New Driver Car Hire

Making every step of the rental process simple, straightforward and hassle-free!

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Two hire cars, one yellow and one blue

    Need to hire a car but you’ve held your licence for less than 12 months? You’ve come to the right place. 

    Here at Indigo Car Hire, we work with suppliers around the world who specialise in car rental for new drivers. Thankfully, the cost for this service is also lower than you would think. 

    Yes, it’s true that a number of car hire companies state that you must have held your licence for at least 12 months in order to hire a vehicle. Some even ask for two years of experience, depending on your age. 

    However, a number of our suppliers do offer car hire for new drivers, and the only time restriction is that you must have passed your test and have your licence in your hand. This means that, if the postal service is on your side, you could hire a car in the UK within a week of passing your test. 

    Passed your test but unsure how to obtain a physical licence so you can hire a car? All of the information you need is here

    Can You Rent a Car as a New Driver in the UK?

    You’ll be thrilled to hear that the restrictions for new driver car hire aren’t too onerous. As long as you meet all of the below conditions, you’ll be able to rent a car as a new driver in the UK: 

    • Hold a full, clean UK licence
    • Aged 25 or over
    • Possess a debit or credit card in your own name
    • You are on the electoral roll at your current address*

    *If, for some reason, you do not yet appear on the electoral roll, you can still hire a car. However, you will need to pay for it using a credit card.

    If you have any points on your new licence, it may still be possible to arrange this service. This will depend on the number of points and what they are for. Call or chat online with one of our rental experts for further information regarding car rental for new drivers in this instance.

    Finally, please note that our car hire for new drivers offer is only available to people who are at least 25 years old. For information regarding our young driver car hire service, please view our young driver page.

    Popular Locations For New Driver Car Hire

    Most new drivers look to hire a car in the UK. Below we’ve outlined all of the information you need to know about hiring a car in your local area:

    This list is by no means exhaustive, so if you’re searching for car rental for new drivers and you can’t see your exact location listed above, please get in touch with our team.

    Contact Us To Discuss Car Hire for New Drivers Today

    If you are a new driver and wish to hire a car in the UK or abroad, then contact us today. We will make the whole process easy for you. You can contact our team via phone (0113 88 00 748), email ([email protected]) or using the chat function on this page.

    Added to this, as well as offering car rental for new drivers, here at Indigo we’re also proud to offer a number of other complementary deals, including both debit card car hire and low deposit car hire. With both of these options, you can also add a free additional driver.

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    Indigo Car Hire
    Average rating:  
     9 reviews
     by Albie barker
    Help with hiring a car

    For young people who’s hiring a car for the first time their person we talked with Connor has help at lot and eased my nerves over the whole thing thank you very much

     by Helen
    Excellent service

    I was struggling to find a hire car that would support me as I have only held my licence for 11 months. Indigo offered me a really great price which I wasn’t expecting, very quick turn around. The customer service from Cherie in particular has been brilliant

     by Andrey
    Very helpful and easy car rental service

    The car rental service is fairly quick and easy. The helpful operators are always online to chat with you, so you can be rest assured that you can book your car at any time. You can even hire if you hold your license for less than a year (which I am!) at no extra cost (which is great!). I highly recommend this service!

     by Rory Mcleod
    Very helpful

    Thanks to Cherie for being so helpful, responsive and efficient in getting this booked for me. It's really hard to find places who let people with less than 2 years on their licence rent a car, so this is great.

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    New Driver Car Hire FAQs
    Can I hire a car having just passed my driving test?

    Yes, providing you have received your licence in the post and are over 25 years old (when hiring in the UK)

    I'm under 25 and just passed my test, can I hire a car?

    Unfortunately you cannot if you’re hiring in the UK. However, if you would like to hire a car abroad for a holiday, then we can help in most cases.

    What do I need to be able to hire a car as a new driver?

    You will need your licence, a proof of address that matches the address on your licence and a form of payment in your own name. Credit cards are preferred, but in some cases we can take payment from your debit card.

    What cars can I hire as a new driver?

    In the UK, you can hire various vehicles, from small city cars up to the larger family cars that fit into the ‘compact’ category.

    Can I hire a car with my pass certificate?

    Unfortunately, even though we can provide car hire to new drivers, you can only hire a vehicle once you have received your photo card driver’s licence. However, you can apply for this as soon as you pass your test and it usually only takes 1-2 weeks to arrive through the post.

    Can I hire a van as a new driver?

    Yes, even if you have held your licence for less than 12 months, we can arrange for a van hire. The largest van we can offer as a new driver is a LWB (Long Wheel Base) van.

    If I hire a car as a new driver, do I need to have P plates?

    P plates are not mandatory, so are not required for a rental.

    Can I rent a car with less than 1 year on my licence?

    Yes, you can hire a car as soon as your new driving licence arrives in the post. This applies if you’re 25 or older, you possess a debit or credit card in your own name and you’re on the electoral roll at your current address.

    Do I need to pass a credit check if using my debit card to hire?

    If renting a car in the UK and you are a UK resident most of the large multinational suppliers will carry out an electronic address check to ensure you have strong enough links to the address provided. However most of the suppliers with the exception of 1 or 2, still carry out the same checks so not unique to when you need to hire via a debit card. Key indicator are if you are named on the Electoral Register and named on the council tax bill.

    When renting a car overseas as an inbound client our suppliers do not carry out any checks.

    Do I need to leave a deposit if hiring with a debit card?

    Most suppliers do require a security deposit when renting a car, in the UK we have a range of options. The best value suppliers would request a £200.00 – £300.00 deposit. However we do have selected locations where our supplier does not require any deposit, so a full zero deposit.

    In Europe we have options where you can just leave a fuel deposit of 110 EUR, and there is no mandatory requirement to take the Super Cover as this can be the case with some of the smaller budget suppliers.

    Congratulations, Just Passed your Driving Test?

    You’ve done the theory and passed the practical, now you can finally drive without an instructor silently judging you. This, however, isn’t to say it’s easy cruising from here. Here are a couple of points to keep in mind that new (and even experienced drivers) can often make without thinking:

    • Using your phone; is obvious but far too common. Unless it’s set up to be hands-free, you cannot touch your phone whilst the vehicle is in motion.
    • Lacking attention when driving is one of the most common causes of accidents for new drivers. Passengers especially can be a big source of distraction.
    • Not wearing a seatbelt; again obvious, but you’ll soon see how common it is. At least 6% of drivers reportedly don’t wear seatbelts and even more for back seat passengers. In short, wear your seatbelt.

    • Consider your car size. As fun as it may sound to drive something big and fast, maybe work your way up to it. Getting used to a smaller can make driving far less stressful.
    • Get used to how the vehicle works. There’s more to a car than just forward and back, memorising where the basic controls for headlights and wipers are is fundamental to driving, especially if you’re renting.
    • Arguably, the most important step. Be aware of your conditions, fog or ice are the kind of unpredictable weather that accidents happen in. If you are interested in preparing for driving in the winter, we can give you some advice

    Most importantly, have fun. Driving is a privilege and something that will expand your options endlessly. Stay calm, follow the rules and it’ll become second nature to you.

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    Let us take the stress out of car hire. Our experts will get you the best deal, tailored to your exact needs.

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      For ANY online car hire reservations, if you book now but later see the same option cheaper on our website, we will amend and refund the difference.

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