Fleet and business vehicle disposal

Why fleets end up underselling

Most business disposal defaults to whatever is easiest: trading against the replacement, or sending everything to auction. Both are convenient and both cost money in ways that do not show up on a single line item.

A trade-in bundles the disposal price into a purchase negotiation, where a generous trade figure and a smaller discount look identical on the contract. An auction carries entry fees, commission and no guarantee of a sale, plus you deliver the vehicle and collect it again if it passes in.

How it works for multiple vehicles

• Submit vehicles individually or as a batch, with fleet numbers and cost centres if you use them
• Each vehicle is priced independently by licensed dealers, so mixed fleets are not averaged down by the weakest unit
• Written offers with a validity period, which is what a finance team needs for a defensible disposal record
• Vehicles can be collected from multiple sites, including regional and interstate locations
• Settlement by transfer, with remittance documentation per vehicle

Novated leases, chattel mortgages and vehicles with a residual are all handled the same way as retail: the financier is paid out directly and the balance is settled with you.

Getting the timing right

Vehicles held past their disposal point cost twice: depreciation continues and reconditioning grows. The practical approach is to submit at the decision point rather than after the replacement arrives, so you have a real number to plan against and can time collection to your changeover.

For end of financial year disposal, submit in May rather than late June. Commercial vehicle demand firms up ahead of 30 June, and settling before the cutoff is materially easier than settling in the final week.