Echoes launches fleet agent for mixed UK vehicle fleets

Echoes has launched Echoes Fleet Agent in the UK, combining vehicle manufacturer data with fleet management records.

Aimed at managers of company cars, service vehicles and light commercial vehicles, it provides a single view of vehicle data, lease contracts, workshop invoices and administrative records.

The software connects directly to compatible vehicles through manufacturer data links, without the need for an additional telematics device. Its native connections cover nearly 40 vehicle brands, including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Ford, Kia, Nissan, Vauxhall and Volkswagen. Polestar is the latest brand added to the platform.

The launch expands Echoes' existing CarFleet offering, which focuses on connected vehicle data and real-time telematics, by adding contract, cost and administration management. Echoes is part of the Moving Intelligence Group, which also includes TDS Ultra and Moving Intelligence.

Echoes Fleet Agent is designed around routine fleet management tasks. One function compares actual mileage with lease allowances and flags vehicles likely to exceed contract limits or be under-used. Another combines manufacturer maintenance alerts with mileage records, service history and workshop invoices, allowing managers to review vehicles that are due or overdue for servicing and examine unusual spending patterns.

The system is intended to reduce the time fleet teams spend assembling information from separate records before making decisions on vehicle allocation, servicing and contract changes.

Michael Higginbottom, Sales Director UK & IE at Echoes, said the value of vehicle data increases when it is set against the commercial records attached to each vehicle.

"Our strength is bringing manufacturer data and fleet management together. A mileage reading becomes much more useful when it sits next to the lease allowance and service history. Echoes Fleet Agent helps managers see where a decision is needed and brings the relevant information together, rather than leaving them to assemble it first," Higginbottom said.

Operational focus

The software also includes a feature called Smart Money, which allows users to log savings they believe have resulted from actions taken through the system. At launch, those savings are entered manually and totalled by month and year.

The feature appears intended to help fleet teams present their financial contribution internally, particularly to finance departments looking for clearer links between operational decisions and costs.

In accompanying written comments, Higginbottom said fleet managers often need to understand more than a vehicle's mileage reading in isolation. They also need to know whether usage matches the lease agreement, what servicing is due and what workshop costs have been incurred.

Echoes' wider proposition is built around direct access to data already generated by vehicles themselves. This approach allows mixed fleets to be monitored across different brands without installing extra hardware in compatible cars and vans, according to the company.

The business, founded in 2017, joined the Moving Intelligence Group in 2024. The parent group says it serves more than 850,000 connected vehicles across Europe and combines vehicle security, tracking, OEM data aggregation and fleet intelligence services.

Mixed fleets

For UK fleet operators, one of the main points of interest is likely to be support for mixed-brand fleets. Many companies run vehicles from several manufacturers, which can make it difficult to assemble consistent information on usage, servicing and costs when data sits in separate systems or arrives in different formats.

By placing contract terms, manufacturer alerts and invoice data alongside each vehicle record, Echoes is aiming to address a practical issue for fleet administrators rather than only a telematics one. This can help managers identify end-of-lease risks, spot potential overspend in workshops and decide whether vehicles are allocated appropriately, it said.

Higginbottom said the software is intended to give fleet teams a simpler route to those decisions.

He added: "Fleet teams should spend less time searching through scattered records and more time on the decisions that affect cost and availability. When that work produces savings, Smart Money gives them a place to record the results and make their contribution visible to the business."