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Can I Hire A Van With Penalty Points Or Driving Convictions?

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You may have asked yourself, can I hire a van with penalty points on my licence? If so, I’m going to assume that a) you do have driving endorsements or penalty points and b) you’re currently looking to hire a car or a van.

For minor driving offences such as speeding (SP30), you may hire a van with points or endorsements assuming a driving ban wasn’t imposed and you have no more than 6 points on your licence. Some hire companies permit up to 9 points. More serious offences such as failing to stop at an accident (AC10) will prohibit you from hiring a car or van for up to 5 years from the date of offence.

What you’ll learn today…

  • The penalty points that won’t hinder your chances of hiring a car or van.
  • The endorsements that absolutely will prohibit you from hiring any vehicle.
  • 3 sure-fire ways to get the use of a van without worrying about what your licence states.
  • Why hire companies don’t hire for certain driving convictions.

Every day is a school day – as they say.

Penalty Points And Van Hire

Some hire companies are more accepting than others but generally, if you have difficulty hiring a van from one hire company, you’ll most likely have trouble hiring from any.

Most UK rental companies will, however, refuse you the hire of a van if you have more than 6 points on your licence.

Minor Penalty Points That Won’t Prohibit You From Hiring A Car Or Van

There are some minor motoring offences that rental companies don’t mind overlooking when dealing with you as a customer. These include the following, but are not limited to:

CodeDescriptionPoints
SP30Exceeding statutory speed limit on a public road3 to 6
CU30Using a vehicle with defective tyre(s)3
TS20Failing to comply with double white lines3

These types of offences are more accidental than malicious in nature and shouldn’t hinder your chances of hiring a vehicle.

This is assuming, however, that you have no more than 6 unspent penalty points on your licence at the time of the hire and you haven’t been disqualified within the last 5 years.

Drivers of all rental vehicles must have a clear insurance record and the acceptance or otherwise of certain licence endorsements will be at the sole discretion of the manager at the rental location involved.

Arnold Clark: https://www.arnoldclarkrental.com/terms-of-hire

Again, some vehicle hire companies allow up to 9 points but the benchmark is generally set at 6.

Points & Endorsements That Will Prohibit You From Hiring A Vehicle

Although this is not an exhaustive list, you can safely assume that if you have a driving endorsement beginning with, for instance, CD, then it doesn’t matter if it’s a CD10, 20, or 30, these offences will absolutely prohibit you from hiring a van or any other motor vehicle. These include:

CodeDescriptionPoints
AC10Failing to stop after an accident5 to 10
BA10Driving while disqualified by order of court6
CD40Causing death through careless driving when unfit through drink3 to 11
DD40Dangerous driving3 to 11
DR10Driving or attempting to drive with alcohol level above limit3 to 11
IN10Using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks6 to 8
LC20Driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence3 to 6
TT99Shows disqualification under ‘totting-up’ systemN/A
UT50Aggravated taking of a vehicle3 to 11

Any driving offence that is an imprisonable offence such as an AC10 (whether a prison term is imposed or not) is classed as a criminal conviction. These offences carry penalty points as well as a possible driving ban and you will find it almost impossible to hire a vehicle from any rental company.

How To Hire A Van Regardless Of Penalty Points

Even if your driving licence looks like it has been dragged through a Fast & Furious box set, 1-9, you can still hire a van, or at least get the use of a van, with one of the following 3 options.

1) Get A Friend Or Partner To Hire For You

Sounds fairly obvious, but it’s probably your best shot at hiring a self-drive hire van. With certain driving convictions, you already know your chances of hiring a van yourself are slim to none.

But then, it is more about getting the hire and less about who is actually holding the wheel.

Unless you’re bursting at the seams with great mates who’ll drop everything to come to your aid, you’ll also know that getting anyone to do anything takes patience, filled rolls, and a lot of free beer. If you have trouble organising such a posse, it’s time to think about step 2.

2) Forget The Hire, Buy A Cheap Van

This may seem a bit overkill if you’re only looking to hire a van for a day or 2 – and it would be. But if you’re looking for a longer-term hire from a few weeks to a couple of months then it doesn’t really matter how many penalty points you have on your licence if you actually own the vehicle.

And just when you thought this couldn’t get any more awesome, when you’re finished with the van, sell it. Not only do you get your money back, but you got the hire for free.

3) Hire A Local Man & Van

This is probably your best bet. Your local man and van doesn’t care about your driving record quite as much as Arnold Clark does and there’s plenty to choose from locally, regardless of where you are.

If you’re simply looking to get something shifted from A to B with the least amount of fuss possible, you’ll find a local man with a van to help. Not only does this service make hiring a van an exceptionally simple process, but you’ll also be helping out a small business owner which is always a good thing.

You’ll find a man and a van is probably cheaper than self-drive hire too. There are no forms to fill out, no chunky deposits to be left, no separate fuel charges, and he brings the van to you. So the question really is, why wouldn’t you?

Why Do Hire Companies Refuse To Hire For Driving Convictions?

Well, there’s nothing quite like stating the obvious but if you’re a general liability behind the wheel, then nobody will want to hand you one of their vehicles. As they don’t know you personally, they’ll judge you on your driving record and unfortunately, your driving record comes in the form of penalty points, endorsements and driving convictions.

If you have too many of one or the other, then it’s option 1, 2, or 3, for you I’m afraid.

That said, it’s not really the hire company themselves that refuses you, it’s actually a condition of their insurance cover. If they were to offer you the hire of a van, or car, whatever, when you didn’t meet the criteria for insurance cover, they would effectively be setting you free in an uninsured motor vehicle.

In Conclusion

If you have penalty points or driving convictions and you’re still not sure whether or not you will be able to hire a van, car, or any other motor vehicle, simply give your local hire company a call and ask. They can only say no.

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