The best websites for short-term car leasing

Not everyone wants the responsibility of owning and running a car. Some people only need a vehicle for a few months of the year. Others might have a job looming that requires a car for a while. Perhaps someone can’t or doesn’t want to sign up for a finance agreement.

There are now a growing number of businesses that can provide you with a vehicle for a shorter period than a normal lease, but for longer than your normal car rental service. So if you need a car for a few weeks or a few months, there are now plenty of options.

In this guide, we’re specifically looking at companies that handle short-term leasing, often also known as long-term rental. This usually covers periods of more than a month but less than a year. These are usually fixed-term rentals, unlike car subscriptions, which are another form of short-term leasing that works on a rolling monthly contract. Sometimes the terms ‘subscription’ and ‘short-term leasing’ are used interchangeably, but we’re concentrating on fix-term leasing below. We have a separate guide for the UK’s best car subscription providers, which we regularly update.

Having a short-term lease is like renting a car for an extended period, and works in pretty much the same way. A lease is simply a rental anyway, and a short-term one is just how it’s described – it’s for a short time. So where many people might hire a car for a week’s holiday or a few days away on business, it’s perfectly possible to have that rental for a longer period of time.

Several of the companies below offer a mix of day rental, short-term leasing, subscriptions and long-term leasing, so can assist with whatever your needs might be and however they may change over time.

How does short-term leasing work?

Your lease will consist of a monthly rental, and may also include an up-front instalment depending on the leasing company and the length of the term. When the term is up, you hand the car back. So it operates just like a long-term lease, but for a much shorter period of time. Your rental covers road tax and breakdown cover, as well as any maintenance that falls due while you have the vehicle.

This short-term convenience does inevitably come at a price: your monthly payments will be higher than on a traditional four-year lease – and the shorter the term, the higher that payment is likely to be. But t’s a lot cheaper than trying to lease a car for three or four years, then cancelling it because you no longer need it.

If you’re looking for zero long-term commitment, good flexibility, and agreed monthly payments, the short-term option really could tick all the boxes for you. Some also have the flexibility to allow you to extend your lease if circumstances change and you need the car for longer.

The list of companies below isn’t ranked – they all provide a high level of service and are worthy of consideration. Several are marked with an asterisk, which means they are commercial partners of The Car Expert and we may earn a commission if you click through to their site. This does not affect the price you pay for any lease or service.

SelfDrive*

URL: m.selfdrive.uk

SelfDrive is a new player in the UK leasing scene but is well-established in the Middle East and parts of Europe. It can arrange a car for a day, a week, a month, a year – or anywhere in between. It also offers subscriptions for rolling monthly leasing.

The company’s offering is driven by a mobile app that lets you manage your booking from start to finish, as well as the ability to switch cars or extend your rental term if your plans change.

Enter a pick-up city or location, a time and date and the driver’s age and click ‘Search car’ to be taken to a choice of vehicles meeting your criteria and listed ‘low to high’ in price. Details for all the available cars are provided, along with mileage limits for each. You can easily see how the pricing changes as you alter the number of months you’re booking.

Select Car Leasing*

URL: selectcarleasing.co.uk/short-term-leasing

Select Car Leasing offers both short-term and long-term leasing for a huge range of cars. It can also assist with a range of financial services to car users, including GAP insurance, maintenance packages, business credit and even car accessories.

A wide range of vehicles is included, separated into ‘3-month’, ‘6-month’ and ’12-month’ short-term lease deals. Each choice offers a picture of the car with its full model name, a box highlighting three key features, and a section stating if the car is in stock now or when delivery can be expected.

The total monthly payment is shown clearly next to a brief breakdown of the initial down payment, length of contract and maximum mileage. Clicking on a car opens up a page with more detailed information, including colour choices, features, fuel and performance specifications and a full description of the car.

There’s a selection of more detailed pictures to view too. The site is easy to use and understand in an attractive and useful design.

Cocoon*

URL: cocoonvehicles.co.uk

Formed in 2007 by a group of motor trade managers and executives, Cocoon set about creating an internet-based ‘dealership’ service. Today the now family-run business specialises in car rentals and short-term leases.

Finding the short-term packages is easy enough from the landing page, and from there, you can sort by price, make of car, contract length or availability. You get a smart initial picture with details of contract length, full name of model and the all-important monthly payment.

Click on a car and you’re taken to a more detailed page containing specific contract details (with the option to pay less money upfront; a ‘quote’ button), the car’s key features and technical details, and a summary of how the deal works.

It’s an easy to use site with lots to read and some useful tips and advice sections. Cocoon also plants trees to offset emissions from its car leases.

Just Vehicles Solutions*

URL: justvehicle.solutions/short-term-car-leasing

Click on ‘Subscription’ from the site’s landing page and you are taken straight to a page proudly displaying the words ‘3-12 month car lease deals’, so you know you’re in the right place.

‘Applications take just two minutes’ says the page – there are a good number of vehicles to view along with drop-down options on manufacturer, fuel type, vehicles in stock, price and other choices to find you a suitable selection.

From the vehicles already displayed there’s a picture and a brief summary including model name, initial payment, monthly payment and mileage allowance (per year). Go to ‘View this deal’ and you get a lot more information. An example monthly cost is displayed, but a simple drop-down allows you to change the up-front payment, which then alters the monthly payment.

There are also simple but useful details about the car, its main features, and a summary of the chosen lease deal.

VIP Gateway*

URL: vipgateway.co.uk/short-term-car-leasing

With a goal of retaining customers again and again, VIP Gateway says some of its clients are on their ninth or tenth cars with them. And ‘goal’ is the key word here: the site’s landing page shows accolades from an array of well-known footballers and other sportspeople.

The site is attractive and simple to use. From the home page, click on ‘Short Term Lease’ from the bar across the top. From there, you are taken to a second page offering you 3-, 6- or 12-month deals. Choose one of those and you’re invited to select from a further list, including make, model, transmission and fuel type, before hitting ‘Search deals’.

An initial selection is shown. Click on any car and you’re shown further details, including a clear outline of the initial outlay and all-important monthly cost. There are special offers plus some interesting reading to be had in the form of tips and advice.

LeaseLoco*

URL: leaseloco.com/car-leasing/short-term-car-lease-deals

LeaseLoco says the average person leases a car for two to three years, but asks the question: ‘what if you’re not average?’ The short-term lease page is certainly anything but average and features a Bentley Continental GT (£8,100 a month) and a Lamborghini Temerario (£8,700 a month) among the choices instantly shown.

But select ’12 months’ and type in some search parameters such as maximum monthly cost and initial down payment, mileage and how soon you need the car (stock only) and you are given a choice suiting your requirements.

You get an overview, a photo gallery, detailed specification of all the car’s features, a ‘ten second’ review and lots more to help you decide. You can even compare deals. It’s a smart website with lots to look at and read, including advice, guides and a news blog.

Flexxilease

URL: flexxilease.co.uk

Click on the Flexxilease home page and straight away the ‘short term car leasing specialists’ show that they can help you find a car for as little as one month. They do 1- to 24-month flexible contracts, although, in the panel across the top of the landing page, the choices start at ‘3 months’.

Not every car is available for that short a time period, and if you use the drop-down menus to select a car of your choice, you won’t be shown a time period that’s not on offer.

But insert the make and model of the car you would like, along with other details such as transmission and body style, and hit ‘Search’. A selection of offers will appear – the wider your search parameters, the broader the choice of vehicles available.

There’s also a handy ‘latest deals’ section if you’re not especially fussy about the model of car you want, plus a ‘Car type’ section which allows you to select the style of vehicle you need, such as electric, 4×4, luxury or estate, from which you can then make a further choice.

Intelligent Car Leasing

URL: intelligentcarleasing.com/short-term-car-hire

It says Intelligent Car Leasing on the URL, but click on the link, and you’re taken to a page run by Fleet Alliance, the group with whom they are partnered. They have access to thousands of cars and many hundreds of deals and are keen to get you to take one.

The landing page explains the benefits of short-term leasing and also outlines the ‘Things to be aware of’ such as mileage limits and termination fees, so it’s very transparent. There’s lots of information, explanations and advice, and the site is an excellent and worthwhile read.

There are some instant deals to investigate (‘Top car lease deal’), showing the make, model details, and a minimum monthly payment. For more specific enquiries, you can request a callback.

Other resources include useful information about EVs, the motor industry, a tax calculator and fleet management.

Sixt

URL: sixt.co.uk/rental-services/three-month-car-hire

Sixt is well known for car hire, such as that from airports, and its website advertises long-term hire of up to 28 days. But it also does short-term rental, describing it as ‘the flexible alternative to a lease car’, as well as car subscriptions through its Sixt+ programme.

The simple website is easy to navigate and scrolling down takes through all sorts of advice and explanations about renting a vehicle for just a few months, giving some examples of the types of cars Sixt has available, along with descriptions of the types of cars on offer, from compacts to saloons and sports models.

The bottom of the landing page splits out the various rental periods for an even easier experience. Choose from ‘weekly, ‘two-month’, ‘three-month, and ‘short-term’ hire, and you’re taken to an enquiry form asking for pick-up address and date, with return date, before clicking on ‘Show cars’ for the full available selection.

There’s plenty of advice and explanation throughout from this experienced, worldwide organisation.

Flexed

URL: flexed.co.uk

Flexed says it’s different because you can make changes to your agreements easily. They are flexible once the minimum contact – 28 days – is up. You can cancel or change your vehicle after that first month with no extra charges.

Finding a car is easy and there are several ways to do it. Select ‘Browse all vehicles’ if you don’t know what you want, look at the ‘Latest offers’, check out some of the suggested ‘Popular cars’, or browse by car type, such as small, medium, crossover, premium or performance.

If that’s not enough, there’s the option to ‘Find your perfect car’ by typing in the manufacturer and model or a car type. Clicking on a choice will bring up a picture, description, technical details, features and specifics of the monthly fee. There’s the option to request a quote too.

An interesting insights and news section with tips, advice and features about the car industry and driving, is included.

*The Car Expert has commercial partnerships with Cocoon, LeaseLoco, VIP Gateway, Select Car Leasing, SelfDrive UK and Just Vehicle Solutions. If you click through to their websites and view any of their vehicles, or proceed to lease a vehicle, we may receive a commission.