One size doesn't fit all
When looking at harmonizing car policies and fleet policies across countries, there are a number of important factors to take into account.
Firstly, it is clear that some countries have preference for their domestic brands. The size of market share held by Fiat in Italy, or the three domestic French brands in France, amply demonstrates this. So be ready to accommodate this in your policies.
Policies are also very much driven by local taxation… Benefit in Kind, VAT deductibility, CO2 taxes. These should be taken into account before you ‘impose’ something.
And as we move from one country to another, we see differences in money being spent on cars according to these local conditions, and hence some countries have larger vehicles than others. But even though the list price may be similar, the treatment of taxes may make the TCO quite different. Normally though, and despite benefit in kind taxation, cars remain a better option for the employee than receiving monetary compensation. But beware – one size rarely fits all…