Odometer Reading

The odometer reading drives a great deal: service scheduling, cost-per-kilometre calculation, warranty eligibility, depreciation and resale value. Because so much depends on it, the accuracy of the number matters more than fleets usually assume.

There are two sources and they diverge. The dashboard odometer is what the vehicle reports; GPS-derived distance is what the telematics unit computes from position. They differ because of tyre wear, tyre size changes after replacement, and calibration drift — a few percent is normal, and it compounds over a year into a meaningful gap.

For servicing, the safer approach is to schedule against whichever reading is higher, so a drifting odometer never delays a service. For costing, use one source consistently across the fleet; mixing dashboard readings for some vehicles and GPS distance for others makes cost per kilometre incomparable between them.