What do I need to hire a car or van?

Documents, documents, documents… nobody likes digging around in their drawers for those misplaced passports or utility bills.

But they're necessary. See, we need to thoroughly check your identity and driving record before we can lease a vehicle to you.

Maybe one day we'll all have chips implanted in our foreheads that can tell us your name, address and favourite ice cream flavour. But until then, identifying documents are facts of life.

So here's what you'll need to hire a car or van with us. Remember – other companies' requirements may vary!

What documents do I need to rent a car?

A driving licence

Of course. We're hardly going to lease a car to someone who's not qualified to drive, are we?

You'll need a full UK driving licence to hire a car from us. No ifs, no buts, no "I've got a provisional".

So far, so obvious. But there are other factors you need to be aware of. For instance, if you're aged between 25 and 75, you can't have more than six penalty points on your licence for any of the following offences:
 

• Speed limits (codes SP10/20/30/40/50)
• Traffic direction and signs (codes TS10/20/30/40/50/60/70)
• Miscellaneous offences (codes MS10/20/90 – we can't lease a car to you if you have any other penalties in this category)

These limits are applied separately. For instance, if you have three points on your licence for speeding offences and three for traffic offences, you should be OK.

In addition, you're not allowed to have had any driving bans or had your licence revoked within the last 10 years.

If you're aged between 21 and 24, the rules are a little different. You lucky young'uns are allowed only three points on your licence for speed or traffic offences. And if you've faced driving bans or licence revocations at all, then… sorry. We can't help you.

Why all these restrictions? Because we need to secure insurance for the duration of your hire. If your driving record doesn't meet the standards of our insurance partners, then – unfortunately – there's nothing we can do.

One last thing: it might seem obvious, but do check that your licence is valid for the car you're hiring. If you have an automatic licence, we can't lease you a car with manual transmission!

A valid passport (maybe)

This one only applies to those of us with old-style paper licences. This is because paper licences can't be used as proof of identity. Your passport needs to be valid and must be within six months or more of its expiry date.

If you've got a new-fangled photocard licence, we won't need to see your passport.

(What's that? Photocard licences were introduced in 1999 so can hardly be called new-fangled? Wow, now we feel old…)

A DVLA check code

In 2015, the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) stopped issuing paper counterparts to photocard driving licences. Ever since then, a "DVLA check code" has been necessary to hire a vehicle.

The check code is a unique identifier that applies to you and your driving licence only. We use the code to access your licence information online, so we can check things like penalty points and the types of vehicles you're allowed to drive.

Generating a check code is easy. Simply visit the DVLA website and enter a few details. The whole process takes about two minutes.

A word of warning, though: your check code will only be valid for 21 days. This period doesn't have to extend across the full hire period – as long as it's still valid when you come to collect your vehicle, you're all good.

Two proofs of address

Make sure you've got some old bills or bank statements to hand because we'll require two proofs of address to lease a car to you.

Any of the following documents are accepted:

• Utility bills (water, gas, electricity, broadband, etc)
• Council tax bills
• Bank statements (current or credit card accounts)

Documents must be dated within the last three months. Of course, they'll need to show your name and current address too.

Even if you have to present a passport (because you have an old-style paper licence) you'll still have to provide two of the above documents.

That seems like a lot of documents…

Perhaps. But remember: we put these checks in place to protect you.

It's really important that we know exactly who we're leasing a vehicle to. This ensures that we're operating within the law and that you're protected from any ne'er-do-wells who might be trying to use your identity.

You might have to dig around for a few documents, but it will all feel worth it when you drive away in that nice, clean hire car…

When do I need to present my documents?

Up to you.

You can either email them in advance (to info@mvhrental.co.uk) or present them on the day you collect your car.

Either way, we'll need to see and check your documents before the hire can commence.

What if I have a foreign (non-UK) driving licence?

That's fine. You'll still need to present the same documents, including two utility bills or bank statements if you live within the UK. If you live abroad, you'll need to provide your return flight number.

What do I need to rent a van?

The documents you need to hire a van are more or less identical to those you'd need for a car.

Just to refresh your memory, those documents are:

• A driving licence
• A DVLA check code
• Two proofs of address
• …Plus a valid passport if you have an old-style paper licence

However, if you're aged between 21 and 24, there are additional limits on vehicle engine size, so make sure you check before you book.

Great! I've got my docs…

Brilliant! We can't wait to hand you the keys to your hire vehicle.

As one of the leading car hire companies in the North East, we have a fleet of around 90 vehicles to choose from, including vans, minibuses, and cars of all shapes and sizes. Why not take a look?

(Don't forget those documents, though… 😉)