01
The cost of one idle day
Depreciation, insurance, road tax and yard space: what a vehicle that does not go out really weighs.
Free guide
What does an idle vehicle really cost you?
We send you the spreadsheet we use with rental companies to measure fleet utilisation, margin per group and the hours lost between one return and the next.
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Updated 9 September 2026 · by Riccardo Lo Giudice, developer of NoloForWeb
The method
How to calculate the cost of an idle vehicle
An idle vehicle costs you twice: what you pay anyway, and what you do not earn when someone would have rented it. These are the formulas, with a van as an example.
| Item | How it is calculated | Example: 3.5 t van |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed cost of one day | (lease or depreciation + insurance + road tax + yard space) ÷ 365 | (€4,800 + €1,500 + €300 + €600) ÷ 365 = €19.70 |
| Lost margin | Average daily rate − variable rental costs (cleaning, wear, consumables) | €75 − €12 = €63 |
| Cost of one idle day | Fixed cost + lost margin; only the fixed cost if nobody would have rented it | €19.70 + €63 = €82.70 |
| Group utilisation | Days rented ÷ days available in the group over the period | 216 ÷ (10 vans × 30 days) = 72% |
| Time lost between rentals | Hours between return and next departure − hours of preparation needed | 30 h − 6 h = 24 hours lost per turnaround |
The example figures are indicative: replace them with your own costs and rates, or use the spreadsheet we send you.
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What is inside
02
Utilisation by group
Which groups actually work and which are only taking up space.
03
The time between two rentals
Cleaning, checks and late returns: where the half days disappear.