---
title: "Expenses vehicle and rates fields reference"
slug: "vehicles-and-rates-fields"
updated: 2026-08-19T15:33:51Z
published: 2026-08-19T15:33:51Z
canonical: "help.cintra.co.uk/vehicles-and-rates-fields"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.cintra.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Expenses vehicle and rates fields reference

Use this reference when creating or editing vehicles and rates in Expenses. For step-by-step instructions, see [Creating and editing vehicles](/payroll/docs/create-and-editing-vehicles) or [importing and exporting vehicles](/payroll/docs/importing-and-exporting-vehicles).

## Vehicle fields

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Active** | Makes the vehicle record active and available for use. |
| **Available for all users** | Makes the vehicle available to all claimants in your organisation. |
| **Use approved rates** | Applies HMRC approved rates to the vehicle. Selecting this enables the **Approved vehicle type** dropdown. |
| **Calculate personal mileage** | Use for company cars where an employee also uses the vehicle for personal journeys. Enables odometer readings on expense submissions so that personal mileage can be calculated and excluded from claims. Odometer reading minus business reading equals personal mileage. See [Set up a company car for business mileage tracking](/payroll/docs/set-up-a-company-car-for-business-mileage-tracking). |
| **Refund personal mileage** | (If **Calculate personal mileage** is selected). Use where an employee has a fuel card. Refunds the cost of any personal mileage back to the organisation. |
| **Description** | A label for the vehicle record, for example "Standard company car". |
| **Transport type** | The type of transport, for example *Car, Taxi, Van,* or *Bicycle*. |
| **Fuel** | The fuel type, e.g. *Petrol, Electric*, or *Hybrid*. |
| **Type** | Depends on **Transport type**, e.g. *4×4* or *economy*. |
| **Approved vehicle type** | Visible when **Use approved rates** is selected. Select the HMRC approved vehicle category, for example *Private - Petrol 1401-2000cc*. |

### Vehicle type guidance

When selecting transport type and fuel, use the following guidance:

| Vehicle | Engine / battery size |
| --- | --- |
| **Small** | Petrol up to 1.4L, Diesel up to 1.7L, or EV with battery up to ~35kWh |
| **Medium** | Petrol 1.4L–2.0L, Diesel 1.7L–2.0L, or EV with battery ~35–60kWh |
| **Large** | Petrol/Diesel over 2.0L, or EV with battery over 60kWh |
| **Motorbike** | Small, Medium, or Large based on engine size (e.g. 250cc, 650cc+) |
| **Hybrid / Plug-in Hybrid** | Categorise based on engine size and overall vehicle size |

---

## Vehicle rate fields

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Cumulative Mileage Rate** | Select to apply tiered mileage thresholds. Thresholds are based on the total miles a claimant has travelled across all vehicles in the tax year (UK from 6 April). When selected, the **Mileage from** and **Mileage to** fields appear. |
| **Effective from** | The date from which the rate applies. A banner displays the current rate and its effective date if one has already been set. |
| **Rate per mile £** | The pence per mile rate to apply to mileage claims. |
| **VAT element £** | The VAT component of the rate. |
| **Taxable amount** | If you organisation pays more than the standard HMRC rate, tax will be charged on the difference, which you can record here. For example, if you pay 60p per mile and the HMRC rate is 45p per mile, then you would enter the difference: 15p. |
| **Mileage from** | Visible when **Cumulative Mileage Rate** is selected. The start of the mileage threshold. |
| **Mileage to** | Visible when **Cumulative Mileage Rate** is selected. The upper limit of the threshold. Leave blank for the final tier. |