Most company car drivers don't see service and maintenance of their vehicles as their responsibility and ignore problems, resulting in unnecessary wear and tear charges at the end of the lease contract.

A survey from Venson Automotive Solutions has revealed that 58% of company car drivers think service and maintenance is their employer's responsibility. More detailed questions showed only 52% top up water coolants, only 53% check oil levels and only 66% keep tyres up to pressure. And 28% even ignore warning lights on the dashboard.

Gil Kelly, Operations Director at Venson, said the upshot of this was that fleet managers had to pick up the bill for poorly maintained and serviced vehicles at the end of the lease.

'This could be avoided if fleet managers, with the support of their fleet provider, communicate about service and maintenance responsibilities throughout the term of the lease to reduce wear and tear costs,' she said.

'By encouraging regular maintenance checks, businesses can identify issues early. This should include pre-collection inspections, prior to the end of a contract, to allow any damage to be identified and rectified.'

She said fleet managers could even consider implementing a policy which fined company car drivers when service and maintenance issues were not reported.

How to reduce wear and tear charges

  • Use regular vehicle checks to spot issues early
  • Consider charging drivers for unreported incidents
  • Ensure fleet provider has a clearly defined end of contract damage process
  • Regularly communicate and educate drivers on what needs reporting
  • Use pre-collection inspections to identify issues before contracts end
  • Use driver training to encourage safe driving which will reduce accidental damage