Guides · United Kingdom
Guides for UK hire operators, grouped by the job in front of you.
Written by an operator who runs two fleets. Every rule links to the government page it comes from, and the calls that are yours to make are marked as yours.
Checklist
Your first 30 days.
The order the questions actually arrive in. Each step links to the part of the guide that covers it.
Not legal or tax advice
- Step 01Form the company, set it up for Corporation Tax, open the bank account in its nameThe agreement, the policy and the bank account all name the entity.Read
- Step 02Decide the VAT question with your accountantAnd price as if you were registered from the first hire.Read
- Step 03Get the fleet policy quotedOn the exact models, driver ages and licence types you intend to accept.Read
- Step 04Write the hire agreement around the policyCancellation tiers, fuel, mileage, damage and excess, and the section 66 liability statement.Read
- Step 05Pay the ICO fee and write the privacy noticeOne page, with a retention period.Read
- Step 06Buy ULEZ-compliant cars under the £40,000 thresholdIn depth, not variety, with every tax, MOT and insurance date against each one.Read
- Step 07Open a Dart Charge accountAnd any toll accounts your routes need.Read
- Step 08Decide how you take depositsAnd how long holds last.Read
- Step 09Run the utilisation calculator at a conservative numberAnd make sure it still pays.Read
01 · Setting up
Start a car hire business in the UK
VAT, MOT, insurance, the hire agreement, PCNs and card fees, in the order you will hit them.
The car hire agreement: what it must say
Cancellation, the section 66 statement, licence checks, damage, fuel and data, written before the dispute rather than after.
PCNs and fines on hire cars
Council PCNs, private parking, speeding, ULEZ and Dart Charge: how each is passed to the hirer, and the deadlines.
02 · Tax, cover and charges
VAT on car hire
The threshold, 20% on hire, deposits and tax points, damage and fuel recharges, fines and the Flat Rate Scheme.
Deposits, excess and damage charges
Card holds, excess levels, what makes a damage charge fair, the evidence to keep and how to collect it.
Insurance for a car hire business
The legal minimum, a fleet hire policy, the Motor Insurance Database, Insurance Premium Tax and damage waivers.
ULEZ, clean air zones and tolls
London, the English and Scottish zones, Dart Charge and the toll roads, and recovering each charge from the hirer.
03 · Pricing and revenue
Fleet utilisation calculator
Enter your fleet, hires and idle days. Get utilisation, RevPAD and ADR with a shareable link.
How rental businesses make money
Where the margin is across day rate, extras and excess, with the numbers from two fleets.
Coming soon04 · Getting bookings
Direct bookings vs OTAs
What the commission really costs once you count the admin.
Coming soon05 · Choosing software
Running a fleet on a spreadsheet
It works until it does not. The specific failure modes, and the day to stop.
Coming soonBest rental management software
An honest comparison by an operator who runs on one of them. Disclosure included.
Coming soonWhen you are ready for the software
The guide's checklist, run in one system.
From £42 a month. Free to start, no card.