So says Jaama, in response to annual research from the Corporate Vehicle Observatory Barometer, which interviewed more than 4,500 managers across 15 European countries. 

The research revealed that the proportion of organisations running their company cars for longer in the UK was greater than in other European countries – 21% of companies with under 100 employees and 24% of larger companies versus 11% and 18% respectively. 

The company added that this makes a robust online fleet management software system, such as Jaama’s Key2 Vehicle Management technology, essential to deliver efficiency improvements, financial and administrative savings and reduce risk exposure through driver and vehicle compliance management. 

Martin Evans, Jaama’s managing director, said: “Fleet managers can graphically view exactly where vehicle costs deviate from a normal curve up to a spike via Key2’s ‘red’ and ‘green’ graphics and then identify the optimum time to defleet their vehicles. 

“Fleet managers must be mindful that some drivers are more likely to take extra care looking after a new vehicle than an older vehicle, which can also affect operating costs rising at a faster rate towards the end of a vehicle’s life on fleet.” 

Meanwhile, Jaama’s Electronic Driver Services (EDS) module provides a platform for company car drivers to log vehicle mileages, against displayed service and maintenance schedules to ensure a robust compliance process is adopted. 

Jaama added that, once armed with vehicle-related data it is essential that fleet operators use it as the basis for implementing change whether in respect of replacing expensive-to-maintain vehicles, changing operating cycles or using data to maximise vehicle uptime. 

Evans said: “Too many fleet decision-makers become slaves to data capture and then do nothing with it. Collected data should provide a solid basis for taking remedial action in respect of vehicles. Plan, check, and act accordingly should be engrained in the minds of all fleet operators. 

“Critically, do not ignore what data is highlighting. Failing to act on data that has exposed operational weaknesses could prove fatal in the event of an incident and also financially expensive in terms of remedial maintenance.”