Car scheme or lease scheme: what is the difference?
In practice the terms car scheme and lease scheme are used interchangeably: they refer to the same document, namely the rules around the company lease car. The car scheme is part of your broader mobility policy, which also covers the bicycle, public transport and any mobility budget.
Whatever you call it, the goal is the same: make clear in advance who is entitled to what, so you avoid ad-hoc agreements and exceptions afterwards that make cost and management unnecessarily complex.
What does a car scheme cover?
Parts of the scheme
- Role categories and who is entitled to a car.
- The budget per category, substantiated against the market.
- Personal contribution and the rules for a car above the budget.
- Fuel, charging and the choice for electric or a CO2 limit.
- Private use, the taxable benefit and the no-private-use statement.
- Damage, excess and the agreements on return.
- Duration, mileages and excess and shortfall mileage.
The budget: market-aligned and explainable
The budget is the heart of the scheme. Set it too low and you get unhappy employees and exceptions; set it too high and you structurally overpay. The solution is to substantiate the budget per category with current market data, so the amount is fair and stays correct.
How we draw up the scheme
- Inventory of the current scheme and the pain points.
- Benchmark of the budgets per role category.
- Design of the scheme, aligned with your mobility policy.
- Coordination with HR and, where needed, the works council.
- Implementation, communication and periodic updates.