You can calculate the cost of a company car correctly only if you compare the same period, the same mileage and the same level of service. The price of an instalment or a daily rate is just the beginning. What matters are the items that often never reach the spreadsheet: downtime, excess, tied-up capital, or the time your staff spend on the car. Below you will find a checklist that will allow you to build your calculation without a single figure from us, and then easily complete it with real offers.
First, Define What You Are Actually Comparing
Most flawed comparisons arise from putting incomparable things side by side. Before you start calculating, clarify three parameters:
- Time horizon: do you need the car for a week, for six months, or for several years? A different option comes out best for each horizon.
- Mileage: how many kilometres you will realistically drive per month. Base this on operational records, not on estimates.
- Certainty of use: will the vehicle be needed consistently, or only at certain times?
As a general rule, the shorter and less certain the horizon, the more flexibility pays off. The longer and more predictable the use, the greater the weight of fixed commitments. We cover the difference between short-term and long-term solutions in more detail in our article on long-term car rental in Prague.
7 Items That Go Missing in the Calculation
- Insurance and excess. With rentals from us, vehicles carry both third-party liability and collision insurance, and in the event of an accident the client pays an excess depending on the type of insurance. With your own car, you arrange the insurance yourself, and the excess belongs in the calculation as well. Compare what a potential loss would look like, not just the premium.
- Servicing and regular inspections. For your own car, this is an irregular cost as well as an organisational burden. Ask what is included in the other options and what is not.
- Downtime. When a vehicle is in the workshop, someone has to travel differently or you have to find a replacement. This cost usually does not appear in spreadsheets, but it exists.
- Tied-up capital. Money invested in buying a car cannot be used elsewhere. A growing company often pays the price for this.
- Administration. Record keeping, checking instalments, monitoring deadlines, selling the vehicle at the end of its use. Count the hours this takes.
- Mileage limits and exceeding them. For each option, find out how mileage is handled. With us, the daily limit decreases as the rental period gets longer; you will find the exact values for each vehicle.
- Residual value and end of use. With your own car, you bear the risk of a drop in value. With rental and leasing, this risk is handled differently, so consider it explicitly when comparing.
What the Three Options Look Like in Practice
Owning a car makes sense when you use it over the long term and consistently, and have clarity on servicing and financing. It involves the most work and the greatest commitment, but also the greatest control.
Operating leasing is suitable for medium- to longer-term use with predictable mileage. With us, it is available from two months with a mileage of 3,000 km per month. You will find the procedure and conditions on the operating leasing page.
Rental is the solution for situations where you need flexibility: a seasonal peak, a project, a stand-in for a car in the workshop, or a trial of a new type of car. It is available short-term from one day, and for longer cooperation through long-term rental.
Example: A Sales Team and One Extra Car
Imagine a company with several sales representatives who travel around Bohemia and Moravia. For most of the year they manage with their own or leased cars, but in spring the number of meetings grows and one car is missing. Buying another car for a few months makes no sense, and the period is too short for leasing.
In your calculation, you therefore compare only the period when you need the car, not the whole year. For such use, a Škoda Octavia Combi with the 1.6 TDI diesel engine and a large boot for samples is a good fit. If the team travels long distances and would appreciate an automatic transmission and navigation, take a look at the Škoda Superb Combi. How the Octavia Combi suits both business and family use is described in our article Škoda Octavia Combi for rent.
How to Build Your Calculation Step by Step
- Write down the horizon and the estimated monthly mileage.
- For each option, fill in all seven items above. Where you do not know a figure, leave the field blank and ask.
- Apply the same period to all options, ideally the entire period of using the vehicle.
- Compare the non-financial side as well: how much work it will mean for you and your people.
- Verify the conditions: driver's age from 21, documents, deposit and insurance. All of this is summarised on the conditions page.
If you are only setting up your company or are arranging your first rental as a sole trader, also read our overview for businesses with an IČO.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is renting always more expensive than owning a car?
No, it depends on the horizon and usage. With short or uncertain use, the fixed costs of an owned vehicle are not spread out, whereas with stable long-term operation, ownership can be advantageous. That is why you should always compare over the same period.
Can I take a rented car abroad?
Yes, but only by prior agreement and only to EU countries. Assistance service is mandatory when travelling abroad.
Where can I find specific prices and the deposit?
We do not state prices or the amount of the deposit here. You will find them in the detail of each vehicle or in the reservation. We will be happy to answer any questions by phone or e-mail via our contact page.
Can the car be delivered to me?
Delivery within Prague is possible by arrangement by phone or e-mail, which saves your employees time.
Next Step
Once your calculation is complete, verify it against an offer. Choose a vehicle from our fleet, or call us on +420 703 149 146 or write to [email protected]. You can also book a car straight away on the /rezervace page.
