Employee mobility is entering an almost historic phase. What was once a practical arrangement, think company car, fuel card, reimbursement policy, is becoming a strategic leadership decision. For leadership teams, this means mobility decisions increasingly shape long-term cost structures, talent strategy, and ESG credibility.
By 2026, this shift will separate mobility leaders from the rest.
Across Belgium and the Netherlands, the future of employee mobility is taking shape as fleet electrification is growing. At the same time, fiscal frameworks are tightening, and employee expectations for flexibility continue to rise. With the introduction of hybrid work, commuting patterns changed permanently. This shift challenged long-standing assumptions about who needs a car and how to design mobility benefits.
In this context, mobility moves away from being an operational topic. Instead, mobility becomes a strategic business lever that shapes employer reputation, cost visibility, and ESG credibility. The companies that will lead in 2026 are not only adopting new mobility solutions. Leaders are redesigning mobility as a connected system that balances employee choice, compliance, and control.
In this article, we explore six mobility priorities that define mobility leaders in 2026. Learn how forward-thinking employers turn mobility into a strategic advantage.
While electrification was once a strategic choice, it is now the baseline for any corporate mobility strategy. Across Belgium and the Netherlands, fiscal incentives and regulations have made electric fleets the default. What now separates leaders is not adoption, but execution.
At the leadership level, poor execution shows up as hidden costs, employee frustration, and delayed sustainability progress. This can happen even when organisations technically meet electrification targets.
Many organisations still treat electrification as a fleet replacement exercise. Mobility leaders take a broader view. They truly understand that a successful electric fleet strategy depends on employees' daily experience, especially for charging.
Charging availability, reimbursement clarity, and ease of use influence whether people welcome or resist EVs. This makes EV charging for employees a leadership issue, not a technical one. Forward-thinking employers view charging options as a whole and plan for charging at the workplace, at home, and on the road. These varied options are supported by simple rules that employees can trust.
Now, cars, charging, and policy become one connected system. This is how mobility leaders turn electrification from a compliance requirement into a credible, future-proof mobility offer.
In Belgium and the Netherlands, mobility policies are becoming more complex and interconnected. EV tax rules, mobility budgets, and hybrid work all introduce new regulations and cost types. In this setting, compliance can no longer be an afterthought.
Mobility leaders treat compliance as a core element of their employee mobility strategy. Employees experience compliance in practical ways, such as correct reimbursements, fair budgets, and consistent treatment across roles. When these rules are unclear, trust crumbles quickly.
Leading organisations design mobility frameworks that balance flexibility with structure. Clear eligibility rules, transparent budget limits, and consistent use reduce risk. This approach requires shared ownership across HR, finance, and fleet, and not siloed responsibility.
In 2026, the strongest HR mobility strategies will be those that make compliance feel predictable and fair towards employees.
The company car remains an important benefit. However, mobility leaders recognise that a car-only policy no longer reflects how people work and commute. Hybrid work, more urban living, and changing expectations demand more flexibility.
Across Belgium and the Netherlands, employers are shifting toward a mobility portfolio that combines different modes. Mobility budgets play a central role in this transition, enabling choice without losing control.
Rather than replacing company cars, leaders use mobility budgets to complement them. Employees can combine an electric car with public transport, bike leasing or shared mobility, depending on their needs. This turns mobility into an intentional employee mobility benefit instead of a one-size-fits-all perk.
When designed with clear rules and communication, choice improves adoption, supports talent attraction and strengthens control over mobility costs.
As mobility becomes more diverse, its cost structure becomes harder to oversee. Electric vehicles, charging reimbursements, mobility budgets, allowances and alternative transport options all contribute to total mobility spend. Many organisations still track these costs across different systems, teams and spreadsheets.
Mobility leaders take a different approach. They stop viewing mobility as a collection of isolated benefits and start managing it as a single strategic investment. For CFOs and executive teams, this means creating a single view of mobility spend. Gone are the days of fragmented cost lines spread across departments.
This strategic shift requires moving beyond upfront vehicle costs or lease rates. Leaders focus on the total cost of ownership of mobility. That means considering vehicle costs, charging, energy prices, residual value risks, and long-term usage patterns. Especially in an electric context, where residual values and energy costs remain uncertain, this broader view becomes essential.
By creating visibility across all mobility items, organisations gain the control and oversight leadership teams need. Finance teams can make more accurate forecasts, and HR can align benefits with budgets. Meanwhile, leadership can make informed decisions instead of reactive adjustments.
In 2026, the winning companies will be those treating mobility spend with the same discipline as any other strategic business investment.
Mobility is one of the few benefits employees interact with almost every day. It influences how they start and end their workday. Similarly, it impacts how flexible their schedule feels and how supported they feel by their employer.
As a result, mobility plays a growing role in employer reputation, retention, and increasingly in mobility and talent attraction.
Mobility leaders understand this emotional dimension. They know that offering flexibility, greener transport options and ease of use sends a strong signal about company values. EVs, mobility budgets, bike leasing and public transport support all contribute to a more modern and inclusive employer brand.
At the same time, leaders don't position mobility as a free-for-all. They offer choice within a clear framework to ensure fairness between employees with different roles, locations and commuting needs. This balance between flexibility and structure builds trust among employees and confidence among HR and leadership teams.
In a competitive talent market, mobility increasingly influences why people choose an employer and why they stay. Companies that recognise this early move beyond seeing mobility as pure costs. Instead, they use it as an intentional lever to strengthen employer reputation and support talent attraction.
Offering only EVs does not automatically lead to sustainable corporate mobility. As fleets grow electric, charging patterns, energy consumption and emissions reporting become more visible and more important. Mobility leaders are already connecting mobility decisions with energy and sustainability strategy.
In Belgium and the Netherlands, some organisations started looking beyond basic charging infrastructure. Mobility leaders are actively considering smart charging and closer alignment with renewable energy supply. Better control over when and how vehicles charge is becoming a strategic priority.
This integration of mobility, energy and sustainability matters for two reasons.
First, it supports credible ESG reporting by providing reliable data on emissions and energy use. Second, it helps control mobility costs by avoiding inefficient charging behaviour, and, where possible, peak energy pricing.
Leaders recognise that mobility does not exist in isolation. It is part of a broader transition that includes energy management, sustainability goals and regulatory reporting. By seeing mobility as part of a bigger system, companies get ready for future needs rather than reacting to them.
Across all six priorities, there's a clear pattern emerging. Mobility leaders are not chasing trends; they are building foundations. In 2026 they will have:
✔️ A clear employee mobility strategy aligned with HR, finance and CO2 emission goals
✔️ An electric fleet supported by a well-designed charging experience
✔️ Mobility budgets that offer choice without sacrificing control
✔️ Complete visibility into total mobility costs and usage
✔️ Policies that employees understand and trust
✔️ Systems that connect mobility data instead of fragmenting it
These foundations allow mobility leaders to move faster, communicate more clearly and make better decisions. To them, mobility is no longer fragmented across tools, teams and policies.
Together, these foundations give leadership teams confidence. Especially confidence in cost control, compliance, reporting and employee experience.
Mobility is no longer just about moving people from one place to another. Your mobility strategy in 2026 will determine how well you compete for talent, control costs, and meet sustainability expectations.
The employers that will lead are those that move beyond policies and spreadsheets. They invest in connected systems that bring together vehicles, charging, budgets, data and compliance into one coherent approach.
Turning a future-proof mobility strategy into reality requires more than policies. That's why leading HR, fleet, and finance teams rely on one connected platform to manage mobility end to end. Such a platform brings everything together in one place.
Employee mobility is changin fast… in this guide, we break down the top three mobility priorities for 2026 to help you create strong programs for the year ahead.
In the final article of our TCO series, we show how to apply the two mobility budget formulas step by step in a Belgian context. Learn how to map employee spending, apply tax and VAT rules, factor in indirect costs, and compare outcomes with a company car. The result is a practical method to turn TCO calculations into clear, data-driven mobility decisions.
In this second article of our TCO series, we move from theory to practice. You will discover two complementary formulas that help employers calculate, compare, and optimise the real cost of the mobility budget. Learn how to assess cost neutrality versus company cars, understand the impact of the three-pillar system, and gain a more accurate view of actual employer costs.
