5 KPIs Every Fleet Manager Should Track in 2025

Running a successful fleet operation in 2025 means more than just keeping vehicles on the road. You have to think about efficiency, data-backed decisions, and preventative maintenance and that’s regardless of whether you manage a small delivery fleet or a nationwide operation.

To help you, SmartCheck has put together this guide five primary KPIs that will help you cut costs, boost uptime, and extend vehicle life, so here they are:

1. Vehicle Uptime and Downtime

Nothing impacts productivity like unexpected breakdowns. Tracking uptime against downtime helps you understand how efficiently your fleet is running.

Why it matters: High downtime shows poor preventative maintenance or delayed repairs.

How you can improve it: Schedule routine servicing based on real data, not just mileage. Use your primary maintenance KPIs to identify recurring repair patterns and address them early.

2. Maintenance Cost per Vehicle

Knowing how much you’re spending to keep each vehicle running is one of the most revealing primary maintenance KPIs. It highlights inefficiencies, identifies where money is going and why, and supports smarter budgeting.

How you can calculate: Total Maintenance Cost ÷ Number of Vehicles = Maintenance Cost per Vehicle

Pro tip: If you use SmartCheck to manage your defects you can input the costs for parts, labour or other as well as select the reasoning behind the defect, such as “age related” or “wear and tear”, giving you further insight into why defects are occurring so you help prevent or at least be prepared for future issues and the cost related to that.

3. Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)

MTBF measures how long a vehicle or component operates before a breakdown occurs. It’s one of the most important primary maintenance KPIs for predicting reliability and optimising replacement schedules.

Why it’s essential: A low MTBF could indicate deeper mechanical issues or insufficient maintenance routines.

How to improve it: Implement predictive maintenance tools that use telematics data to forecast when parts are likely to fail.

4. Fuel Efficiency

Fuel remains one of the biggest operational costs in fleet management. Monitoring fuel efficiency per vehicle and per driver can reveal performance gaps and training opportunities.

How it ties into your primary maintenance KPIs: Poor fuel economy often links to neglected maintenance, underinflated tyres, or engine problems all of which can be fixed through consistent KPI tracking.

5. Preventative Maintenance Compliance Rate

Even the best maintenance plan won’t work if it’s not followed. This KPI measures how consistently scheduled maintenance tasks are completed on time.

Why it’s vital: Missed or delayed services lead to breakdowns, higher repair costs, and safety risks.

Be proactive, Track KPIs

Fleet management in 2025 is all about proactive maintenance and smart data tracking. By focusing on these five primary maintenance KPIs, you can keep your vehicles in peak condition, reduce unexpected costs, and make your operations smoother and more sustainable. The more attention you give to your maintenance metrics today, the fewer surprises you’ll face tomorrow.