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Microlesson · 5-min read

Comparison: Company Car vs Employee Car vs Rented Car

# Comparison of Three Alternatives: Company Car vs Employee's Own Car vs Rented Car

For decision-making, an organisation may compare the cost of providing transport to its employees through three alternatives. Each alternative includes different cost components.

## Cost Components for Each Alternative

Cost ItemCompany's CarEmployee's Own CarRented Car
DepreciationYesNo (borne by employee)No (owner bears)
Reimbursement (to employee)NoYesNo
Hire ChargesNoNoYes
InsuranceYesYes (if reimbursed)No (in hire)
RepairsYesYes (if reimbursed)No (owner's)
Petrol / FuelYesYesYes (usually)
TyresYesYes (if reimbursed)No

## How to Use This Table

1. Read the question to identify which alternative is being costed.

2. Tick only the cost items the organisation itself has to bear under that alternative.

3. Add up to get total cost; divide by kms (or trips) to get per-km cost.

4. Choose the cheapest alternative for the organisation.

## Key Decision Rule

Select the alternative with the lowest total cost for the same level of service / kms run.

Worked example

### Example 1

Example (conceptual):

If for 20,000 km per year:

  • Company car total cost = ₹2,00,000 → ₹10/km
  • Employee's own car (reimbursement only) = ₹1,80,000 → ₹9/km
  • Rented car (hire + petrol) = ₹2,20,000 → ₹11/km

Decision: Use employee's own car with reimbursement (lowest cost per km).

⚠️ Common exam mistakes

  • Including depreciation in employee's own car costing — depreciation is borne by the employee, not the company
  • Forgetting to include hire charges as the main cost driver in rented car alternative
  • Including reimbursement in company car alternative — reimbursement is only relevant when employee uses own car
Reference:
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