Free checklist
Fleet Preventive Maintenance Checklist by Kilometre
A km-based service table for light commercial vehicles: what to check or replace, and at roughly what distance. Use it to plan services for your vans, pickups and company cars, or print the PDF for your workshop. The intervals are typical examples; your manufacturer’s schedule always comes first.
Typical intervals for light commercial vehicles — always follow the manufacturer’s schedule.
| Item | Interval | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Engine oil & oil filter | Every 5,000–10,000 km | Shorter end for mineral oil, heat, dust or stop-start driving. |
| Air filter | Inspect every 10,000 km; replace every 20,000–30,000 km | Check more often in dusty or desert conditions. |
| Cabin (AC) filter | Every 15,000–20,000 km | Replace sooner if airflow drops or there is a smell. |
| Fuel filter | Every 20,000–40,000 km | Diesel vehicles often need it more often. |
| Tyre rotation | Every 10,000 km | Check pressure and tread at the same time. |
| Wheel alignment & balancing | Every 10,000–20,000 km | Also after hitting a pothole or kerb, or if tyres wear unevenly. |
| Brake pads & discs inspection | Every 10,000 km | Replace pads by wear, not by distance alone. |
| Brake fluid | Replace every 40,000 km or 2 years | Brake fluid absorbs moisture over time. |
| Coolant | Check level every service; replace every 40,000–60,000 km | Critical in hot climates; use the specified coolant type. |
| Transmission fluid | Every 40,000–80,000 km | Varies widely between manual and automatic gearboxes. |
| Spark plugs (petrol engines) | Every 30,000–60,000 km | Iridium or platinum plugs usually last longer. |
| Battery check | Every 10,000 km | Heat shortens battery life; test before summer. |
| Drive belts | Inspect every 20,000 km | Timing belts have their own replacement interval in the manual. |
| Suspension & steering check | Every 20,000 km | Shock absorbers, bushes, ball joints and tie-rod ends. |
| AC service | Every 20,000–30,000 km or before summer | Check gas pressure, condenser and fan. |
What this checklist is
A fleet preventive maintenance checklist lists the service items each vehicle needs and the distance at which each one is due, so services are planned before parts wear out rather than after they fail. The table above covers the items that matter most for light commercial vehicles: engine oil and filters, tyres and alignment, brakes, fluids, battery, belts, suspension and air conditioning.
Intervals are in kilometres because distance, not the calendar, is what wears a vehicle. Two identical vans bought on the same day can be 30,000 km apart after a year, and they should not be serviced on the same date. For the reasoning behind this approach, read our guide to km-based preventive maintenance.
How to use the km intervals
Start with the vehicle’s owner’s manual or service book. Always follow the manufacturer’s schedule where it differs from this table; the ranges here are general examples to help you plan and to fill gaps when the manual is missing.
Then decide whether your vehicles run in normal or severe conditions. Most manufacturers publish a separate, shorter "severe duty" schedule. In Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, many fleets qualify for it:
- Heat: long periods above 40 °C strain oil, coolant, batteries and air conditioning.
- Dust and sand: air filters clog faster, and dust reaches brakes and suspension.
- Stop-start driving: city deliveries with many short trips and long idling wear oil and brakes faster than highway kilometres.
- Heavy loads: vehicles that regularly carry close to their maximum payload wear brakes, tyres and suspension faster.
If any of these apply, use the short end of each range, or the manufacturer’s severe-duty intervals.
Adapting the checklist to each vehicle type
Light vans and company cars
The table fits these vehicles closely. Focus on oil, tyres and brakes, which wear fastest on urban delivery routes.
Pickups
Pickups on site work or rough roads need more frequent suspension, steering and alignment checks, and air filter checks on dusty sites. Four-wheel-drive models add transfer case and differential oil to the list.
Trucks
Medium and heavy trucks have their own schedules, often with longer oil intervals but many more items: air brakes, fifth wheel, greasing points and diesel fuel filters. Use the table as a reminder of categories, and take intervals from the truck manufacturer.
Record odometer readings, or the schedule won’t work
A km-based schedule is only as reliable as the odometer readings behind it. Record each vehicle’s reading at least weekly, and every time it is serviced, inspected or refuelled if you can. Write the reading on each service invoice as well, so the next due point can be worked out from the last service rather than guessed.
For vehicles that drive long distances every day, a weekly reading can already be a service interval apart, so read them more often.
Let Axpense track the kilometres left to each service
Keeping this table in a spreadsheet means someone has to compare every odometer reading against every interval by hand. In Axpense you set the service intervals in kilometres for each vehicle. As odometer readings are recorded, Axpense shows the kilometres left until each service, sends reminders as it gets close and flags services that are overdue. The completed service is stored in the vehicle’s service history, and the next due point is calculated from it.
See how it works in our fleet maintenance software and the preventive maintenance module.
Frequently asked questions
How often should fleet vehicles be serviced?
For most light commercial vehicles, an oil service every 5,000–10,000 km is a common example, with other items at multiples of that distance. The right interval depends on the manufacturer’s schedule, the oil used and how hard the vehicle works.
Should I service by kilometres or by date?
By kilometres first, with a date limit as a backup for vehicles that drive very little. Oil and brake fluid, for example, age even when a vehicle stands still, so manufacturers usually say "every X km or Y months, whichever comes first".
What counts as severe driving conditions?
High temperatures, dust and sand, frequent short trips, long idling and heavy loads. Many fleets in the Middle East meet at least one of these, so check whether your manufacturer’s severe-duty schedule applies.
Can I use this table for heavy trucks?
Only as a list of categories. Heavy trucks have different components and longer or shorter intervals depending on the item, so take the intervals from the truck manufacturer.
What is the difference between preventive and reactive maintenance?
Preventive maintenance services a vehicle before something fails; reactive maintenance repairs it after a breakdown. Our article on preventive vs reactive maintenance compares the two in detail.
Related Axpense pages
Related guides
How to Build a Preventive Maintenance Schedule for Fleets Based on Kilometres
Why kilometre-based service intervals beat calendar-only schedules, and how to build a preventive maintenance schedule your fleet will actually follow.
Read articlePreventive vs Reactive Maintenance: Costs, Trade-offs and How to Switch
Preventive vs reactive maintenance for vehicle fleets: what each costs, when fixing on failure is acceptable, and how to move to planned servicing in stages.
Read articleHow to Reduce Vehicle Downtime in a Company Fleet
How to reduce vehicle downtime: measure days off the road, work out what they cost, and cut them with maintenance, inspections, parts and workshop turnaround.
Read articleGet these numbers from your real records
Axpense keeps every vehicle’s service history, inspections and costs, so you don’t have to fill in a sheet each month.