HOW TO HIRE · VEHICLES & TRANSPORT · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a wedding chauffeur in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
Wedding cars are exempt from private hire licensing outside London. Here is what to check instead.
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- Nearest to you first
- One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews
THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a wedding chauffeur in five steps
- See the actual carIn person or in recent photos, not a catalogue.
- Agree the timetablePickups, ceremony, photos and reception, with buffer time.
- Get the contract in writingCar, hours, route, ribbons, deposit, balance, cancellation and breakdown cover.
- Ask about insuranceCover for carrying passengers for hire on the day.
- Confirm the week beforeTimes, addresses, the chauffeur's name and phone.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
No register applies
No licence or register applies to wedding car hire as such outside London in England and Wales: section 75 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 takes a vehicle being used in connection with a wedding out of the private hire rules, and gov.uk's limousine guidance says limousines with up to eight passenger seats need no licence for weddings. Elsewhere, ask the operator which rules they work under.
Ask how the car is licensed or exempt, and get the booking in writing. legislation.gov.uk →
Insurance
No law makes a wedding chauffeur carry insurance, but anyone working on customers' cars should have public liability and cover for the vehicles in their care. Ask what happens if your paintwork, glass or interior is damaged.
Ask whether their insurance covers damage to your car on your drive.
Trader status and a written price
A wedding chauffeur trading as a business owes you reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Look for the trader badge on Locufy and get the scope and price in a message.
Check the trader badge and save the written quote. legislation.gov.uk →
VAT
A wedding car with a driver is standard-rated at 20%; a vehicle with 10 or more seats, such as a vintage bus, would be zero-rated. Wedding chauffeurs with more than £90,000 of taxable turnover must register for VAT, charge it, and itemise it on every quote and invoice.
Ask the wedding car firm for its VAT number and the seats in the car; under 10, expect 20%. gov.uk →
A good answer: Yes — the car itself, not a similar one.
A good answer: A named replacement plan, in the contract.
A good answer: Yes, with the insurer named.
A good answer: Hours included and the overtime rate.
A good answer: Listed in the contract.
A good answer: In writing, with dates.
A good answer: A good wedding chauffeur knows the venues and parking.
Getting the quote right
- The car, colour and decorations
- Hours, timetable and venues
- Overtime rate
- The wedding car firm's VAT number, with VAT under the booking
- Deposit, balance, cancellation and breakdown replacement
- Who actually attends: the firm's own driver or a subcontracted one, and whose car arrives
Walk away if
- A catalogue photo, not the actual car
- No breakdown plan
- No written contract
- A large deposit with no cancellation terms
What a wedding chauffeur costs: £200–£1,000 per booking
Wedding car hire is priced per booking — the car, the hours on the day, the distance between venues and extras such as ribbons — usually with a deposit to secure the date. Wedding Car Hire price guide →
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE
Wedding chauffeurs near you, with the badges that matter shown
ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
- BookCar seen, contract signed, deposit paid.
- ConfirmTimetable and addresses confirmed the week before.
- ArriveCar dressed and early at the first pickup.
- The dayCeremony, photos and reception run to the timetable.
- FinishFinal drop-off; any overtime as agreed.
- Section 75 exemption
- The 1976 Act rule that takes wedding cars out of private hire licensing outside London.
- Dressing
- Ribbons and flowers on the car.
- Timetable
- The agreed pickups and timings on the day.
- Overtime
- Time beyond the booking, at a set rate.
- Deposit
- The amount paid to secure the date.
- Breakdown replacement
- The backup car promised if the booked one fails.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring a wedding chauffeur: questions people ask
In England and Wales outside London, not while the car is used in connection with a wedding: section 75 of the 1976 Act exempts it. gov.uk also says limousines with up to eight passenger seats need no licence for weddings and funerals.
Cover for carrying passengers for payment. Ask the operator to name the insurer.
A written contract naming the car, timings, venues, extras, deposit, cancellation and breakdown plan.
Expect £200–£1,000 per booking, around £450 on average. Our wedding car hire price guide has the detail, and your postcode above brings up wedding chauffeurs close to you.
Popular cars and summer Saturdays book up early; many couples book months ahead.
Tell the operator in writing. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can ask for money back or a reduction.
MORE GUIDES
More hiring guides in vehicles & transport
Wedding chauffeurs near you
Sources — checked October 2026
- Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, section 75
- gov.uk — limousine licensing
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
- gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
- mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
- nidirect — small claims process
- The VAT treatment of passenger transport (VAT Notice 744A) — 4.7 Transport in taxis, limousines and hire cars
- GOV.UK — VAT rates
- GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register