Comparison
Six ways to have a car, none of them ownership
Rental, subscription, flexible lease, short-term lease, standard contract hire, PCP. Same rough outcome — a car on your drive — but each one asks something different of you in return.
Six mainstream routes exist to running a car without buying it outright. Daily rental suits a handful of days. Long-term hire covers weeks up to a couple of months. A car subscription fits a few months where your plans might still shift. A flexible lease suits six months or more when you can't yet name an end date. A short-term lease covers 3 to 24 months with a known finish line, and undercuts the others on monthly cost within that range. Conventional leasing or PCP handles two to four years. Picking between them mostly comes down to two questions: how long, and how sure are you?
Side by side
The full comparison
| Daily rental | Long-term hire | Subscription | Flexible lease | Short-term lease | Contract hire | PCP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical duration | 1–14 days | 1–3 months | From 1 month | From 1 month | 3–24 months | 24–48 months | 24–48 months |
| Minimum commitment | None | 1 month | From 1 month | From 1 month | Full term | Full term | Full term |
| Relative monthly cost | Very high | High | High | Middle | Low | Lowest | Low |
| Initial payment | None | None | 1 rental | 1–2 rentals | 1–3 rentals | 3–12 rentals | Deposit |
| Maintenance included | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Optional | Optional | No |
| Road tax included | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | First year only |
| Insurance included | Usually | Often | No | No | No | No | No |
| Exit early | Yes | Yes | 5 working days' notice | 5 working days' notice | Settlement | Settlement | Settlement |
| Ends in ownership | No | No | No | No | No | No | Optional |
| Credit check | No | Light | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Choose exact model | No | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Do we offer it? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Shortcut
Decide by how long you need it
- Under 3 weeks
- Daily rental. We don't offer it directly, but our sister site carhireairport.co.uk covers this and all six London airports.
- 3 weeks – 3 months
- Long-term hire or a subscription, depending on whether you want insurance bundled.
- 3 – 6 months, uncertain
- Car subscription. You're paying for the ability to stop, and it's worth it.
- 6+ months, uncertain
- Flexible lease. Cheaper than a subscription, still escapable with notice.
- 3 – 24 months, certain
- Fixed short-term lease. The lowest monthly cost in the short-term market.
- Over 24 months
- Conventional contract hire or PCP. A different product for a different need — we'll point you towards a long-term specialist.
Next step
Ask us to price two options side by side
Tell us what you need and when you need it. We will come back with real availability and a written quote — usually the same working day.