Practical guide
Keeping the fleet register in Excel: what it allows and its limits
A spreadsheet is often enough for a small, stable fleet: it is free and flexible. Its limits show when changes multiply, the broker keeps a separate copy and you need to prove an announcement or reconcile a statement.
What a spreadsheet does well
It costs nothing extra, everyone can use it and it adapts to any column. For a small fleet that rarely changes, that is often enough.
Its concrete limits
The company's and the broker's copies drift apart. An edited cell keeps neither a date nor proof of announcement. Prorata formulas have to be written and maintained, convention by convention.
Deadlines are not watched, and nothing matches the vehicle list against the insurer's statement.
When to move to a dedicated register
When the fleet changes often, when several people keep the list, or when a statement has already brought a surprise. The ten question diagnostic helps you assess your register.
Spreadsheet or dedicated register
- Topic
- Cost and flexibility
- Spreadsheet
- Free, any columns
- Dedicated register
- Subscription, set structure
- Topic
- Copy shared with the broker
- Spreadsheet
- Separate copies that drift apart
- Dedicated register
- One shared register
- Topic
- Date and proof of announcement
- Spreadsheet
- No trace of the edit
- Dedicated register
- Time-stamped, sealed change, acknowledgement tracked
- Topic
- Prorata calculation
- Spreadsheet
- Formulas to write and maintain
- Dedicated register
- Contract convention applied
- Topic
- Deadlines
- Spreadsheet
- Watched by yourself
- Dedicated register
- Plate deposit, termination and renewal watched
- Topic
- Statement check
- Spreadsheet
- Manual reconciliation
- Dedicated register
- Statement checked line by line
| Topic | Spreadsheet | Dedicated register |
|---|---|---|
| Cost and flexibility | Free, any columns | Subscription, set structure |
| Copy shared with the broker | Separate copies that drift apart | One shared register |
| Date and proof of announcement | No trace of the edit | Time-stamped, sealed change, acknowledgement tracked |
| Prorata calculation | Formulas to write and maintain | Contract convention applied |
| Deadlines | Watched by yourself | Plate deposit, termination and renewal watched |
| Statement check | Manual reconciliation | Statement checked line by line |
Start with the register template
A workbook for your vehicles, control plates, changes and covers. Or take the ten question diagnostic first.
Frequently asked questions
Further reading
Flottaris gives no insurance advice and disputes nothing on your behalf. The rules that apply are those of your policy; your broker remains your contact.