Can you rent a car or van long term in the UK?

Have you ever considered renting a car or van on a long term basis? If you’re in between vehicles and need transport to and from work, then long term hire of a car or van could prove the perfect solution for you. 

In this article dedicated to the topic of long term vehicle hire, here at Rent Direct, we ask the questions you want answers to; Can you hire a car or van for 3 months? Can you hire a car or van for 6 months? How long can you rent a vehicle for? Read on to find out more… 

What is long term vehicle rental?

Before we drill down into car and van hire during a prolonged period of time, let us first explain what long term vehicle rental is: 

In essence, long term rental of a car or van means you as the driver have access to a vehicle designed to suit your needs. If you don’t fancy the commitment that comes with financing a vehicle or entering into a lease contract, then long term hire of a car or van is your best option. 

What are the benefits of long term vehicle hire?

There are many advantages when opting to hire a car or van on a long term basis. For instance, long term vehicle rental means you won’t have the huge upfront costs of purchasing a car or van outright, or committing to a lengthy finance agreement where you’ll pay back much more than the vehicle is actually worth. 

If you own a business that relies on company cars or vans, then long term vehicle hire is also of huge benefit; it means you can rent the desired vehicle for a set period of time with the option to change the vehicle if needed or hand it back at any time.    

What is the longest amount of time you can rent a car or van for?

How long you can hire a car or van for is entirely dependent on where you rent the vehicle from. When you hire a vehicle from us at Rent Direct, rest assured that how long you wish to drive the car or van for is totally up to you. 

Unlike other vehicle rental companies, we won’t tie you into a 3 month or 6 month contract, but will create a long term vehicle hire agreement based on your needs. If you require a car or van for a year, then that’s fine by us! If you aren’t sure how long you’ll need to rent a vehicle for, then we are completely flexible and can offer a rolling contract on a long term basis.

Here at Rent Direct, we own our fleet of cars, vans and MPVs, so you’ll have the peace of mind that we won’t require the vehicle back from you until you’re ready to part with it. This is just one of the many benefits to renting, direct!    

How many miles can you drive in a rental vehicle?

Again, how many miles you’re allowed to drive per day and during the long term vehicle hire period depends on the rental company you choose. Some rental companies will put a strict limit on how many miles you can travel in their vehicle - this may be a daily limit or a maximum mileage amount during the entire period of rental. 

In the case of us here at Rent Direct, you won’t be forced to manage the miles during your rental term. Instead, we’ll ask you to estimate the amount of miles you expect to drive during the long term hire of your car or van. This will then help us to give you a more accurate and favourable quote, rather than us holding you accountable if you don’t quite meet your estimated mileage.     

What are the requirements for renting a vehicle in the UK?

As with renting any type of vehicle in the UK, you’ll firstly need to meet the hiring criteria to ensure you’re eligible to hire a car, van or MPV. No matter what vehicle hire company you choose, renting a car or van is subject to driver age limits, certain driving licence requirements and documented identification. 

To find out what’s required when entering into a vehicle rental agreement here at Rent Direct, head over to the Hiring Criteria page of our website where we explain more. Of course if you have any questions, you can contact us and speak to a friendly member of our team who will be happy to help.  

What happens if you don’t return a rental car or van on time?

It’s never a good idea to risk not returning a rental vehicle on time. Every vehicle hire company will have their own set of policies when it comes to late car or van hire, but ultimately, the bottom line is that you will be charged. Depending on how late you return the vehicle, the rental company may bill you for an extra day of use.

It’s also worth remembering that when you enter into a vehicle rental agreement, you are simply hiring it to drive for a designated period, so are not the registered owner of the car or van during that time. As such, not returning the vehicle in time could be classed as theft if you have not contacted the rental company prior to make them aware of a late return. Don’t run the risk! 

Take advantage of long term vehicle hire at Rent Direct

When it comes to long term vehicle hire, then why not rent direct! Here at Rent Direct, you’ll be doing just that. We are proud to be a leading provider of rental cars, vans and MPVs in East Anglia, so you can rely on us to offer a competitive long term vehicle hire solution to suit you and your needs. 

Whether you need a car for 6 months, or a van for over a year, we can help. In fact, we provide a Flexifleet Scheme that means if you own a business that needs a car or van on a long term basis, we can work with you to make this happen at a price to suit you. 

You’ll find a Rent Direct branch located in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Lincolnshire, so why not pop in to see us today, or explore your long term vehicle options online.