Operating Costs

A fleet's operating costs are the day-to-day expenses of keeping its vehicles on the road. They cover energy, maintenance, tires, insurance, annual taxes, parking, fines and management time. Separate from the investment, they combine with it to make up each vehicle's total cost of ownership.

What is the difference between operating costs and investment?

Investment is the acquisition of the vehicle: purchase, fit-out, putting it into service. Operating costs, often called OpEx, recur for as long as the vehicle is on the road.

Where the line falls depends on how the vehicle is financed. With long-term leasing, the lease payment becomes a running expense that sometimes includes maintenance. With a purchase, accounting depreciation spreads the vehicle's price over its useful life.

Adding the two together gives the total cost of ownership (TCO). It is the only indicator that lets you compare two vehicles or two ways of financing them.

What are a fleet's operating cost items?

The table below lists the items to track, their type and what to watch for each one. The figures link to their official source, in French.

Item	Type	What makes it vary	What to watch
Fuel or energy	Variable	Mileage, driving style, tire pressure	In town, aggressive driving uses up to 20% more than smooth driving (ADEME)
Maintenance and repairs	Variable	Mileage, age, sticking to the maintenance plan	First roadworthiness test (contrôle technique) before the 4th anniversary, then every 2 years (Service-public.fr)
Tires	Variable	Mileage, pressure, tire type	Underinflation of 0.3 bar means 1.2% higher fuel consumption (ADEME)
Insurance	Fixed	Claims history, cover chosen, use	Third-party liability is mandatory as long as the vehicle is in running order (Service-public.fr)
Annual taxes	Fixed	Emissions, energy, how long the vehicle is assigned	CO2 tax and air pollutant tax, declared the following year (Service-public.fr)
Parking	Variable	Routes, areas served	To be assigned to the vehicle and the job
Fines and post-parking charges (forfaits post-stationnement)	Variable	Behavior, how trips are organized	The driver must be designated within 45 days (Service-public.fr)
Claims	Variable	Road risk, deductibles	Count the deductible and the downtime
Administration	Fixed	Fleet size, tools used	Time spent entering data, following up, reconciling

How do taxes weigh on running costs?

In France, companies that use passenger cars or certain light commercial vehicles for their business pay two annual taxes: the tax on CO2 emissions and the tax on air pollutant emissions. They replaced the company vehicle tax (TVS).

According to Service-public.fr, they are declared in an annex to the VAT return, in January under the standard regime (régime réel normal). Under the simplified regime, the taxes go on the annual VAT return (form no. 3517), which must be filed before May 3 for a financial year ending December 31. In both cases, payment is made when the return is filed. Vehicles running solely on electricity or hydrogen are exempt from the CO2 tax.

Since March 1, 2025, an annual incentive tax (taxe annuelle incitative) has also applied to fleets of at least 100 vehicles (BOFiP). Its amount depends on the gap between the share of low-emission vehicles and a national target. Our greening tax simulator helps you estimate it.

How can you reduce operating costs?

• Measure by vehicle: assigning every expense to a license plate reveals the vehicles that cost too much.
• Match fill-ups against mileage: the gap between fuel bought and distance driven reveals fuel card anomalies.
• Train drivers in eco-driving: smooth driving reduces fuel consumption, wear and claims.
• Stick to the maintenance plan: a missed due date ends in a breakdown, downtime or a re-inspection (contre-visite).
• Designate drivers on time: otherwise, the company faces a fixed fine of €675 per offense (Service-public.fr).
• Right-size the fleet: a little-used vehicle keeps its fixed costs. Sharing it spreads them over more trips; taking it out of the fleet eliminates them.

To go further, our cost optimization entry details each lever.

How Dadycar helps

With the Fleet plan, Dadycar centralizes the operating expenses of each vehicle: fuel and fuel cards, maintenance, claims, ANTAI traffic offenses. Maintenance plans and due-date alerts prevent costly delays.

The dashboard tracks fuel, expenses and cost allocation. The anomaly engine flags cases of fraud, inconsistent data and deviations from the contract.

Donna, the AI agent, audits costs, claims and fines from the account's data. To project the full cost of a vehicle, use our TCO calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Is a long-term lease payment an operating cost?

Yes, from a management point of view: it is a recurring expense as long as the vehicle is on the road. Depending on the contract, it may include maintenance, roadside assistance or tires. Check what is covered so you don't count the same item twice.

What is a fleet's biggest operating cost item?

It depends on mileage, the vehicles and how they are financed. A high-mileage fleet costs mostly in energy and maintenance; a little-used fleet, in fixed costs. Only tracking by vehicle gives the answer for your fleet.

Do you need to insure a vehicle that is off the road?

Yes, in France, as long as it is in running order, according to Service-public.fr. The insurance must cover at least third-party liability. A spare vehicle, or one waiting to be sold, therefore remains a fixed cost to track.