Automotive Business Magazine – Q3 2026 – Digital edition - Flipbook - Page 68
OPI N I O N
FLEET
The SMR
balancing act
A
successful service,
maintenance and repair
(SMR) strategy is vital to
help fleet decision-makers
minimise costs and
vehicle downtime, and
ensure the operation
of an efficient fleet.
Here we will look at
the key considerations a fleet
decision-maker has to make when
determining their approach to
SMR.
To help reduce in-life costs over
the lifespan of fleet vehicles, and
to ensure operational efficiency and
minimised downtime, having an SMR
strategy is vital.
Having it built into the leasing cost
of a fleet means customers can benefit
from budgeted, predictable running
costs, along with the advantages of a
fleet provider’s service level agreements
(SLA), whether through the main dealer
or an independent.
Therefore, if any issues arise, the fleet
provider has the partnership with the
service provider to see that things are
remedied quickly, which removes the
onus from the customer. This emphasises
the importance of having a strong team
to monitor the service provision at all
stages and act accordingly should it fall
outside the SLA.
While each customer’s business
requirement and fleet size are different,
lead time, customer satisfaction and
cost-management are all commonplace
in the decision-making process.
Customers are rightly cost-conscious,
so it’s important for them to understand
the whole in-life cost of maintaining the
vehicle so they can budget accordingly.
Context and transparency are important,
whether you’re managing 10 vehicles or
1,000 vehicles.
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AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS
Q3 2026
Fixed cost or pay-as-you-go?
There is no right or wrong answer when
weighing up the benefits of taking on
a fixed-cost SMR plan or choosing to
pay as you go. The former provides
convenience by consolidating routine
servicing and maintenance using a
fixed cost spread over manageable
instalments. The latter works if you
know your vehicle’s service schedule
and proactively address minor issues to
prevent costly breakdowns.
Either way, having a structured
maintenance schedule prevents
unexpected failures. As a volume fleet
provider, Alphabet has access to a
substantial amount of industry data and
discounts to help reduce the monthly
costs of a SMR plan. More and more
fleets are turning to electric vehicles
(EVs). When comparing an electric to a
