adds: “SEAT has put a lot of work into winning over fleet customers and it has clearly paid off. With new fleet-friendly models in the pipeline, we expect their success to continue for some time.”