Unfortunately, many organisations make decisions based mainly on cost - the lowest purchase price or lease rental. However, although many employers are aware of some of the cost implications of acquiring vehicles, they often fail to address one of the most important questions - are the vehicles 'fit for purpose'?

If they are not, they will not be used effectively and organisations may be left with a few costly white elephants sitting in the car park or have to pay early termination charges.

A key mistake when looking to acquire new vehicles is to start by considering the make, model and list price of the vehicle. The best practice approach would be to work in collaboration with the managers, drivers and key personnel to identify the actual vehicle need, its role/operational requirements, its HR objectives (for perk company cars) and take a stepped approach to identify the most suitable vehicle that is fit for purpose.