Not every vehicle doing your work is on your books. When employees drive their own cars for business, that is your grey fleet, and in the eyes of UK health and safety law, your duty of care extends to it just as it does to company vehicles. Here is what a grey fleet is, why it is a risk, and how to manage it.
What Is a Grey Fleet?
A grey fleet is the personal vehicles that employees use for business travel, whether they claim mileage, receive a car allowance, or simply use their own car occasionally. These vehicles are not owned or leased by the business, but the journeys are work, so the responsibility is shared.
Your Duty of Care
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers owe the same duty of care to employees driving their own vehicles for work as to those in company vehicles. That means making sure the vehicle is roadworthy and insured for business use, the driver is licensed and fit to drive, and records of MOT, insurance, and servicing are kept. Organizations with five or more employees must have a written health and safety policy, and because driving is a high-risk activity, it must cover driving for work, including grey fleet.
Why Grey Fleet Is a Risk
- Compliance exposure. If an employee crashes on business in an unroadworthy or wrongly insured car, the employer can be liable.
- Hidden cost. Mileage reimbursement for older, less efficient personal cars is often more expensive than it looks.
- No visibility. Grey fleet vehicles rarely appear in fleet systems, so the risk is invisible until something goes wrong.
- Higher emissions. Older personal vehicles can undermine sustainability targets.
How to Manage Grey Fleet
- Set a policy. Define who may use their own vehicle and under what conditions.
- Check regularly. Verify licenses, business insurance, and MOT status, at least every six months.
- Record it. Keep an auditable trail of checks and approvals.
- Track the cost. Capture grey fleet mileage and cost alongside the rest of your fleet spend.
- Review the mix. Compare grey fleet cost and risk against pool cars or hire alternatives.
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How Fleevo Helps With Grey Fleet
Fleevo brings grey fleet cost and compliance into the same view as the rest of your fleet, so mileage, spend, and document checks are not scattered across spreadsheets and inboxes. You keep an audit-ready record of who is approved to drive, on what basis, and what it costs, alongside your owned and leased vehicles. Explore Compliance and Audit Readiness, or see how it fits a full fleet audit.
Grey Fleet FAQs
What counts as a grey fleet vehicle?
Any personal vehicle an employee uses for business travel, whether they claim mileage, take a car allowance, or use it occasionally. Ownership sits with the employee, but the business journey makes it a shared responsibility.
What is an employer's duty of care for grey fleet?
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers must take reasonable steps to ensure grey fleet vehicles are roadworthy and insured for business, drivers are licensed and fit, and records are kept, the same duty owed for company vehicles.
How often should grey fleet checks be done?
Good practice is to verify driving licenses, business insurance, and MOT status at least every six months, with a written policy and an auditable record of the checks.
