Courtesy and Hire Vehicles for Bodyshops and Garages

The problem a courtesy vehicle solves

Bodyshops and garages run a small courtesy fleet sized for an average week. The weeks that matter are not average: a run of insurance jobs, a part on back order that keeps a car in the bay for longer than planned, or a customer whose policy requires mobility for the duration. When the fleet is fully out, a job that needs a courtesy vehicle is a job you cannot book in — or a customer you send to a hire company at your own cost. A back-up courtesy and hire vehicle service lets you say yes.

How the service works

1. Tell us what you need. Dates, expected duration, the type of vehicle that suits the customer and where the vehicle needs to be — your site or the customer's address.
2. We confirm availability and terms. Vehicle, price for the period, and the hire conditions: insurance cover, driver details and the documents to be completed. Everything is confirmed with you in writing before a vehicle goes out.
3. The vehicle is delivered or collected as agreed. At the end of the hire it is collected, and the hire is closed.

Terms depend on the length of hire, the vehicle and the driver, so we confirm them per hire rather than publishing a single set of conditions here. Ask us for the current terms when you enquire.

Need a vehicle for a specific job? Tell us the dates and the customer's requirements and we'll confirm what we can provide.

Courtesy vehicles and parts delays

The most common reason a car stays in a bodyshop longer than planned is a part that has not arrived. That is also the situation we are best placed to shorten. If a courtesy vehicle is out because a panel is on back order or a lamp has gone NLA, send us the part at the same time — our parts sourcing service searches UK and international supplier contacts for the same genuine part number, and finding it sooner ends the hire sooner. See back-ordered parts.

Who uses the service

• Bodyshops and accident repair centres whose own courtesy fleet is fully out
• Mechanical garages that do not run a courtesy fleet but occasionally need one
• Prestige and specialist workshops whose customers expect an appropriate vehicle
• Workshops covering a fleet or commercial customer's downtime

Trade only

Courtesy and hire vehicles are provided to garages and bodyshops for their customers' use during a repair. We do not hire vehicles directly to the public. If you are a private customer whose vehicle is in for repair, ask your repairer about courtesy vehicle availability.

For the other services we provide alongside a repair, see bodyshop support and specialist vehicle recovery, or contact us with the details of the job.

Planning ahead

The bodyshops that get the most from a back-up courtesy service are the ones that book it before they need it. If you know a part is on back order and the customer's car will be with you for longer than planned, tell us at the same time as the part request; if you have a week of insurance bookings coming in, tell us before the week starts. Availability is confirmed per hire, so early notice gives us the best chance of providing what the customer needs.

Handover and return

A courtesy vehicle handover is a document exercise as much as a key exchange: the driver's details and licence, the condition of the vehicle on the way out and back, and the hire terms agreed. We confirm what is needed for each hire before the vehicle goes out, so that the workshop is not chasing paperwork after the event. At the end of the hire the vehicle is collected as agreed and any condition notes are shared with the repairer.