Chestertons’  move to electric vehicles has won national acclaim after it was presented with the “Private Sector Car Fleet of the Year” award at the 2021 GreenFleet Awards, which were held at the British Motor Museum.

Competing with other entrants, including the Co-operative Group and facilities management giant Mitie, Chestertons impressed the judges with its complete switch to electric vehicles in just 18 months, which saw around 70 vehicles replaced with electric BMW i3s.

The judges agreed that Chestertons had demonstrated a successful reduction in CO₂ and other pollutants through fuel efficiency programmes, green fleet management and driver awareness training.

Michelle Keller, Chestertons fleet manager, said: “This is the first time that an estate agency has been recognised by these awards and we are absolutely delighted to have won. Converting our entire fleet to electric vehicles has had its challenges but we know that it’s the right thing to do and we are very proud to be doing our bit to reduce carbon emissions and improve London’s air quality.”

Guy Gittins, CEO of Chestertons, added:  “I am extremely pleased that Chestertons has scored so highly with the judges of the prestigious Green Fleet Award. I hope that the award win and our initiatives will encourage others in the industry to follow suit and bring more awareness to the climate crises that we are all facing.”

With around 70 electric vehicles on the road across London, Chestertons has calculated that it will have now reduced its tailpipe CO2 emissions by 2,925kgs (183 tonnes) per year.

Angela Pisanu, editor of GreenFleet, commented: “Chestertons has become the first large estate agent in the UK to convert its entire fleet of company cars to electric, after they replaced their previous petrol-fuelled fleet with electric BMW i3s. This, coupled with Chestertons’ Net Zero Carbon status, made them the judge’s unanimous choice for GreenFleet’s Private Sector Fleet of the Year.”