Fuel price settings in VEVS Car Rental Software determine how much a customer is charged when a vehicle comes back with less fuel than it had at pick-up. You set a price for each fuel type, and the software uses those rates to calculate the refueling charge automatically. This article explains where the settings live, what each field means, and how to keep your refueling charges fair, consistent, and easy to explain at the counter.
What fuel price and refueling means
When a customer returns a vehicle with less fuel than when they collected it, you can charge them to refuel it. The fuel price you configure determines how much each unit of missing fuel costs, so the charge is consistent across bookings rather than being estimated case by case. The feature exists to remove guesswork from a routine but sensitive conversation: the customer knows the rule in advance, and your staff apply the same rate to everyone.
This is a return-related charge, which is why it sits alongside the other return fees in the admin area. It is not a rental rate and not a deposit. It is the price of putting the vehicle back to the fuel level it should have been returned at, expressed as a per-unit rate for each fuel type you operate.
Where to access the setting
In the admin area, open the Fees & Taxes section, then Return Fees → Fuel price. The page shows a single price for each fuel type. The layout is intentionally simple: one field per fuel type, one save action. There is no per-vehicle or per-category pricing here, which keeps the policy predictable and easy to communicate.
The four fuel prices
Each fuel type has its own field, and the label for each field shows the unit being priced. This matters because a litre of petrol and a kilowatt hour of electricity are not comparable units, and the interface makes that distinction visible rather than leaving staff to remember it.
| Field | What it prices |
|---|---|
| 1 liter Petrol | The price per unit of petrol. |
| 1 liter Diesel | The price per unit of diesel. |
| 1 liter Gas | The price per unit of gas. |
| 1 kWh Electricity | The price per unit of electricity. |
How units are shown
The unit shown for petrol, diesel, and gas follows your configured fuel unit, with litres as the default. Electricity is always shown in kWh. That behaviour is worth noting during setup, because the label on screen is your confirmation that the number you are entering matches the unit your business actually uses. If your operation measures fuel differently, the label will reflect the configured unit for the liquid fuels, while electricity remains priced per kWh.
Setting prices step by step
- Open Fees & Taxes → Return Fees → Fuel price.
- Enter a price for each fuel type you use.
- Click Save.
You do not need to fill in fuel types you do not operate. A petrol-only fleet can price petrol and leave the rest alone; a mixed fleet can price every type it actually rents. The important thing is that every fuel type you do rent has a considered rate rather than a placeholder.
What happens after you save
After saving, the rates are used to calculate the refueling charge when a vehicle is returned with less fuel than at pick-up. A confirmation message appears when the settings are saved successfully, so you have immediate feedback that the new values are in place. From that moment, the charge follows the configured rate rather than an ad-hoc decision by whoever is at the counter.
Each fuel type has its own price, so you can charge a different rate for diesel than for petrol, or set a separate electricity rate for your electric vehicles.
Rules and special cases
- No negative prices. Prices cannot be negative, which protects the charge from becoming a credit by mistake.
- Independent rates. Each fuel type is priced separately, so one value never overwrites another.
- Permissions apply. The Save button and editing are only available to users with permission to update these settings; other users see the page read-only.
The permission behaviour is useful in larger teams. Counter staff can view the current rates so they can answer customer questions, while a manager or administrator controls the values themselves. That separation keeps pricing decisions deliberate.
Why consistent refueling charges matter
Fuel is one of the most common points of friction at vehicle return. A customer who believes the charge was invented on the spot will question it, and a staff member who has to improvise a number is in an uncomfortable position. A configured rate removes both problems. The rule is the same for every booking, the amount is derived from the missing fuel rather than from opinion, and the conversation becomes a simple explanation of policy rather than a negotiation.
Consistency also supports the rest of your return process. When refueling is handled by a defined rate, the return inspection can focus on the vehicle's condition and the customer's experience, and the final bill is easier to explain line by line. For businesses that rent to corporate accounts, predictable refueling charges also make invoices easier for the customer's finance team to approve.
Practical use cases
A mixed petrol and diesel fleet
Most rental fleets run more than one fuel type. Because each type has its own field, a diesel van and a petrol hatchback can carry rates that reflect their real refueling cost, instead of forcing one blended number onto both.
Electric vehicles
Electric vehicles need their own logic. Setting the electricity price means a partially charged return can be billed consistently, in kWh, just like a liquid-fuel return is billed by volume.
Gas-powered vehicles
Where gas vehicles are part of the fleet, the dedicated gas field keeps them on the same footing as the rest of the catalogue rather than being handled as a special case by hand.
Seasonal price movement
Pump prices move. Because the setting is a small, editable page, rates can be reviewed and updated when your local fuel costs change, without touching any other part of the pricing configuration.
Configuration considerations
Start by listing the fuel types you actually rent. There is no benefit to filling every field if half of them will never be used, but there is real risk in leaving a type you do rent unpriced, because the return charge then has no defined basis. Match each value to the unit shown on the label, and double-check the decimal separator your locale expects before saving.
Decide who owns the setting. In a small business that may be the owner or manager; in a larger one it is usually the person responsible for pricing. Because permissions control editing, you can keep that ownership explicit. It also helps to record the date of the last review somewhere in your internal procedures, so the rates do not quietly drift out of date.
Finally, align the setting with what you tell customers. If your rental terms explain that refueling is charged at a published rate, the configured value should be the same rate your staff quote. Consistency between the page, the contract, and the conversation is what makes the charge defensible.
Best practices
- Keep these prices in line with local pump prices so the refueling charge stays fair and easy to justify to customers.
- Set the electricity price for your electric vehicles so a partially charged return can be billed consistently.
- Review the values on a regular schedule rather than only when a customer complains.
- Price every fuel type your fleet actually rents, not just the most common one.
- Brief counter staff on the policy so the rate is explained the same way to every customer.
- Check the unit label before saving, especially if your business does not use litres by default.
Conclusion
The Fuel price page is one of the smallest screens in VEVS Car Rental Software, but it settles one of the most frequent return-day questions. By pricing petrol, diesel, gas, and electricity deliberately, and by keeping those values current and permission-controlled, you turn refueling into a predictable, defensible part of your rental policy rather than a point of friction.