Powering profitability in EV leasing
Unpredictable battery residual values, tighter profit margins, and rising expectations for instant, digital experiences are reshaping the mobility landscape. Belgian and Dutch industry leaders face these challenges daily. At the recent Belgium & Netherlands SOFICO Customer Forum, executives shared their experiences and discussed how they’re responding to this transformation.
Market shifts: Expert predictions & executive validation
Focusing on the EV leasing market, keynote speaker and KPMG automotive expert Stijn de Groen identified four major developments likely to define what’s disruptively moving the industry. Executive feedback demonstrated clear agreement and urgency:
- Services outperform traditional financing: Significant expansion is expected in service packages and remarketing revenues, surpassing those from traditional financing margins. Over 72% of attendees indicated that full-service leasing represents their fastest-growing revenue area, underscoring the need to adapt their business models accordingly.
- Digital sales lead the way: Agency and direct-to-consumer sales models necessitate rapid and accurate quoting capabilities. A substantial 87% of attendees expect online channels to surpass traditional dealerships, reinforcing the critical importance of digitizing leasing and finance processes.
- Battery state-of-health (SoH) is essential: Accurate assessment of battery health is crucial for residual-value management. The audience strongly concurred—86% recognized battery health certifications and extended warranties as key competitive differentiators, highlighting the industry’s urgency to adopt sophisticated battery analytics.
- Collaboration over competition: Competition from emerging OEMs, particularly from China, is clearly influencing market dynamics. Yet 64% of executives indicated a preference for building strategic partnerships over pursuing direct confrontation. This reflects a belief that collaboration, rather than rivalry, offers a more sustainable path to growth.
The consensus is clear: these trends are no longer future projections—they are actively reshaping today’s leasing market and driving decisions across the industry. If you want to stay ahead and remain competitive, now is the time to turn insight into action.
Six moves to make now
To lead through this transition, your organization needs more than awareness—you need action. Based on discussions at the Customer Forum, here are six strategic moves to help you respond effectively:
- Deploy real-time APIs: Deliver instant, consistent quoting and credit decisions across all channels. This increases efficiency and enables seamless customer experiences at every stage.
- Enhance service packages: Bundle additional value-added services such as maintenance, charging, and insurance to increase profitability. As customer expectations evolve, you must also be prepared to support a broader and more diverse product offering—moving beyond one-size-fits-all solutions to meet the needs of different segments more effectively.
- Establish battery health programs: Implement battery state-of-health (SoH) initiatives to protect residual values and build customer trust. These programs will also play a crucial role in enabling multi-cycle lease models by ensuring transparency on vehicle conditions throughout its lifecycle.
- Adopt cloud-native technologies: Transition to scalable, secure, cloud-native platforms for streamlined operations and agile updates. These environments also provide the flexibility to adapt quickly to evolving product portfolios and market conditions—an essential capability as leasing offerings diversify and customer needs become more complex.
- Strengthen your data foundation: Build systems that let you extract insights quickly and confidently. A reliable data layer supports faster decisions, sharper risk management, and long-term value creation.
- Engage with industry peers: Benchmark your approach and refine your roadmap through peer dialogue. SOFICO’s Customer Forums and the Miles Community provide space for this exchange.
Staying ahead through connection
Continuing the right conversations—with peers, with experts, and within your own teams—can turn your strategic intent into lasting impact. Sharing experiences and learning from others is often the most effective way to move forward with clarity and confidence.
Register for the Miles Community to exchange ideas and stay close to what’s happening in the market. Join an upcoming Customer Forum to continue these conversations in person. Want to go deeper? Talk to a SOFICO expert about how these shifts are affecting your business.
