Contract and interim work
A twelve month City contract needs a twelve month car, not a three year one. Match the vehicle to the assignment and stop paying when it ends.
Short-term leasing
A fixed lease, for whenever you already know the end date
Know roughly when you'll hand the car back? A fixed short-term lease is the cheapest way to structure that. Road tax, warranty and breakdown cover are built in; insurance and fuel are the only additions.
In short
A short-term car lease is a fixed-length contract hire agreement, generally 3 to 24 months. An initial payment of one to three months' rental gets it started, then a fixed monthly figure runs until the agreed end date, at which point the car goes back. Road tax, manufacturer warranty and breakdown cover come as standard. Maintenance doesn't — it's an optional extra on most agreements rather than a given. Insurance and fuel stay with you. Of the four short-term structures, this is the cheapest per month, because you're committing to a fixed date rather than paying for flexibility.
Typical cases
Who takes a short-term lease
Nearly everyone leasing short-term is solving a defined, time-bound problem. These are the ones we see most in and around London.
Waiting on a factory order
Ordered a new car with a six month lead time? A short lease bridges the gap without a rental bill that dwarfs the car you're waiting for.
Relocation and secondment
Moving to London for a defined period, or moving within the UK. A short lease avoids buying and selling a car inside a year.
Growing businesses
You need a vehicle now but can't forecast headcount three years out. Short terms let the fleet track the business, not the other way round.
Testing electric
Twelve months in an EV tells you what your real-world range, charging habits and running costs actually look like on London roads.
Between cars
Sold privately, waiting on a sale, or dealing with a write-off. A short lease covers the gap without a compromise vehicle.
Contract lengths
Choose your term
The longer the term, the lower the monthly figure, because depreciation spreads across more payments. Here's roughly how that plays out.
| Term | Monthly cost | Initial payment | Typically suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 months | Higher | Usually 1–2 rentals | Contracts, relocations, bridging a factory order |
| 9 months | Middle | Usually 2 rentals | Academic years, longer projects, seasonal roles |
| 12 months | Lower | Usually 1–3 rentals | The best value in short-term leasing |
| 18–24 months | Lowest | Usually 3 rentals | Approaching conventional leasing rates |
The monthly price
What's included
Maintenance isn't standard on a fixed short-term lease, but it's optional on most agreements — your quotation states which.
Included in your monthly payment
- Use of the vehicle for the full length of the agreement
- Road tax, paid for the whole term
- The manufacturer's warranty
- 24-hour breakdown cover
- Delivery to you, and collection when you're done
Not included as standard
- Servicing and maintenance — not automatic here, but most agreements let you add it
- A fully comprehensive insurance policy, taken out in your name
- Fuel or charging costs
- Congestion charge, ULEZ and any other clean air zone fees
- Damage that falls outside our return standards
- Miles driven beyond your agreed allowance
Available now
Live short-term lease offers
Short-term car leases available now
Decide
Short-term lease or subscription?
The test is simple, and it isn't really about money.
Take the fixed lease if you can name the month you'll hand the car back and would bet on it. You'll pay less every month for that certainty.
Take a subscription or flexible lease if there's a realistic chance the date moves. The premium you pay for flexibility is almost always smaller than an early termination settlement.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
Roughly 3 to 24 months of fixed contract hire is the short-term bracket, versus 24 up to 48 for a conventional lease. It exists as the middle ground: cheaper than daily rental once you're past a few weeks, and without the multi-year tie-in of a standard lease.
Entirely down to the car, the term length and the mileage you need. To give you a feel for it: small hybrid hatchbacks on six months currently start near £399 a month plus VAT, mainstream SUVs and estates sit in the £500s to £600s, and premium or performance models run higher still. You'll see the monthly figure, initial rental and excess-mileage rate in writing before signing anything.
A car sheds most of its value in the early years regardless of how long you keep it, and a short agreement has to recover that depreciation across far fewer payments. Six months covers roughly an eighth of a 48-month term's duration, yet the car's still depreciated the same amount — that's reflected in the rate, not a worse deal being offered.
Only against a settlement figure, which is exactly why we push on your actual dates before quoting anything. Genuinely unsure how long you need it? A flexible lease or subscription is the more sensible structure, even though it costs more monthly.
Not by default — it's an optional add-on across most of our fixed leases, and your quotation will say plainly whether it's in there. Road tax, the manufacturer warranty and breakdown cover are always included regardless. Subscriptions and flexible leases handle this differently, with maintenance built in as standard.
Not necessarily. New companies with nothing yet filed, directors based overseas, or a thin UK credit history are exactly what our non-status route was built to handle. A credit search still happens, but a specialist underwriter reviews it personally rather than a system auto-rejecting the file. Full detail's on the non-status leasing page.
Next step
Get a short-term lease quote
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.