Next year’s fleet order is placed. Now what? 

Fall factory orders are in, or close to it, for a lot of fleets. It’s easy to treat that as the finish line. But placing an order doesn’t mean the evaluation is over. It opens a planning window, the months before the next renewal, to build the data and the case for what the fleet looks like the next time around. 

New model-year pricing and higher fuel costs are adding weight to that case. Here’s what’s worth doing with this window, and the questions worth asking before the next lease cycle rolls around. 

Ordering vehicles does not mean the evaluation is over. It creates a planning window. 

What just got locked in 

If your fleet ordered into these list price increases, those acquisition costs can shape vehicle spend for years to come. 

*2026.5 Rogue; 2027 pricing pending. All prices are MSRP including destination.

For example, a 2,000-vehicle fleet that replaces a quarter of its vehicles in a year is placing about 500 orders. If those orders split evenly across these three models, the average list-price increase of about $267 per vehicle adds up to roughly $133,000, before options, taxes, financing and upfitting. It’s one more data point for the total cost of ownership case. 

Fuel is adding to the total cost picture 

As of September 24, U.S. regular gasoline is up about 42% year over year, $4.48 a gallon compared with $3.16 a year earlier, according to AAA. Higher fuel prices may have pushed this year’s selector toward better MPG, but efficiency alone doesn’t remove fuel volatility, depreciation, insurance costs or vehicles sitting underused in the fleet, all worth tracking for the next renewal. 

Four things worth doing before the next renewal 

• Identify which roles truly require a company car versus which could work with personal-vehicle reimbursement at the next renewal. 

• Understand the total cost and risk profile of the fleet you just ordered while there’s time to collect real data and build the business case. 

• Test a phased approach: transition a clearly defined group at this natural point instead of attempting a wholesale change overnight. 

• Engage Finance, Fleet, HR and Risk early so the next lease cycle is an intentional program decision, not an automatic renewal. 

Why it’s worth building the case now 

At the next replacement cycle, eligible driver populations can move from company cars to reimbursement for the business use of personal vehicles. Employees can choose their own vehicle while the company keeps standards for age, safety, insurance monitoring and efficiency. Building that case now, while this year’s fleet data is fresh, gives you a head start on the next renewal. 

How to build the business case, role by role 

This doesn’t have to be a multi-month project. A useful first pass takes three steps: 

• Pull annual mileage by role. Start with the highest-mileage roles since they carry the biggest numbers, then run the same reimbursement comparison across the rest of the fleet. 

• Model reimbursement for that group. An independent Aon study found Fixed and Variable Rate (FAVR) reimbursement running 17 to 20% less per driver than a leased company car. 

• Weigh this against what this year’s fleet cost, including the pricing increases above. That comparison is what makes the case at the next renewal.
   

The question worth asking before the next lease cycle 

This order is placed, but the next one isn’t. Not every role requires a company car. For the roles that don’t, the next renewal can be a decision instead of a default. 

Interested in exploring alternative solutions to company cars? Let’s talk. 

Sources: AAA Fuel Prices  |  2027 Chevrolet Equinox  |  2027 Ford F-150 pricing  |  2027 Toyota Camry pricing  |  2026 Toyota Camry pricing  |  2026.5 Nissan Rogue pricing