The finalists in the Fleet News Group Vehicle Awards demonstrate the diversity of vehicles now being selected and operated by Australian fleets.
Within the Fleet Car of the Year category, a sedan may be evaluated alongside small and medium SUVs. The Fleet EV Car of the Year category may include passenger vehicles, vans and utes, while the Fleet Light Commercial Vehicle of the Year category can bring together vans, cab-chassis models and other purpose-built commercial vehicles.
This is intentional.
The awards are not designed to identify the best vehicle within a narrowly defined market segment. They aim to identify the vehicles that deliver the strongest overall value to fleet buyers.
Fleet buyers choose vehicles for different jobs
A fleet is rarely made up of one type of vehicle.
Organisations may need passenger cars for employees travelling between offices, SUVs for regional or mixed-road use, vans for service delivery, utes for operational work and electric vehicles to support emissions-reduction targets.
These vehicles perform different roles, but they must still meet many of the same fleet requirements.
They need to be safe, financially sustainable, practical for employees, supported by the manufacturer and suitable for the work they are expected to perform.
The Fleet News Group Vehicle Awards therefore assess the overall fleet value delivered by each model rather than limiting every category to a single body style or traditional market segment.
Making different vehicles comparable
The awards use Best Value Analysis to provide a structured way of assessing vehicles with different designs, prices and purposes.
Best Value Analysis recognises that the lowest-priced vehicle is not automatically the best fleet choice. It considers the broader combination of cost, capability, safety, sustainability, support and driver suitability.
Importantly, the process does not directly compare the operating cost of a small passenger vehicle with the operating cost of a ute or commercial van.
For the whole-of-life cost assessment, each vehicle is first compared with relevant peers from its own market segment. Small vehicles are compared with other small vehicles, medium vehicles with other medium vehicles, and utes and vans with similar commercial vehicles.
This provides a fairer assessment of whether a vehicle delivers strong financial value for the type of work it is designed to perform.
The vehicle’s segment-adjusted result can then form part of the broader Best Value Analysis used to assess nominations within each award category.
Common criteria across every vehicle
While the finalists may come from different market segments, they are assessed against fleet requirements that apply across the industry.
The Best Value Analysis considers:
- Whole-of-life cost, including servicing, maintenance, tyres, brakes and energy use
- Safety and sustainability
- Manufacturer commitment to fleet customers
- Market acceptance and car park or driveway appeal
- Workplace ergonomics and suitability for drivers
These criteria allow the awards to consider whether each vehicle performs its intended role effectively while also delivering value to the organisation operating it.
A sedan does not need to offer the cargo space of a van, and a van is not expected to deliver the same driving characteristics as a passenger SUV. Each vehicle must instead demonstrate that it provides a strong fleet solution within its intended application.
Why the EV category is especially diverse
The range of finalists in the Fleet EV Car of the Year category reflects the expanding role of battery-electric vehicles within fleets.
Electric vehicles are no longer limited to passenger cars and urban SUVs. They are increasingly being developed for delivery, service, trade and operational applications.
This means an electric passenger SUV, commercial van and dual-cab ute can all be relevant contenders for the same award, despite serving very different users.
They are not being judged on which one is universally better than the others. The assessment considers which vehicle provides the strongest combination of value, capability and fleet suitability for the role it is designed to perform.
Categories reflect fleet applications, not body styles
Manufacturers were invited to nominate vehicles for the award categories in which they believed each model was most relevant.
Some vehicles could potentially qualify for more than one category. An electric van, for example, may be relevant to both the electric vehicle and light-commercial vehicle categories.
Where this occurred, the category nominated by the manufacturer was used to determine where the vehicle would be assessed.
This approach reflects the changing vehicle market, where traditional boundaries between passenger, commercial and electric vehicles are becoming less rigid.
The judges will assess the complete fleet proposition
The Best Value Analysis was used to identify the three finalists in each category. The final decision will be made by the Fleet News Group judging panel during the two-day vehicle evaluation in August.
The judges are experienced fleet buyers and fleet management professionals.
They will drive and inspect the finalists, considering how each vehicle performs its intended role and whether it delivers the overall qualities required by fleet operators and drivers.
The winning vehicle in each category will not necessarily be the cheapest, the largest, the fastest or the most highly equipped.
It will be the vehicle judged to provide the best overall value for fleet applications.
That is why the finalists can come from different market segments while still competing for the same award.
