Businesses in the UK are not equipped to calculate, capture and report their fleet emissions, a new study from business mobility provider Alphabet GB has found.

More than a third (38%) of fleet managers said they still use simple spreadsheets, such as Microsoft Excel, or even paper, to record the emissions of their fleet. A further 8% admitted that they don’t calculate emissions at all.

Crucially, less than a fifth (18%) believe their business has the tools it needs to help calculate and report its fleet emissions, while one in eight (12%) said they have no plans to invest in new technology or software to help.

Alphabet’s research, encapsulated in a new white paper, also uncovered significant disparities in fleet managers’ knowledge and use of the latest emissions reporting tools across UK industry sectors. For example, more than 40% of logistics companies – which often have substantial vehicle fleets – still use spreadsheets such as Microsoft Excel to record emissions. Furthermore, some delivery services and retailers are still using an antiquated paper process.

Alphabet’s research has found that fleet managers across the country lack the crucial knowledge to accurately report their vehicle emissions data.

More than a quarter (26%) of those questioned admit they do not know the difference between Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. In addition, 11% say they’re confused or not confident in being able to report their fleet emissions, and a similar number (12%) see all reporting of vehicle emissions as merely ‘a tick-box exercise’.

Equally alarming is that nearly a quarter (23%) do not know the potential financial penalties for failing to report their emissions. Notably, one in 10 large companies (i.e., 250+ employees) was uncertain about their potential liability regarding failure to report their emissions.

Alphabet has called on the UK government to do more to support fleet managers to improve their understanding of calculating, recording and reporting emissions but also warned that fleets need to ‘up their game’ too.

Ian Turner, chief sales officer at Alphabet GB, said: “Our study reveals that a large number of UK business are either ill-prepared or ill-equipped when it comes to calculating, recording and reporting their vehicle emissions. A significant number have acknowledged their uncertainty about what actions they need to take, and when, and what carbon manager tools are available to ensure they remain compliant with new legislation.

“The UK’s Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) framework already mandates large companies to report on their annual energy use, carbon emissions and energy efficiency actions within their directors’ report. However, fleet managers of smaller organisations cannot rest on their laurels, as the reporting requirement will almost certainly be extended to include most SMEs in the future.

“Our study is ‘a wake-up call’ for the whole fleet sector, so businesses should start planning now to identify what tools and processes they need.”

The Alphabet white paper, entitled Emissions Reporting: The Biggest Challenge Facing Fleet Decision-Makers in 2025, is online here.