Vimcar
German electronic logbook and small-fleet management - European alternative based in Germany
Quick Overview
| Company | Vimcar |
|---|---|
| Category | Fleet Management Software |
| Headquarters | Berlin, Germany |
| EU/European | Yes - Germany |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
| Main Features | Tax-compliant logbook, Fleet admin, Plug-in installation |
| Pricing | Per vehicle, per month |
| Best For | German companies with company cars and a tax logbook obligation |
| Replaces | Samsara, Verizon Connect, manual logbooks |
Detailed Review
Vimcar is a Berlin company built around a specifically German problem: the elektronisches Fahrtenbuch. Company cars used privately need a logbook the tax office will accept, and doing it on paper is both miserable and easy to have rejected.
What Makes Vimcar Stand Out
Vimcar's logbook is designed against the Finanzamt's requirements rather than as a generic mileage report — which is the whole value, because a logbook the tax office rejects costs the driver the far more expensive one-percent rule. Installation is a plug into the OBD port, so there is no workshop visit.
What the Platform Covers
Automatic trip recording with private and business classification, a tax-compliant electronic logbook, fleet administration covering vehicles, drivers, costs and appointments, plus live location for smaller fleets.
European Rules, Drivers and Data Protection
Vimcar is based in Berlin with German hosting, and the product exists because of German tax law. Trip data distinguishing private from business journeys is unusually sensitive employee data, which is another reason the German market buys German here.
Fleet telematics is location data about identifiable people, which under the GDPR sits near the top of the sensitivity scale. In Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and elsewhere it is also a co-determination matter: the works council agrees the purpose and the retention before the first tracker is fitted, not after.
Pricing
Per-vehicle monthly subscription by product line — logbook, fleet administration or both — with the hardware included in the subscription.
Vimcar vs the US Platforms
Against Samsara, Verizon Connect, manual logbooks, the decisive difference is regulatory. American fleet platforms are built around ELD and hours-of-service rules that do not apply here, while European operators need tachograph downloads, drivers' hours under Regulation 561/2006 and retention periods to match. Vimcar treats that as the product rather than as a localisation project.
Who Should Use Vimcar
Vimcar suits German companies with company cars, especially those below the size where a full telematics platform makes sense.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Tax-compliant electronic logbook
- Plug-in OBD installation, no workshop
- Fleet administration for small fleets
- Hardware included in the subscription
- Berlin-based with German hosting
Cons
- Built for the German tax regime specifically
- Not a full telematics platform
- No tachograph support
- Limited value outside Germany
Alternatives to Vimcar
Looking for other European telematics platforms? Here are the alternatives worth comparing:
Frequently Asked Questions
Vimcar is based in Germany and operates under European data-protection rules including the GDPR. Vehicle location is personal data about identifiable drivers, so the jurisdiction it is processed in matters more here than in most categories.
Vimcar is based in Germany. We list European telematics providers because tracking data describes where your staff were, minute by minute.
Automatic trip recording with private and business classification, a tax-compliant electronic logbook, fleet administration covering vehicles, drivers, costs and appointments, plus live location for smaller fleets.
Per-vehicle monthly subscription by product line — logbook, fleet administration or both — with the hardware included in the subscription.
Vimcar is a European alternative to Samsara, Verizon Connect, manual logbooks, built around tachograph and drivers' hours rules rather than around US hours-of-service regulations.
In Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and several other countries, yes in practice: systems capable of monitoring employee behaviour are subject to co-determination, and vehicle tracking plainly qualifies. Agree the purpose, the retention period and who can see live positions before installation. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Vimcar is built as a European alternative to Samsara: German electronic logbook and small-fleet management. It will not be a like-for-like feature match in every respect, so check the review above for where the two genuinely differ before switching.
Vimcar is one of several European Fleet Management Software covered on this site. See the full Fleet Management Software category page for how it ranks against its closest European competitors.