Element Fleet Management Review (2025): Bespoke Lifecyle Strategy

Element Fleet Management claims to be the largest publicly traded automotive fleet manager in the world. It provides a wide range of solutions for its client base across North America, from direct tools for vehicle maintenance, route optimization and risk management, to advice on decarbonization and fleet electrification in 2025.

In this Element Fleet Management review, we’ll be focusing on what its Xcelerate fleet platform offers customers, as well as the wider benefits of being inside the Element ecosystem.

What Services Does Element Fleet Management Offer?

There are almost too many services to name with Element Fleet Management. Rather than a purely software-centred telematics or fleet management application, Element also runs through software (called Xcelerate), but ties in plenty of other lifecycle management services.

That includes: ordering vehicles or financing them for purchase, solutions for repairing and maintaining vehicles when in use, safety monitoring, including help when accidents/subrogation arise, general inventory management of vehicles and parts, as well as remarketing vehicles when you want to sell or retire them.

All these typically run through, or are accessible via, its Xcelerate software. Xcelerate is designed as a fleet management system that acts as a central hub for fleet data for the areas above. Let’s start with its fleet tracking features before moving on to many of the other fleet domains it covers.

Fleet tracking and connected-vehicle features

Element doesn’t sell “a tracker” so much as a “connected-data layer” wrapped in the Xcelerate portal. What you track, and how real-time it feels, depends on which connectivity path you turn on: Base Connectivity (OEM data), QConnect (OEM + third-party) or the operations-heavy Geotab program that it has partnered with.

Here’s what that looks like in practice and how it stacks up.

Where you’ll find it in Xcelerate

Live and historical vehicle data surfaces in the Xcelerate portal via customizable dashboards/widgets (Xcelerate Intelligence) and in asset/driver records. Managers can filter by unit, driver, status, region and policy flags (e.g. after-hours use).

Core tracking signals (baseline to advanced)

• Base Connectivity (OEM feed): Odometer, optional location and fuel/EV levels flow straight from supported OEMs into Xcelerate. It’s the lightest-lift way to see where a vehicle is, how far it’s driven and basic energy levels, without installing hardware.
• QConnect (OEM + third-party connectors): Adds day-to-day fleet telemetry: trip and stop views, as-needed location, Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs)/health alerts (low tire/oil, battery risk), basic driver behavior scoring, and policy compliance (after-hours, geobounds).
• Geotab program (operations focused): Brings full telematics: continuous GPS, asset/satellite tracking, ELD/HOS, dispatch, cameras and rich rules/reporting. Ideal if you need breadcrumb detail, regulatory workflows or camera evidence.

Safety, risk and driver programs

Element treats safety as a core consideration for fleets as part of its DriverCare suite. It plugs policy, driver safety scoring, training, collision/claim details and configurable dashboards (via Xcelerate Intelligence) into one workflow that lives in the Xcelerate portal (for managers) and companion mobile apps (for drivers).

If you deploy telematics, those signals feed safety scores automatically. If you don’t, the CoPilot smartphone app can measure risky behavior on its own and get notifications for coaching, training and recognition.

Core building blocks

• MVR Monitor/Manager: Continuous license checks (US only), standardized violation coding, authorization workflows and secure record storage.
• DriverCare Risk Manager: Rolls up MVR, collisions and (optionally) telematics/mobile events into risk levels. Triggers training/coaching automatically based on thresholds you set.
• DriverCare Connect (vehicle-based telematics): Scores behaviors like speeding (over limit/threshold), harsh events and seat-belt use. Integrates with Risk Manager and pushes targeted training.
• DriverCare CoPilot (mobile telematics): Measures distraction and risky maneuvers via the phone (optional BLE tag helps associate trips to vehicles). Adds gamification, competitions and on-phone feedback.

• Training library: Standard remedial modules plus advanced content (EV familiarization, advanced diver assistance systems (ADAS), light/medium/heavy-duty topics). Policy acknowledgement and testing can be built into DriverCare.
• Accident Management: 24/7 First Notification of Loss (FNOL), photo-estimating, networked repairs, rental coordination, and subrogation, with full claim transparency in Xcelerate/ClaimsLink. Accident data loops back into DriverCare for risk scoring.

Why it matters

• Closed loop: You can identify risks to coach/train staff and measure changes in behavior accordingly. Hopefully, this results in reduced collisions and loss costs.
• Policy-aware: Your rules (e.g. after-hours, geo-boundaries, scoring weights) drive alerts, escalations and training cadence.
• Driver engagement: App-based feedback, notifications, and leaderboards tend to boost adoption, versus email-only programs.

How it compares

• Versus telematics-first platforms (Samsara, Motive, Verizon Connect): Those bundle cameras, AI events and safety scoring out of the box. Element matches much of that when you choose its Geotab program and/or ingest third-party data, but adds MVR workflows, training automation and claims/subrogation in one OEM-agnostic stack.

Maintenance, repairs and uptime

Element’s maintenance stack combines policy-driven controls, a 50,000+ shop network and signal-driven scheduling, so you can keep vehicles earning and costs predictable.

It’s designed for fleets that want central governance with flexible execution (in-network vendors, client-owned garages or a hybrid).

Where it lives

Within Xcelerate you’ll manage PM schedules, approvals, estimates and repair history, plus view health/fault alerts (via OEM/QConnect/telematics feeds).

Drivers get reminders by email/text/push and can locate preferred shops and handle card payments.

Core capabilities

• Preventive maintenance and reminders: Preventive maintenance schedules by asset type and duty cycle, automated notifications, and compliance tracking to reduce unplanned work.
• National repair network: 50,000+ providers (including tractor/trailer and mobile). Element’s ASE/310S/310T certified team reviews estimates, enforces policy and negotiates warranty/post-warranty recovery.
• Diagnostics-to-workflow: DTCs and health signals (tires/oil/battery) trigger approvals or work orders. Idling/fuel misuse trends can feed corrective actions.
• Downtime management: Repair cycle tracking from shop notification to completion, with escalations, managed rentals and roadside assistance for 24/7 coverage.
• Client garage management: Run your own shops on a single platform with repair orders, workflow, parts inventory, dashboards and analytics, all merged with vendor work for a complete cost view.
• Data capture and reporting: Consolidated invoices, trend reports and custom analytics via Xcelerate Intelligence. Element cites average savings of around $300 per vehicle, per year, from managed maintenance controls, which is appealing in abstract.

How it compares

• Versus telematics-first suites (Samsara, Motive, Verizon Connect): Those options are typically great for fault ingestion and shop integrations. However, Element matches that and brings a larger managed network, ASE review, rentals and roadside, baked into one operating playbook.

Fuel, energy and spending controls

Element treats fuel and charging as a controllable system. Inside Xcelerate you get real-time spend visibility, exception flagging and closed-loop controls that tie fuel data back to driver policy, maintenance and risk.

Where it lives

Fuel and energy data appear on Xcelerate dashboards and asset/driver views, with scheduled reports and exception queues. Alerts can route to managers (policy violations) and to drivers (quick resolution of card issues or misuse).

Fuel EKG (fraud and misuse detection)
When you connect OEM/telematics data with fuel card transactions, Element’s Fuel EKG automatically flags four misuse patterns and delivers clear, actionable exceptions via email or the portal:

• Location mismatch: Vehicle wasn’t at the pump at time of charge
• Card mismatch: Card used on a different vehicle
• Excess volume: Gallons exceed tank capacity
• Fuel-type mismatch: Wrong fuel for that VIN/powertrain

Because it leverages connected-vehicle signals, you reportedly get fewer false positives and faster investigations than fuel card-only rules. Findings can flow into coaching (DriverCare) and policy enforcement.

Fuel services (WEX-powered)

Element’s service fleet card program adds front-line controls to this fuel suite:

• 24/7 driver support, wide acceptance, pay-at-pump convenience, one card for fuel and maintenance (if enrolled)
• Driver PINs, rapid card termination, real-time alerts on dollars per transaction, consecutive declines and out-of-policy attempts
• Granular Level III data (NACS product codes) for deep line-item analysis
• Custom authorization limits (daily/weekly), outside-terminal locks, dollar caps
• One consolidated weekly or monthly bill, exception and trend reporting, plus benchmarking against state/national averages and peer fleets

EV public charging and reimbursement

For electric fleets, Element integrates with ChargePoint and roaming networks while supporting EV RFID cards for public charging, bringing those sessions into the same billing and reporting fabric.

For home charging, Arc by Element can set up home-install programs and reimbursement workflows, so energy costs are accurate and auditable.

Productivity and cost levers beyond the pump

• Idling and route waste: With QConnect/telematics, you can attack idle hotspots and inefficient patterns that inflate fuel spend.
• Maintenance tie-ins: PM adherence and tire health feed MPG/kWh outcomes. Xcelerate keeps those data connected.
• Right-sizing and replacement: Analytics help retire gas-hogs and redeploy underutilized assets to lift cost per mile.

How it compares

• Versus card-only setups: Fuel EKG’s VIN-linked telemetry reduces guesswork and catch-rate gaps that fleet card rules alone miss.
• Versus telematics-first suites (Samsara, Geotab, Motive): Those offer strong fuel reports. Element’s edge is end-to-end spend control (card policy + OEM data + misuse analytics) inside the same portal with safety/maintenance workflows.

Acquisition, ordering and financing

Usually, we evaluate telematics or fleet management-first companies and their respective software platforms.

However, Element goes beyond this to offer full procurement and financing workflows inside its Xcelerate platform, backed by OEM feeds, upfitting expertise, and lifecycle management economics, so you can time replacements and spec assets correctly.

Where it lives

The Ordering experience sits in Xcelerate and supports the US and Canada on one platform. Status milestones, real-time OEM data feeds and notifications keep fleet managers (and, optionally, drivers) updated from spec to submission, build and delivery.

What you can do

• Selector design and lifecycle math: Strategic advisors run lifecycle cost and replacement analysis to set timing, minimize depreciation and maximize resale value.
• Spec and upfit at scale: Build profiles for cars, light/medium/heavy trucks (Class 1 to 8) and equipment. Upfitting profiles track each asset through the supply chain.
• One ordering platform (US/CA): Direct manufacturer feeds for same-day submission, pre-OEM requirement checks to avoid delays, expansive equipment views and custom fields to match policy.
• Driver-level ordering (optional): A simplified, policy-controlled flow with images, packages, real-time pricing/options and online payment for add-ons.
• Replacement targeting: Analytics flag which vehicles to cycle out based on cost, usage and resale trends. Notifications go to managers and drivers.
• Financing choices: Lease versus own analysis, buy/lease-backs to free cash, and term adjustments to optimize payments and equity, plus consolidated title/registration handling.

EV acquisition with Arc by Element

If you’re electrifying, Arc layers in feasibility modeling, pilot design, charger procurement (home/depot/public), energy reimbursement workflows and EV-specific training. That means ordering and infrastructure planning move forward together.

How it compares

• Versus telematics-first tools (Samsara, Verizon Connect, Motive): Those don’t handle OEM order submission or fleet financing. Element’s edge is procurement, funding and analytics, all in one place.

Analytics and reporting (Xcelerate Intelligence)

Element’s reporting layer is built around Xcelerate Intelligence: a visualization and insights workspace that turns operational data into actions. You get real-time reporting, homepage widgets you can personalize, and both simple and advanced custom report builders for deeper analysis.

Where it lives

Inside Xcelerate, managers land on a customizable homepage (tiles/widgets for KPIs you care about). Xcelerate Intelligence adds interactive dashboards and drill-downs across inventory, spend, maintenance, fuel/energy, safety and ordering.

What you can do

• Personalized dashboards: Pin cost, utilization, risk, PM compliance and order status widgets. Re-order or hide tiles to match your role.

• Flexible reports: Create quick summaries or build advanced reports that join vehicle, driver and transaction data (maintenance, fuel, incidents, telematics inputs).
• Trends and exceptions: Surface the drivers of cost, spot outliers (e.g. high idle, fuel misuse flags, repeat repairers), and queue follow-ups to policy or work orders.
• Operational planning: Use utilization and health signals to right-size fleets, schedule PM, and time replacements. Tie insights to procurement and remarketing workflows.
• Distribution: Save views, schedule report runs and share with stakeholders so that finance, safety and ops see the same truth.

How it compares

• Versus telematics-first tools (Samsara, Geotab, Motive): These options are often excellent for live vehicle charts. However, Element’s edge is cross-domain analytics (fuel, maintenance, safety, and ordering) and exception routing inside one fleet operations portal.

Compliance and administration for tolls, violations and taxable benefits

Element packages the unglamorous (but critical) admin work for things like tolls, tickets, and personal-use taxation into managed, auditable workflows. The net effect should be fewer penalties, faster cost recovery and cleaner payroll files.

Where it lives

Inside Xcelerate you’ll find dedicated modules for Tolls & Violations (partnered with Verra Mobility) and Taxable Benefit. Managers get exception queues, reports and consolidated billing. Drivers get a portal (and optional email/text prompts) to resolve items. In Xcelerate for Drivers, they can also request replacement registrations and renewal support.

What you can do

• Toll management: Full program setup and distribution (welcome kits with transponder or video windshield cling by location), consolidated billing and detailed activity reporting. Coverage spans ~95% of North American tolls, helping you avoid violations and processing fees and reduce manual audits/corrections.
• Standard violations processing: Parking, photo-enforced and toll violations received by Element are processed and paid on your behalf (to prevent penalties/late fees). Visibility improves via enhanced online reporting. Certain violation types can be routed directly to drivers instead of auto-processing if you prefer.
• Driver payment options:
  • Personal Violations Payment: Transfer the cost (and in some US states the liability) to the responsible driver. Drivers receive email notifications and pay/dispute via a portal. Managers see status, unpaid items by driver, and “top violators”. Continuous follow-up reduces accounts receivable chase.
  • Personal Toll Payment: Drivers certify business versus personal tolls online. You can define “business hours” so in-window activity defaults to business, accelerating reconciliation. Personal charges are paid by drivers and tracked separately.
• Taxable benefit (personal use) program: End-to-end capture and calculation for US/Canada compliance:
  • 24/7 mileage reporting via web, mobile, and telephone. Optional GPS trip-logging to simplify driver entries.
  • Automated calculations aligned to current IRS/CRA rules, with email reminders to keep drivers current.
  • Consolidated, audit-ready outputs for payroll (including year-end packages and optional cumulative quarterly reporting in the US).
  • Dashboards, metrics, and exception reports so you can nudge late reporters and verify completeness.

How it compares

• Versus software-only fleet systems (e.g. lifecycle trackers): You’ll still get centralized records there, but Element executes – it pays violations, recovers personal charges and ships hardware, then feeds clean data to payroll.

Customer Support With Element Fleet Management

Element’s support model sees you tap into different routes depending on who needs help (drivers versus admins) and what the issue is (routine versus incident).

Quick ways to get help

• Driver Support Center: From Element’s Login & Tools page, drivers can submit a message via web form or call (800) 328-0244 for assistance. The same page links to the Xcelerate portals and mobile apps for self-service.
• Tech support for Xcelerate/app/devices: Element directs users to Client Technology Services (CTS) for portal/app/device issues. Call (877) 950-2200, and the CTS email is publicly listed.
• General/customer care line and app listing: Element also publishes (800) 665-9744 and a customer-care email on its Google Play listing for Xcelerate for Drivers. Useful if you want an official support contact in your mobile device management notes.

Note: The numbers above are US/Canada contacts as publicly listed. However, Element provides region-specific support contacts once you’re onboarded.

24/7 assistance for incidents

• Accidents and claims: Element advertises 24/7 driver assistance and claims support, including FNOL and repair coordination.
• Roadside/maintenance coordination: The maintenance program notes 24/7 driver assistance via multi-lingual contact centers.

Training and self-service resources

• Live Xcelerate webinars: Recurring webinars cover Xcelerate navigation, reporting and “getting started”. Good for onboarding new admins.
• In-app/guide material: Element’s public “Element 101” guide references Xcelerate reporting and a “Teach Me” tool. It also suggests reaching out to your Element contact for support, consistent with an account-manager-led model.
• App store support card: The iOS/Play Store pages provide quick links, a support email and phone details you can hand to drivers.

What’s not clearly published

Element does not publicly list chat hours or a universal “Help Center” akin to the likes of Verizon Connect, Samsara and Fleetio. As stated, most day-to-day help flows through the Driver Support Center, CTS or your account team, while emergency lines run 24/7.

Compared with Fleetio’s (8am to 8pm Eastern Daily Time (EDT)) or Verizon Connect’s (8am to 6pm EDT) clear weekday (Monday to Friday) live chat hours, Element skews toward phone-first, always-on incident response and scheduled admin training. That could be a better fit for large fleets that need round-the-clock driver support but less “instant chat” for admins.

Its live chat support is available from 8am to 8pm EDT, which is an excellent hourly range that should be suitable for most businesses. However, this channel of support isn’t available at all on weekends, only running between Monday and Friday. You’ll get 24/7 support from some competitors, such as Verizon Connect and Samsara.

How Much Does Element Fleet Management Cost? Pricing and Modules

Element does not publish software as a service-style plan tiers. Pricing is typically quote-based and depends on factors such as fleet size, contract term, regions covered, the mix of services (maintenance, risk, financing) and your connectivity stack (OEM data versus third-party hardware, cameras/ELD and third-party integrations).

One exception to this blanket of opacity is that Element publicly lists an indicative price for its entry OEM data option. Base Connectivity costs “about $0.30 per vehicle, per day”, which can be capitalized into the lease or billed monthly.

Notes: Element also highlights indicative ROI for Base Connectivity (e.g. ~$600 per vehicle, per year. from accurate odometer data), but this is an outcome claim, not a price.

Is there a free trial with Element?

No public free trial is advertised. Element’s offerings are enterprise services sold via contract and typically activated through your account team.

Are there any add-ons?

Yes. Element’s connectivity ecosystem is modular. Common add-ons include:

• Fuel EKG for fuel fraud/misuse detection (quote-based).
• DriverCare CoPilot for mobile-based driver safety scoring and training (quote-based).
• Samsara integration to feed rich telematics and safety data into Element (additional fee; US/Canada only).
• Geotab program for cameras/ELD/asset tracking/dispatch (quote-based).

Bottom line

Expect a custom quote. The only publicly stated price point is for Base Connectivity (around $0.30 per vehicle, per day), with everything else (safety apps, third-party telematics, fraud analytics) priced as add-ons or bundled into your broader Element program.

Since Element is a massive company offering a variety of services, it may have greater flexibility on pricing, compared with smaller competitors, depending on the size of your own business and the terms you are willing to accept.

Element Fleet Management vs Other Fleet Systems

Element is first and foremost a full-service fleet management company (FMC) with deep managed services (acquisition, maintenance, safety, accident management, remarketing, advisory) delivered through its Xcelerate portal and add-ons like Xcelerate Intelligence, DriverCare (Connect/CoPilot), QConnect/Base Connectivity and Fuel EKG (Motorq).

That makes its scope very different from software-only tools and telematics-first platforms (e.g. Samsara, Verizon Connect, Geotab, Fleetio and Motive).

Element vs Fleetio

If you love Fleetio’s clean workflows for vehicle records, inspections, maintenance logs, parts/docs and flexible reporting, think of Element as adding a much wider operational spine: strategic advisory, nationwide maintenance control, accident management and subrogation, fuel/toll programs, taxable benefits, remarketing at scale, and EV transition services.

Fleetio remains arguably more configurable inside the app (custom fields, views, lifecycle tools you can tune yourself), whereas Element’s value is software and services execution that removes admin from your team.

Verdict: Pick Element when you want an FMC partner to run the program end-to-end (not just provide software). Pick Fleetio if you’re keeping ops in-house and want a hands-on, highly configurable software layer.

Element vs Samsara

Samsara is the benchmark for real-time telematics, AI dash cams, driver safety scoring and compliance. We rated it as an excellent choice for hardware-heavy ops and live coaching.

Element, by contrast, ingests OEM and third-party data (e.g. via QConnect/Base Connectivity) and can integrate Samsara data directly into Xcelerate (replacement planning, maintenance triggers, risk workflows), thanks to a publicly listed integration. That gives you real-time feeds plus Element’s services (procurement, remarketing, accident and subrogation, advisory) in one managed program.

Verdict: Choose Samsara for native hardware, video safety and second-by-second visibility. Choose Element if you want a full FMC that buys, maintains and sells your assets (and can integrate Samsara-grade data if you can afford to purchase both).

Element vs Verizon Connect Reveal

Verizon Connect leans hard into compliance (ELD, HOS, DVIR), telematics, driver behavior scoring and AI dash cams. It’s our top choice for large fleets with heavy regulatory exposure.

Element can meet those needs by integrating telematics/ELD vendors while layering on accident management, subrogation recovery, maintenance control and remarketing (areas where Verizon typically relies on partners or its customers’ internal processes).

Verdict: Verizon wins on native compliance/telematics/dash cam stacks. Element wins if you need a single partner to manage lifecycle economics end-to-end, then wire compliance data into risk, maintenance and finance workflows.

How We Review Fleet Management Solutions