LONDON, Aug 13 Reuters Low resale values for electric cars have pushed the leasing firms that drive Europe39;s auto market to double prices over the last three years and some are threatening to quit the business altogether if regulators force them to go electric too fast, industry executives say.

The jump in prices for electric car leases comes as cuts in subsidies for new EVs in key markets such as Germany are hitting sales and risks stalling Europe39;s electric transition, just when Brussels wants to step on the accelerator, the executives say.

If we were pushed very, very hard, that everything has to be electric too soon … my shareholders will say 39;we don39;t want to take the risk39; and we39;d be out of the market, said Tim Albertsen, CEO of Ayvens, one of Europe39;s largest auto leasing firms. Let39;s be honest, without us, who will take the risk?

Ayvens, which is majority owned by French bank Societe Generale, has a fleet of 3.4 million cars, of which about 10 are EVs.

Leasing companies play a pivotal role in Europe as 60 of new cars of all fuel types are leased, according to calculations by environmental group Transport Environment based on data from market research firm Dataforce.

When it comes to EVs, the proportion is estimated to be as high as 80.

According to data provided to Reuters by Dataforce, in the 16 European markets where it can identify fleet registrations including Germany, Britain, France and Spain 60 of new EVs go to corporate fleets…