Ask any operator about which truck is the cheapest to run and they will all have a strong view. For example, some truck buyers may prefer to pay more for the truck upfront with the expectation of higher residuals at the back end. Most new trucks are acquired on some type of contract lease of some description, so the purchase and sale price risk are included in the deal – but you still have to put diesel and Adblue consumption into the mix. Repair and maintenance costs and reliability are major factors, as unplanned downtime can prove costly for an operator.

So can the question of the cheapest tractor unit be answered?

Three truck magazines thought that they could get to the bottom of the question by running a trial with an operator over a three-year period using trucks from seven manufacturers. German magazines Fernfahrer and Transaktuell and online platform eurotransport.de from publisher ETM got together with German operator, Fehrenkötter Transport & Logistik GmbH.

We haven’t been given the details of the magazine’s due diligence, but we have to assume that there was some detailed homework carried out to ensure the reliability of the data. Over the course of three years, the daily operations of the participating vehicles were closely monitored to determine which truck scored best on low operating costs.

DAF XF480
“The XF 480 proved unbeatable in the comparison test due to its excellent combination of quality, low costs and competitive purchase price”,

400,000km Road Test

The test started in July 2021 at Fehrenkötter, with each vehicle covering a total of over 400,000 kilometres. Fehrenkötter Transport & Logistik GmbH was founded 95 years ago and is headquartered in Ladbergen, Westphalia, Germany. The company specialises in the transport and distribution of agricultural machinery throughout Europe. It operates a fleet of no less than 150 vehicles, mainly low deck rigids and tractors that enable it to transport the largest possible agricultural equipment within the legal limits.

The Winner: DAF XF480

From the very start, the DAF XF 480 6×2 Low Deck truck stood out because of its outstanding reliability and low fixed and variable costs per kilometre. DAF was ultimately announced as the winner of the 3-year practical test.

“The XF 480 proved unbeatable in the comparison test due to its excellent combination of quality, low costs and competitive purchase price”, says Joachim Fehrenkötter, owner of Fehrenkötter Transport & Logistik GmbH. “This also contributed to DAF being crowned the rightful winner of our practical test.”

“We are proud that the DAF XF 480 was the winner of the ETM-Fehrenkötter Comparison Test”, states Bart Bosmans, member of the DAF Board of Management and responsible for Marketing & Sales. “It demonstrates our class-leading performance in transport efficiency and lowest operating costs. In the meantime, we have introduced our full series of New Generation DAF vehicles, setting new standards in efficiency, safety and driver comfort. With the latest innovations announced at the IAA in Hanover in September, these class-leading trucks are actually up to 13% more fuel-efficient than our Fehrenkötter Comparison Test winner, which perfectly illustrates that we continue to power customer success!”