Best Fleet Value in America

Toyota scoops up 10 trophies in Vincentric’s fifth annual Best Fleet Value in America awards.

by Staff

May 1, 2010

4 min to read

Vincentric presents its 2010 Best Fleet Value in America awards, the only fleet-specific valuation award of its kind in the automotive industry. Toyota, the automaker that has taken home the most trophies in the award's five-year history, again had a strong showing by winning 10 categories out of 35.

Ford took home eight awards, while General Motors' four brands claimed seven. Premium brand Volvo won three awards. Volkswagen, a newcomer to fleet, took home two trophies.

Chevrolet Impala Police Edition won in a new category, Police Sedan. Ford Transit Connect won in another new category, Mini Commercial Van, a growing segment in the industry.

The well-received, all-new Ford Taurus won the Large Passenger Car category, an important high-volume category for fleet.

Looking back on the awards' five-year history, Chevy Silverado has won every year in the Full Size Heavy Duty 1 Ton Pickup category and four out of five years in the Full Size Pickup, ½ Ton category. Toyota Tacoma won the Compact Pickup award for the fifth year in a row, as has Toyota Camry in the Mid-Size Sedan category.

How the Awards Are Determined

To determine the Best Fleet Value in America awards, Vincentric used its ongoing comprehensive analysis of lifecycle costs to identify the best fleet values in the industry. The company measured eight cost factors for more than 2,000 vehicle configurations in the 2010 model year, with 20 different mileage/lifecycle timeframe scenarios used in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The more than 16 million lifecycle cost measurements that resulted were then reviewed to determine the winning vehicles.

The eight cost factors that determined overall lifecycle costs were depreciation, fuel, insurance, opportunity cost, financing, maintenance, taxes, state fees and repairs. These costs were integrated with the Vincentric fleet price, which estimates the acquisition cost for each vehicle in the study.

"Our awards look to provide guidance to all types of fleet buyers, including small business fleets, executive fleets and high-volume managed fleets. By segmenting awards into entry level, mid-level and premium level vehicles, buyers have guidance for a broad range of fleet vehicles," says David Wurster, president of Vincentric. "In addition, by using 20 different mileage/lifecycle timeframe scenarios, we've taken into account a wide variety of driving and ownership patterns."

Variance in winners from year to year is primarily due to fluctuations in pricing and incentives, as well as changes in residual values. To qualify, manufacturers must meet minimum thresholds based upon commercial and government (non-rental) fleet sales.

The vehicle segments and the winners of Vincentric's Best Fleet Value in America awards for the 2010 model year are listed below. In addition, a review of each winner and further information about the study is available at www.vincentric.com.

2010 Model Year Winners of Vincentric's Best Fleet Value in America Awards

Passenger Cars

Subcompact: Toyota Yaris Sedan

Compact, Hatchback: Toyota Matrix Base

Compact, Sedan: Nissan Versa Base

Compact, Premium: Volvo S40 2.4i

Compact, Advanced Fuel Technology: Toyota Prius I

Mid-Size Sedan: Toyota Camry Base

Mid-Size Sedan, Premium: Audi A4 2.0T FrontTrak

Sedan, Advanced Fuel Technology: Toyota Camry Hybrid

Large: Ford Taurus SE FWD

Large, Premium: Lincoln MKS FWD