Corporate carsharing is a system for sharing vehicles within a fleet, in which multiple employees share access to a single pool of vehicles rather than each having a vehicle assigned to them individually. Each employee reserves a vehicle via an app for as long as needed, unlocks it without a physical key using their smartphone or a badge, and returns it at the end of their trip. The vehicle is immediately available for the next user. This on-demand model replaces permanent vehicle assignments and significantly reduces the number of vehicles needed to meet business mobility needs.

The implementation of carsharing takes place in four steps. Step 1: Audit the actual usage patterns of your current fleet over two to three months, measuring the utilization rate of each vehicle. Step 2: Define the target pool and access rules, distinguishing between vehicles that will remain assigned (sales representatives who travel extensively) and those that will be converted to shared use. Step 3: Equip the vehicles with the selected technology (OEM connection, Fleeti device, connected key cabinet) and configure the platform. Step 4: Roll out the system to employees with a change management phase, typically starting with a pilot site before expanding. Fleeti supports every step with a dedicated project manager, from the initial assessment to multi-site deployment.

A company car is assigned to a specific employee, who has exclusive use of it for business and often personal travel. The vehicle remains assigned to that employee even when they are not using it. The cost is therefore fixed, whether the vehicle is driven 20 days or 5 days a month. In contrast, a shared vehicle is used by multiple employees, who reserve it on demand for as long as they need it. It is not permanently assigned to anyone. This difference in usage explains the observed ratio of three assigned vehicles being replaceable by one shared vehicle: a shared vehicle meets the needs of several successive users over the course of a day, whereas an assigned vehicle spends, on average, 60 to 70 percent of its time parked.

Feedback published by car-sharing providers consistently indicates an average reduction in the fleet size of 25 to 40 percent when transitioning from an assigned fleet to a shared pool, without compromising operational availability. The ratio can reach one shared vehicle for every three assigned vehicles in highly underutilized fleets. The difference depends on several factors: the average utilization rate of the fleet before the transition (between 30 and 40% in France), the proportion of office-based versus traveling executives, and the quality of the preliminary usage audit. For a fleet of 100 vehicles with an annual TCO of 10,000 euros per vehicle, a reduction of 30 vehicles represents 300,000 euros in savings per year, excluding savings on parking and related costs.

Yes, carsharing becomes a viable option when a fleet consists of about ten vehicles. The benefits become apparent as soon as the ratio of vehicles to potential users allows for effective sharing. For small fleets (fewer than 50 vehicles), carsharing is particularly suited to service vehicles used by multiple employees (client visits, errands, site visits), rather than company cars assigned to specific individuals. The access technology is scaled accordingly: a connected key cabinet and three or four equipped vehicles are sufficient to launch an effective service. The return on investment is quick, thanks to the elimination of one to three vehicles in the first year.