Two thirds of the professionals in the consulting industry get a hire-car from their employer. Consultants with a lease car choose for three car brands in almost half of the cases: Volkswagen, Volvo and Renault.

According to data taken from the Consulting Salary Survey 2017, Volkswagen (VW) remains the most sought-after brand of car among the consulting community – though it’s popularity has decreased by as much as 7% over the past four years. The investigation – performed by Consultancy.nl and organisational consultancy Berenschot – saw a sample of more than 700 consultants across the Netherlands surveyed on the compensation and benefit packages. Although VW remains the most popular automotive option within Holland’s consulting market, the German brand has seen Volvo gain ground by 6% since 2013, and Peugeot by 5% over the same period.

The analysis also found that the use of rental cars in the consulting industry has notably declined in recent years. In 2013, 8 out of 10 advisors had a lease car, while this percentage dropped to 65% in 2017. This is mainly due to the increasing awareness among agencies of the need to improve their carbon footprint. While it is now less likely for 'starters and young professionals' to be able to obtain a company car from firms, Millennial entrants into the industry are increasingly choosing to exchange their leasing vehicle for other mobility solutions. Employers are further encouraging this, placing an emphasis on providing alternative, ‘greener’ mobility solutions, with more than three-quarters of consultants at larger consulting offices having access to a public transport card supplied by the business.

Most popular car brands

The average starters in the Dutch consulting industry who do opt for a leasing vehicle drive cars worth an average of € 23,000. Volkswagen, Ford and Renault are the most popular automotive brands in this group of professionals, as they have been for the sector as a whole over the past 4 years. For experienced consultants – senior advisors, directors and partners – meanwhile, the more expensive premium brands Audi and BMW are the most popular.

The differences between the driving choices of the genders are striking. Women prefer VW, Volvo or Peugeot, while male consultants are more likely to be found taking to the roads in an Audi or BMW – which may also link to a disparity in pay as with the previous divide. While male consultants may pick up more expensive brands, the gender pay gap in the Netherlands sees the nation rank 23rd on the PwC Women in Work index, placing it well below the UK (13th) and the fellow Benelux economies (Luxembourg in 7th, Belgium in 12th), suggesting that if they are in line with the national trend, women in the Dutch consulting industry are less likely to be financially empowered by their employers to opt for premium vehicles.