Fleet Fuel Savings Checklist: 8 Ways to Cut Fuel Costs

To reduce fleet fuel costs, work through eight areas: speed, idling, tyres, routing, load, vehicle choice, fuel cards and telematics data. Speed is the one with firm figures: a diesel van uses 14.5% less fuel per mile at 60 mph than 68 mph (DfT). Diesel was 199.22p a litre in the week of 26 October 2026.

What is a fleet fuel savings checklist?

It is a short list of the places fuel gets wasted, each with one thing to measure so you know whether it is working. Fuel is bought every week, so a small gain repeats every week. At 199.22p a litre, a diesel van doing 25,000 miles a year at 36 mpg burns 3,157 litres costing £6,289. Each 1% saved is worth £63 a van, £1,258 across 20 vans.

Measure first, then change one thing at a time, so you can see what moved the number. The prices below come from the DESNZ weekly road fuel prices. Our existing fleet fuel savings calculator is a good place to start your baseline.

1. Are your drivers going faster than they need to?

Check the speed on fast roads first, because it carries the largest published saving. The Department for Transport’s fuel consumption curves (TAG data book, v2.03, May 2026) show fuel saved per mile at the lower speed:

Vehicle	70 to 60 mph	68 to 60 mph
Diesel van	not covered	14.5%
Petrol van	16.1%	12.6%
Diesel car	9.6%	7.5%
Petrol car	8.9%	6.8%

Measure: the share of miles driven above your target speed, by vehicle. Multiply it by litres used and the percentage above. A worked example is here: 20 diesel vans with 35% of miles at 68 mph save about £6,384 a year at 60 mph. A speed limiter holds the cap automatically.

2. How much time is spent idling?

Idling burns fuel for no miles. Engines left running while loading, waiting or parked are the usual cause.

Measure: idle hours per vehicle per week, from telematics or engine hours against trip hours. Set a target and review it monthly.

3. Are tyres at the right pressure?

Under-inflated tyres drag and wear faster. Check against the vehicle handbook.

Measure: the date and result of every pressure check, and the share of vehicles found below spec at each check. Compare tyre replacement intervals over time.

4. Are routes and drops planned well?

Fewer miles and less stop-start traffic mean less fuel. Look for out-and-back jobs that could be combined and rounds that cross.

Measure: miles per drop or per job, and litres per drop. Compare the planned route miles with the miles actually driven.

5. Are vehicles carrying weight they do not need?

Racking, tools and stock that stay in the vehicle all week add weight to every mile. Roof bars add drag when nothing is on them.

Measure: a quarterly audit of what each vehicle type carries against what the job requires, and fuel per mile before and after clearing out.

6. Is each job done by the right vehicle?

A larger or older vehicle than the job needs burns more per mile. Vehicle choice at replacement fixes this for years.

Measure: real fuel cost per mile by vehicle model, using actual fuel records, not the brochure figure. Pence per mile is the pence-per-litre price multiplied by 4.54609 and divided by mpg: a diesel van at 36 mpg costs 25.2p a mile at 199.22p a litre, and a petrol van at 32 mpg costs 24.7p at 174.07p.

7. Are fuel cards controlled?

Fuel cards are where fuel leaks that is not driving: fills for non-fleet vehicles, containers, or private use.

Measure: litres bought against the tank size of the vehicle, miles driven between fills, and card use outside normal hours or locations. Any fill larger than the tank deserves a look.

8. Is your telematics data actually being used?

Data that nobody reads saves nothing. Telematics can report speed, idling, harsh braking and routes, but the driver still decides how to drive.

Measure: how many exception reports you review, how many lead to a conversation, and whether the metric moves afterwards. See how limiter, telematics and training compare.

How do I know the checklist is working?

Track litres per 100 miles, or mpg, per vehicle and for the fleet, monthly, using the same method each time. Fuel price moves week to week (diesel hit a series high of 200.04p in the week of 12 October 2026), so judge progress on litres, not pounds. Convert to pounds at the end with the current price.

For a view of how fuel price is hitting fleets right now, read diesel at £2 a litre.

Which item on the checklist should I do first?

Start with the one with a number behind it. Speed is the only item here with published fuel curves, and a speed limiter takes the driver’s memory out of it. The 2009 CE Delft study for Novem covered 177 vans and 30 trucks of 3.5 to 12 tonnes in 16 companies over a year and found a 5% average fuel saving. We do not have a published figure to give you for the other seven. Measure them yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I reduce fleet fuel costs quickly?

Start with top speed on motorways and dual carriageways, then idling. Speed has published figures: a diesel van uses 14.5% less fuel per mile at 60 mph than at 68 mph (Department for Transport). Idling needs telematics or engine hours to measure.

What are the best fuel saving tips for a fleet?

Cap speed, cut idling, check tyre pressures, plan routes, carry less, choose the right vehicle for the job, control fuel cards and use your telematics data. Measure each against a baseline so you can see what works.

How much can a fleet save on fuel?

It depends on the fleet. The CE Delft trial recorded a 5% average saving from speed limiters across 207 vehicles over a year. A utility firm in a Transport Engineer report saw a 24.72% improvement with Rev.Control on 19 vehicles over six months. Treat both as examples, not promises.

How do I measure fuel efficiency for a fleet?

Use litres per 100 miles or mpg per vehicle, calculated from fuel records and odometer or telematics mileage. Compare the same vehicles month to month, and keep route and load changes in mind.

Does a speed limiter save fuel on its own?

It saves fuel on the miles that would otherwise be driven above the cap. It does not change idling, tyres or routing, so it works best as one item on a wider checklist.

Cut your fleet’s fuel bill

Find your own number with the speed and fuel calculator. It takes your vehicle type, mileage and the share of fast miles and shows the litres and pounds at a lower cap.

A speed cap is the checklist item with the clearest evidence. The Department for Transport’s fuel consumption curves show a diesel van using 14.5% less fuel per mile at 60 mph than at 68 mph, and the saving for your fleet depends on how many of your miles are driven above the cap.

Talk to us. If you want the cap and the data, TrackSpeed combines a speed limiter and GPS tracking in one device, one installation and one subscription. Book a free consultation or get a quote.