Carbon blind spots are making fleet decarbonisation harder than it needs to be

July 21, 2026

Most fleet managers have emissions targets to meet.

But far fewer have complete confidence in the data they're using to measure progress.

As fleets become more complex, with company cars, vans, EVs, grey fleet vehicles and multiple charging locations, accurately measuring emissions has become a challenge in its own right. Without a complete picture, it's difficult to know where carbon is being produced, which initiatives are making a difference or where to focus investment next.

The pressure to report is growing

Carbon reporting is no longer reserved for sustainability teams.

Customers, procurement teams, investors and regulators increasingly expect businesses to demonstrate how they're reducing emissions. Larger organisations must already report greenhouse gas emissions under Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) rules, while many smaller fleets are being asked for emissions data as part of tenders and wider ESG commitments.

The data is often scattered across multiple systems

For many fleet managers, the challenge isn't collecting data. It's bringing it together.

Emissions information is often spread across:

Fuel cards and telematics
EV charging, maintenance records and grey fleet mileage

As electrification grows, that picture becomes even more complicated, particularly when vehicles are charged at home, on-site and on the public network.

Many fleets still don't have a clear picture

Alphabet's 2026 European Fleet Emissions Monitor found that 68.4% of UK companies now monitor fleet CO₂ emissions, bucking the wider European trend where just 34% of businesses now track emissions.

However, significant gaps remain:

38% of businesses still rely on spreadsheets or paper records.
8% don't monitor emissions at all.
15% admit they lack confidence in reporting greenhouse gas emissions accurately.

Better data leads to better decisions

The biggest risk isn't failing to produce an emissions report.

It's making operational decisions using incomplete information.

Without accurate emissions data, it's harder to:

Identify inefficient vehicles and routes.
Measure the impact of electrification.
Prioritise vehicle replacement.
Demonstrate progress against sustainability targets.

As Ian Turner, Chief Sales Officer at Alphabet, puts it:

"A large number of UK businesses are either ill-prepared or ill-equipped when it comes to calculating, recording and reporting their vehicle emissions."

The fleets making the most progress start with visibility

Leading fleets aren't treating emissions reporting as a once-a-year compliance exercise. They're building a reliable picture of where emissions come from across their entire operation and using that insight to improve efficiency as well as reduce carbon.

In the next article, we'll explore what effective fleet emissions reporting actually looks like and how integrated fleet data is helping operators make better decisions every day.

More guidance in this series:

What effective fleet emissions reporting actually looks like

A practical playbook for measuring fleet emissions accurately

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