Commercial car rental in London

If you need commercial car rental in London, Rent-Trip has 3 diesel panel vans available from £47 to £94 a day, with weekly bookings from £282 and monthly from £987. Choose from the Ford Transit Cargo, Volkswagen Caddy or Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cargo, and we deliver the vehicle to any address locally, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City and Southend airports.

What commercial car rental in London gives you

Our commercial class holds 3 panel vans, from £47 to £94 a day, all diesel and all manual. That is the whole choice: no petrol option, no automatic, so what separates the three is seats, drivetrain and power.

Three panel vans in the commercial class

The commercial class at Rent-Trip holds 3 panel vans, from £47 to £94 a day, and every one of them is a diesel manual with a 2.0 L engine. Rent-Trip keeps the class small on purpose — a short list is easier to book from than a long one, and every van in it is a panel body built for cargo rather than a converted passenger car. The Ford Transit Cargo is the entry point at £47 a day with 130 hp and front-wheel drive; the Volkswagen Caddy sits in the middle at £67 with 122 hp, front-wheel drive and 5 seats; the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cargo closes the range at £94 with 143 hp and rear-wheel drive. All three are diesel and manual, so the choice comes down to seats and drivetrain.

Ford Transit Cargo, Volkswagen Caddy and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cargo side by side

The three vans differ in seats, drivetrain and power, not in fuel or gearbox. Body type is identical across all three — Panel Van — so load space is the constant and the variables are the ones that decide how a van drives loaded. The Caddy is the only 5-seater, so it is the one to take when a larger crew travels with you; the Sprinter is the only rear-wheel-drive van, which is what you want when the load sits over the back axle. On our side, I would pick the Caddy for a two-person job in town and the Sprinter for a heavier run out of the capital — the extra 13 hp over the Transit is not the point, the driven axle is.

Daily, weekly and monthly commercial car rental in London

Our commercial class runs from £47 to £94 a day, and the longer you book, the lower the effective daily rate: a week is charged at the daily rate times 6, a month at times 21. Rent-Trip keeps the same three vans on the page, so the arithmetic is the only thing that changes between a single-day job and a month-long contract.

How the weekly and monthly rates work

A week is charged at the daily rate times 6, from £282; a month at times 21, from £987. The multiplier applies to the daily rate of the van you pick, so the Ford Transit Cargo at £47 a day comes to £282 for a week and £987 for a month, while the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cargo at £94 a day scales up from the same multipliers. Nothing else moves the daily rate — the fuel policy stays full-to-full, the van comes clean with a full tank, and the delivery address is agreed with a manager before the booking is fixed.

In our practice, most commercial bookings either run one to three shifts for a single move or stretch past a fortnight for a fit-out, and very little sits in between. If your job may overrun, book the longer block up front: any extension is agreed with a manager, so it is simpler to fix the full term at booking.

Cheapest and most expensive van in the class

• Ford Transit Cargo: the cheapest at £47 a day, a 3-seat front-wheel-drive panel van with a 2.0 L diesel engine and 130 hp.
• Volkswagen Caddy: £67 a day, the only 5-seater in the class, front-wheel drive, 2.0 L diesel, 122 hp.
• Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cargo: the most expensive at £94 a day, 3 seats, rear-wheel drive, 2.0 L diesel, 143 hp.
• What it does not buy: extra seats — the Caddy remains the only van here that carries a crew of five.

Prices by booking length

The table is arithmetic, not a discount scheme: every figure is the daily rate multiplied by 6 or by 21, and the same three vans carry those rates whether the job stays in the capital or runs out to a site beyond the delivery area, which is arranged case by case.

Commercial car rental delivered to your address

Delivery is what makes a commercial vehicle work for a van you actually need on site: we bring the vehicle to an address you choose, and the address, the date and the time are agreed with a manager before the booking is fixed. Nothing is left to a guess at the kerb.

How delivery is arranged

Rent-Trip delivers the van to any address in the city, and the address, date and time are agreed with a manager before the booking is fixed. The same manager confirms which of the three panel vans you get — the Ford Transit Cargo, the Volkswagen Caddy or the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cargo — so the vehicle that arrives matches the job you described. Delivery inside the city and to the six airports is part of how we work; anywhere outside those places is arranged case by case and is not promised on the site.

In our practice the slot matters more than the postcode: a van that turns up at 08:00 blocks a loading bay that a shop needs from 07:30, and a van that turns up at 10:00 misses the market run entirely. Fixing the slot first is what keeps the van from waiting at a kerb with no legal place to stop — and in a city where the Congestion Charge runs 07:00–18:00 Monday to Friday and 12:00–18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays, a hand-over that drifts into the charging window changes the day's plan.

Picking the van up at one of the six airports

• Heathrow (LHR): 30.3 km by road from the centre, about 45 minutes without traffic — the busiest of the six, so the hour goes into the booking.
• Gatwick (LGW): 48.6 km by road, roughly 70 minutes; a common arrival point for crews flying in for a job.
• Stansted (STN): 57.9 km by road, about 63 minutes; the hand-over point at the airport is agreed with a manager.
• Luton (LTN): 56.9 km by road, around 63 minutes.
• London City (LCY): 14.5 km by road, about 33 minutes; the closest to the centre of the six.
• Southend (SEN): 67.4 km by road, around 74 minutes; the smallest, so the hand-over point is agreed in advance rather than assumed.

Airport drop-offs are agreed with a manager too, so the terminal and the hour go into the booking, not into a guess. Every van comes clean with a full tank and must go back full — the full-to-full rule is the only fuel option we offer, and anything else is charged as set out in the rental agreement. If your job starts at Canary Wharf or ExCeL London and ends at a depot outside the city, tell the manager at booking: the return point is part of the same conversation as the delivery address.

Driving a hired van

A standard car licence is enough to drive all three vans in our commercial class, provided it is full and valid. Commercial car rental in London does not require a special category for any of the three. The rules below are the ones that catch drivers out on their first day behind the wheel of a panel van.

What a car licence covers

A standard car licence covers England, Wales and Scotland on the same terms, and it applies to the Ford Transit Cargo, the Volkswagen Caddy and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cargo alike — all three sit inside the weight and category a standard car licence already covers. Anything beyond it — an International Driving Permit, a minimum age, an extra driver — is agreed when booking, because those conditions depend on your licence and your stay rather than on the vehicle. A full, valid foreign licence is accepted for 12 months from your last entry into Great Britain. The window runs from the date you last entered the country, not from the day you collect the van, so a long stay shortens it. If you arrived in March and book in the following February, you are in the final weeks of that 12-month period.

Left-hand traffic and right-hand drive

Traffic drives on the left and every van in our fleet is right-hand drive, so the two match: you sit on the right of the cab and the kerb is on your left. Highway Code rule 160 puts it simply — keep to the left unless signs or markings say otherwise — and rule 183 asks you to keep close to the left edge when turning. Roundabouts are where the habit breaks: rule 185 gives priority to traffic approaching from your right, and the ring runs clockwise. Practically, that reverses your mirror habits. On a loaded panel van with no rear window, the door mirrors are the only view behind you, so check both before every lane change — the off-side one before you pull out to overtake.

Speed, phones and seatbelts

• Speed limits for cars: 30 mph in built-up areas across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, 60 mph on single carriageways and 70 mph on dual carriageways and motorways.
• London zones: many signed areas sit at 20 mph — the sign beats the default, so read it rather than assume 30.
• Phones: holding a phone, satnav or tablet is banned even while stopped at a light; the penalty is £200 and 6 points, and a driver within 2 years of passing loses the licence.
• Seatbelts: required where fitted, with children in a child seat until they reach 135 cm or turn 12, whichever comes first — up to £500.
• Drink-driving: in England, Wales and Northern Ireland the limit is 80 mg per 100 ml of blood, 35 µg per 100 ml of breath, 107 mg per 100 ml of urine; Scotland runs 50 / 22 / 67.

The Caddy carries 5 seats, so it is the one to book when the crew travels together rather than following in a second vehicle.

London charges that apply to commercial car rental in the capital

Two road charges apply when you drive a van in the capital: the Congestion Charge and the ULEZ. Both are set by Transport for London, and both are daily.

Congestion Charge and ULEZ in a hired diesel van

The Congestion Charge is £18 a day, 07:00–18:00 Mon–Fri, and ULEZ is £12.50 a day for non-compliant vehicles, 24/7. The Congestion Charge zone runs inside the Inner Ring Road — Pentonville Rd, City Rd, Old St, Commercial St, Mansell St, Tower Bridge Rd, New Kent Rd, Elephant & Castle, Kennington Ln, Vauxhall Bridge Rd, Park Ln, Edgware Rd, Marylebone Rd and Euston Rd sit outside or on its boundary. Pay on the day or in advance at £18; pay by midnight of the third day after the trip and it is £21. It is not charged from 25 December to the New Year bank holiday inclusive, and weekend hours are 12:00–18:00. ULEZ covers all 32 boroughs, runs every day except 25 December, and an unpaid charge draws a £180 PCN, cut to £90 if paid within 14 days. A Euro 6 diesel van from September 2016 meets ULEZ, so the build year decides the £12.50 — check the van on the TfL vehicle checker before you plan a route.

Dartford Crossing and who settles the charges

Dartford Crossing (Dart Charge) on the M25 costs £3.50 per crossing for cars (class B) on pay as you go, or £2.80 when you pay in advance, usually 06:00–22:00 every day including weekends and holidays. Pay by midnight of the next day after crossing; a PCN is £70, £35 if paid within 14 days, £105 if left unpaid. The Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels charge £4.20 at peak — northbound 06:00–10:00 and southbound 16:00–19:00 on weekdays — and £1.55 off-peak with Auto Pay.

• Congestion Charge: £18 a day, £21 if paid late, 07:00–18:00 Mon–Fri and 12:00–18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays.
• ULEZ: £12.50 a day for non-compliant vehicles, around the clock.
• Dartford Crossing: £3.50 per crossing for cars (class B), £2.80 prepaid.
• Blackwall and Silvertown: £4.20 at peak, £1.55 off-peak with Auto Pay.

Who settles road charges, tolls and penalty notices on a hired van is agreed when booking, so ask before the keys change hands.

Fuel, condition and the rental agreement

A van leaves us with a full tank and comes back with a full tank — full-to-full is the only fuel option we offer on commercial car rental in London. There is no pre-paid tank and no full-to-empty arrangement on the site, so the rule is the same whether you take the Ford Transit Cargo for an afternoon or the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cargo for a month. Diesel at the pump is charged at the rate shown on the forecourt, and a 2.0 L panel van that spends its day between depots and building sites will drink through a tank faster than most drivers expect. Budget for one refill mid-week on a long job, and keep the receipt from the last fill — it is the simplest proof the tank went back full.

• Full-to-full: the van is supplied with a full tank and must be returned with a full tank.
• Shortfall: if the tank comes back below full, the missing fuel and a refuelling service fee are charged as set out in the rental agreement.
• No alternative: a pre-paid tank and full-to-empty are not offered, so there is nothing to choose between at booking.
• Clean on collection: the van comes clean with a full tank, which matters when the load is tools, stock or furniture.

What the rental agreement sets out

The condition of the van, the deposit, the insurance excess, delivery fees and any discount are all set out in the rental agreement rather than quoted here — they are agreed when booking, in the same conversation where the delivery address, the date and the time are fixed. Our commercial class holds three panel vans from £47 to £94 a day, and the agreement is the same document whichever one you take. Read it before the van arrives, not at the kerb: the fuel rule and the refuelling fee are the two lines drivers ask about most often, and both are settled in writing before the keys change hands.

One practical note from our own bookings. A diesel van on short stop-start runs around the centre rarely returns the economy of a motorway trip, so a driver who fills up at the start of a job and again before hand-over usually lands closer to full than one who tops up in the last hour and guesses. Keep the tank above a quarter through the week and the refuel before return is a five-minute stop, not a hunt for a filling station at the end of a working day.

Choosing the right van for Commercial car rental in London

Three diesel panel vehicles sit in the commercial class, from £47 to £94 a day. Matching one to the job comes down to three things: how many people ride along, what goes in the back and where the van has to go. Fuel and gearbox are the same across the line — all three burn diesel and all three are manual — so the choice is really about seats, drivetrain and power.

Ford Transit Cargo — 3 seats, front-wheel drive, 2.0 L and 130 hp, at £47 a day. The cheapest way into the class, and the one we hand to single-driver jobs around the city: a flat move, a trade delivery, a run to a lock-up.

Volkswagen Caddy — 5 seats, front-wheel drive, 2.0 L and 122 hp, at £67 a day. The only five-seater here, so it is the one that takes a crew of four or five without a second vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cargo — 3 seats, rear-wheel drive, 2.0 L and 143 hp, at £94 a day. The most powerful and the only rear-wheel-drive van in the class, at the top of the range. Rear-wheel drive earns its keep when the load sits over the back axle. On a wet ramp or a gravel yard, the Sprinter puts weight on the driven wheels and pulls away where a front-wheel-drive panel van might spin.

Seats decide more bookings than people expect. A Caddy at £67 carries five, so a job that needs four or five in the cab fits; the same job in a three-seat Transit needs a second run or a second driver. In our experience, crews book the Caddy for the passenger count and the Sprinter for the payload, and the Transit covers everything in between.

Size is the other half of it. All three are panel vans with a closed body, so nothing shifts in the rain and nothing walks off at a kerb. Check the height of the load against the rear doors before you book — a panel van is not a high-roof Luton, and an upright wardrobe will not go in lying down.

One last point on where the van goes. A diesel van registered from September 2016 meets the ULEZ Euro 6 standard, so the build year decides whether the £12.50 daily charge applies on a run across London. Ask about the van you are booking when the details are agreed — the answer changes the cost of the job, not the rate.

Practical conclusion on Commercial car rental in London

Commercial car rental in London comes down to three vans, one fuel type and one gearbox: Ford Transit Cargo at £47 a day, Volkswagen Caddy at £67, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cargo at £94. Weekly starts at £282 and monthly at £987, calculated as the daily rate times 6 and times 21. Everything else — the delivery address, the date, the hour — is agreed with a manager before the booking is fixed.

What actually decides the choice between them:

• Seats: the Caddy is the only 5-seater, so it is the one to take when four or five people ride along; the Transit and the Sprinter carry 3.
• Power: 122 hp in the Caddy, 130 hp in the Transit, 143 hp in the Sprinter — 2.0 L in all three.
• Drivetrain: the Sprinter is the only rear-wheel-drive van in the class, which is what you want with weight over the back axle.

Two things catch people out on a first van booking here. A full, valid foreign licence is accepted for 12 months from your last entry into Great Britain, and those 12 months run from entry, not from the rental date — a long stay quietly shortens the window. Traffic drives on the left and every vehicle is right-hand drive, so at a roundabout you give way to traffic from the right (Highway Code, rule 185) and the mirror check runs the other way round. Who settles road charges and penalties is agreed when booking. And the charges: the Congestion Charge is £18 a day between 07:00 and 18:00 Monday to Friday and 12:00–18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays, ULEZ is £12.50 a day around the clock for non-compliant vehicles, and a Euro 6 diesel from September 2016 clears ULEZ — so the build year, not the badge, settles that £12.50.

Fuel is full-to-full: the van comes clean with a full tank and goes back the same way, with any missing fuel and the refuelling service fee set out in the rental agreement. A full tank on a Sprinter is not a rounding error in the budget, so plan the refill before the return.

Delivery is to any address in the capital and to Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City and Southend, but a van with nowhere legal to stop is a van that costs you the first hour of the job — pin the address and the hour down with a manager first, and the rest of the day runs on the clock you planned. Book the slot before you commit to a kerb.