Faq's
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Van Hire
Our van rental service offers a wide range of vehicles, transparent pricing, flexible hire terms, and reliable customer support. We provide well-maintained vans suited for moves, business use, and everyday transport needs.
We are known as one of the best van rental options because of our extensive fleet, fair pricing, unlimited mileage options, and commitment to hassle-free rentals. Customers appreciate our dependability and straightforward booking process.
Yes. We offer automatic van hire for customers who want an easy, comfortable driving experience. These vans are great for city driving, long journeys, or anybody who prefers automatic over manual.
Surely. Our small van hire options are best for transporting furniture, equipment, boxes, or business supplies. They’re easy to drive, fuel-efficient, and ideal for quick trips in and around the city.
Consider what you need to transport, how far you’ll travel, and your driving comfort level. We offer small van hire, medium vans, large vans, and automatic van hire options to suit every requirement. Our experts can assist you in selecting the most appropriate vehicle.
Car Hire
We have quality vehicles, transparent pricing, and excellent customer support. Our goal is to offer the best car rental experience through well-maintained cars, flexible hire terms, and a smooth booking procedure.
Our car rental service comprises a broad collection of vehicles, insurance options, breakdown assistance, and flexible rental periods. Our goal is to offer convenience and value to both personal and business customers.
Yes. We provide luxury car hire for weddings, corporate travel, events, and personal occasions. Our premium vehicles come with professional support to ensure a comfortable, high-end driving experience.
Definitely. We offer local car hire for short journeys, day rentals, shopping runs, or quick business errands. You can choose from small cars, compact vans, and more.
Consider your travel distance, passenger count, load size, and budget. Whether you need the best car rental for long trips, local car hire for quick errands, or luxury car hire for special events, our team can guide you to the right vehicle.
9 Seater Minibus Hire
Our 9 seater minibus hire includes a well-maintained, modern vehicle with comfortable seating, ample luggage space, and standard safety features. All vehicles are regularly serviced and prepared for self-drive use across London, Essex, and surrounding areas.
Yes, our 9 seater minibus hire self-drive option is ideal for family trips, airport transfers, corporate travel, or group outings. You stay in full control of your journey while enjoying flexibility and cost-effective travel across London and Essex.
Yes, many businesses choose our 9 seater minibus hire in London and Essexfor team travel, events, or site visits. It offers a professional, cost-effective transport solution while allowing staff to travel together comfortably.
Our 9 seater minibus vehicles are designed for comfort and reliability on longer journeys. With spacious seating and smooth handling, they are suitable for extended travel both within London and further across the UK.
Choosing a 9 seater minibus hire keeps your group together, reduces fuel costs, and makes travel simpler. It’s a practical solution for group transport in busy areas like London and Essex.
Crew Cab Van Hire
A crew cab van is designed to carry both passengers and equipment. Our crew cab van hire is ideal for construction teams, contractors, and tradespeople working across London and Essex who need space for tools and staff.
Yes, our crew cab van rental service is well suited for commercial use. These vans offer secure load space alongside rear seating, making them practical for daily work requirements.
We offer LWB crew cab van hire in London and Essex for customers needing extra load capacity. These vehicles are perfect for larger tools, materials, or longer equipment while still comfortably seating your crew.
Booking early is recommended, particularly during busy work periods or peak seasons. Advance booking helps secure the right crew cab van hire in London and Essex for your specific project needs.
Yes, LWB crew cab van hire works well for both short-term and long-term rentals. Many customers rely on them for ongoing projects, offering flexibility and consistent transport throughout London and Essex.
3.5 Tonne Tippers
We offer specialised configurations, such as the Ford Transit Caged Tipper, to suit various requirements. Whether you are clearing site debris or transporting loose aggregates, our fleet of 3.5 tonne tippers for hire provides the versatility and durability needed for demanding work environments.
Yes, vehicles provided through 3.5 tonne tipper hire are commonly used on construction and landscaping sites. Their tipping mechanism makes unloading fast and efficient, while their manageable size helps when navigating tight access areas often found on London building sites or Essex developments.
Our 3.5 tonne tippers for hire is especially useful during garden renovations, driveway installations, or home extensions. Customers in London and Essex frequently use these vehicles to remove soil and rubble efficiently, saving multiple trips and reducing labour time on site.
Yes, 3.5 tonne tipper hire is available for both short-term and long-term periods. Whether you need a vehicle for a single day’s landscaping work in Essex or an ongoing building project in London, flexible hire options can be arranged.
We provide well-maintained vehicles, transparent pricing, and comprehensive insurance as part of our service. Our 3.5 tonne tipper trucks hire solutions in Essex and London are supported by our friendly team of experts who ensure your rental experience is completely hassle-free from start to finish.
7.5 Tonne
Utilising a single 7.5 tonne truck allows you to transport a much larger volume of goods in one trip. This significantly reduces fuel costs, driver wages, and your overall carbon footprint when operating in London.
It’s best to arrange 7.5 tonne lorry hireas early as possible, especially during busy periods such as summer, weekends, or end-of-month moving dates. Demand in London and Essex can be high, so early booking helps guarantee vehicle availability.
A 7.5 tonne lorry provides extensive cargo space, making it the premier choice for transporting heavy or voluminous loads. This capacity is ideal for business logistics and large-scale distribution across the Essex area.
Yes, 7.5 tonne truck hireis widely used by businesses for transporting stock, equipment, and event materials. Companies operating across London and Essex benefit from the larger capacity, which reduces repeat journeys and improves delivery efficiency.
Booking a 7.5 tonne truck in London is simple through our website or by calling our branches. These spacious vehicles are perfect for relocating large households or handling substantial commercial deliveries efficiently.
Transit Van Hire
Transit van rental in London or Essex allows customers to access a reliable commercial vehicle only when they need it. Instead of dealing with maintenance, insurance, and storage costs, Transit van hire provides flexibility and a cost effective way to manage transport tasks.
Yes, transit van hire in London or Essex is often suitable for drivers who have not previously used a large van. The vehicles are designed for stability and visibility, which helps make driving easier when transporting goods or completing a home move.
Transit vans are widely chosen for moving furniture and bulky items across London and Essex. With generous cargo space and easy access loading areas, transit van hire provides a practical solution for transporting appliances, boxes, and household items safely.
Yes, transit van rental in London or Essex can usually be arranged for flexible hire periods depending on your requirements. Many customers choose short hires for moving house or transporting goods, while others prefer longer Transit van hire for ongoing business use.
Booking transit van hire in London or Essex early is recommended, especially during busy moving periods or weekends. Reserving your transit van rental in advance helps ensure the right vehicle size is available when you need it.
LWB, MWB, SWB, Van Hire
The main difference is the length and load capacity of the vehicle. LWB van hire in London or Essex provides a longer cargo area that suits large deliveries or house moves, while SWB van hire offers a more compact vehicle that is easier to drive in busy areas.
Yes, customers can choose between LWB van rental or SWB van rental in London or Essex based on what they need to carry. Smaller loads often work well with SWB van hire, while larger items usually require the extra space available with LWB van hire.
Yes, MWB van hire across London and Essex is commonly used for transporting furniture, appliances, and household items. The additional load space compared to smaller vans allows you to carry several bulky items at once, which can make home moves and large collections much easier to manage.
LWB van rental in London or Essex offers generous storage capacity that suits construction work, equipment transport, and large deliveries. Businesses often choose LWB van hire because it allows them to move more goods in fewer trips.
SWB van hire in London or Essex is a good option when you need a van that is easier to drive and park. SWB van rental works well for smaller loads, city travel, and situations where space on the road is limited.
9 Seater Minibus Hire Self Drive
Absolutely. One of the best things about our 9 seater minibus hire self-drive is that you don’t need a special D1 license category. As long as you’ve got a standard Category B car license, you’re good to go. We see a lot of families from London heading out for weekends who are relieved they don’t have to deal with extra paperwork just to drive the group around.
Don’t worry, we won’t leave you stranded. All our rentals come with 24/7 roadside assistance. Whether you’re stuck in central London traffic or a quiet Essex lane, help is just a phone call away. Our fleet is regularly serviced to prevent this, but it’s always good to have that peace of mind when you have eight passengers in the back.
Yes, they definitely are. We know how much of a headache the London Low Emission Zone and ULEZ can be. Our fleet is modern and meets the required standards, so you won’t get slapped with those daily charges while driving through Hackney or Central London. It’s one less thing for you to worry about during your hire.
We don’t expect a professional valet, but we do ask that you clear out any rubbish, coffee cups, or crisp packets. We take pride in handing over spotless mini bus hire self-drive to our London and Essex customers, so keeping them tidy helps us get the van ready for the next family or group without any delays.
We aren’t a massive, faceless corporation. We’re a local team that actually cares about your trip. Our vans are kept spotless, our prices are transparent, and we know the London and Essex roads like the back of our hands. We focus on making the handovers quick and the returns even easier, which is why people keep coming back.
Long-Term Van Hire
That is the beauty of hiring over buying. If you find that the van you picked is too small for your new London contracts, or you suddenly need a tail lift, we can usually swap you into a different model. You aren’t stuck with one vehicle for years; you can adapt your fleet as your Essex business evolves.
Absolutely. We wouldn’t expect you to manage a long-term rental without that safety net. Whether it’s a flat battery on a cold Essex morning or a puncture in central London, the breakdown service is included in your monthly price. It’s all about giving you total peace of mind while you work.
Yes, the longer you commit, the better the daily rate becomes. We have special pricing structures specifically for our long-term partners in London and Essex. It’s significantly cheaper than our standard daily rates, making it a very smart financial move for startups or established tradespeople who want to keep their overheads predictable and low.
Purchasing a van represents a significant initial investment, not to mention the anxiety of depreciation.With our long-term van hire, you get a fixed monthly cost that covers everything but fuel. And if the ULEZ regulations shift again, or if you land a new contract in Essex that requires a larger van, you’re not left holding onto something you can’t sell.
Definitely. A lot of construction projects in Essex take longer than planned. Just give us a call a few days before your current agreement ends. We can usually extend it over the phone and just keep the same payment schedule going. No need to come back into the office every time.
Refrigerated Van Hire
Our fleet of refrigerated vehicle hire in London ranges from Ford Transit L3H2 refrigerated vans up to 18-tonne refrigerated trucks. You can choose according to your needs for chilled or frozen transport. We have ideal transport capacities for delivering fresh food, meats, pharmaceuticals, dairy and floral products in large and small quantities.
Yes, we do high-load temperature testing, and we have very strict maintenance procedures in place to ensure the integrity of the cold chain during high external temperatures. The vans can really take your load in local conditions, whatever the weather is outside.
We provide fully insured refrigerated van hire services in London and Essex, which include breakdown coverage. Usually, such incidents are rare since we run meticulous pre-rental vehicle checks. However, even if such an incident occurs due to unexpected road conditions or any other reason, resulting in any damage to your goods, we will compensate you for it.
This is vital for multi-drop deliveries in congested areas like Central London, where you may be stationary for extended periods. Some units rely entirely on the engine; others have auxiliary power. The difference can mean the world for temperature-sensitive cargo.
Yes, at 1st City Van Hire, we do provide refrigerated van transport to Ireland and other parts of Europe. We can arrange a green card and separate European breakdown cover to suit your requirements.
General Questions:
Please note that if you bring your Licence and National Insurance number we can do all checks with you in the branch, alternatively follow the details below.
Stage 1: No more than 3 days prior to collecting the vehicle from branch
1.Access the DVLA website at https://www.viewdrivingrecord.service.gov.uk/driving-record/licence-number (you will need your driving licence number, National Insurance number and postcode to hand)
2.Enter your driving licence and NI numbers and postcode where indicated;
3.Check the consent box and click “View Now”;
4.Click on “Share your licence information”;
5.Click on “create a code”;
6.You may print out the code, or just write it down (but remember, the code is case sensitive) and bring it with you to the 1st City Van Hire branch.
7.We will then use this code to view your entitlements and endorsements using the latest information from the DVLA. The access code is valid only for 72 hours, and usable only once. It means you must generate this code from the DVLA website within 3 days of picking up the vehicle.
Stage 2: At the branch
1.By sharing the code with us, you are granting permission for us to view and retain evidence of your entitlements and endorsements.
2.We use this code to access the DVLA website in order to review up-to-date entitlements and endorsements.
3.We will print and retain the response from the DVLA. This is done to satisfy insurance requirements.
We need to see all of the following documentation at the time of hire:
1. Driver’s Licence. A current full driver’s licence held for a minimum of 12 months (endorsements permitting).
2. Two forms of identification. These must be recent utility bills, bank or building society statements. A passport is not acceptable as it does not contain your address.
3. Credit or debit card. This will be required for the deposit and the hire charge. Please make sure there is enough credit available on your card.
For car hire you must be aged between 23 and 70. We can currently hire cars to drivers aged 21 years and over but this is subject to our insurers so please call ahead to make sure. For 7 and 12 seaters you must be aged between 25 and 70. For light vans and commercials you must be aged between 21 and 70. However, if you want to drive a 7,500 kg GVW vehicle on an ordinary licence you must also have passed your test before January 1997. NB: The government’s licensing rules may have changed since you last hired this type of vehicle so please check on the DVLA website below or contact us. www.direct.gov.uk/WhatCanYouDriveAndYourObligations.
We can probably still hire you a vehicle, but you must be able to arrange your own fully-comprehensive insurance and bring it with you at the time of hire. To avoid disappointment, we would strongly advise you to call us well in advance for more information.
The prices we show, or quote, are inclusive of VAT. There are no hidden extras and there are no extra mileage charges. Rates for all vehicles up to 7,500 kg GVW include comprehensive insurance. This is subject to an insurance excess surcharge which will be charged in the event of an accident, and which can be reduced by paying a small extra cost Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) at the time of hire.
Deposits vary depending on the type of vehicle you wish to hire. It is advisable to call us and check before picking up the vehicle, as the deposit, plus the rental charges, are paid at the time of hire. We use your deposit to cover part of the insurance excess charge in the event of an accident. Unused deposits are credited to you when the vehicle is returned. Please note that drivers with endorsements may be subject to larger deposits.
All vehicles up to 7,500 kg GVW are comprehensively insured but have an insurance excess which will vary depending on the size of the vehicle, your driving record and your age. Additional named drivers will be subject to an insurance surcharge. You are responsible for any damage or loss sustained to the vehicle and are liable to pay the insurance excess in this event. Due to fluctuations, as well as the number of variables in determining the insurance excess, it is recommended that you contact us for the latest information.
In the event of an insurance claim, Collision Damage Waiver – or CDW, as it is also known which in most cases halves your excess. This can be taken out with an additional payment at the time of hire. Please note, however, that this does not cover you for negligent damage to wheels and tyres or roofs of vehicles, theft of wheels and tyres including spares, or theft of audio equipment. It is only available to drivers aged 21 and over hiring vans and commercials, and for drivers aged 23 and over hiring cars and 12 seaters, and is also subject to the driver having a satisfactory driving record. The cost for this option can be advised at the time of hire.
Windscreen damage is the hirers responsibility.
By credit or debit card. All major credit and debit cards are welcome, including Visa, MasterCard, and Switch. Whole or part payment of charges may be required by credit or debit card. Outstanding payments are taken from credit or debit cards.
It is very important that you contact us and let us know. We can then advise you of any additional charges and if required can arrange payment and insurance cover by debiting your credit or debit card. Alternatively additional charges can be covered by monies brought in by you at the time of extending the hire period.
It’s easy. Just return the vehicle to one of our depots, where you will be met by someone who will check the vehicle for damage. We recommend that vehicles are returned to us with the same amount of fuel as you took it with, as any fuel we dispense will be charged for. You will be issued with a receipt to say that the vehicle has been returned in good condition and this will also indicate the additional charge you will have to pay for any fuel. Please present this at reception where your paperwork will then be quickly completed.