Hourly hire means booking a car and driver for a block of time rather than a single route. Choose from one to twelve hours, in half-hour steps. Where you go inside those hours does not change the price. Here are ten times it earns its keep.
Most car journeys are simple: from one place to another. But some days have many stops, a lot of waiting, or plans that change as the day goes on. On those days, booking a separate car for each leg is fiddly and stressful, and you are never quite sure the next car will turn up. With a car by the hour, the car and the driver stay with you.
1. House viewings
Four viewings across a city in an afternoon, with somewhere to talk each one over in between. House hunting is exhausting, and viewings are often spread across different neighbourhoods. A car that waits saves a lot of time and stress.
Between viewings, you can compare notes, look at the details again and make calls to the estate agents. The car becomes a quiet space to think. It is much easier than talking it over on a bus or in a café.
If you are moving to a new city, a car by the hour also lets you see the areas you are considering. Your driver can take you past the schools, the shops and the stations. You get a feel for each neighbourhood.
Book enough hours to cover all your viewings, with time in between. If a viewing is cancelled or a new one is added, the car can go wherever you need. The price for the hours does not change.
2. Hospital appointments
Dropped at the door, collected when you are ready, without the hospital car park. Hospital car parks are often full, expensive and a long walk from the entrance. For someone who is unwell or anxious, that is the last thing they need.
Appointments often run late, and it is hard to know how long they will take. With a car by the hour, the car waits for you, so there is no need to call for a taxi when you are finished. You come out and the car is there.
For older relatives, a car by the hour means someone to help them to the door and back. If you are going with them, you can both travel together. It takes the worry out of the day.
If you have several appointments on the same day, or a trip to the pharmacy afterwards, the car can take you there too. Book enough hours to allow for delays. It is better to have time to spare.
3. A big shopping day
The bags go in the boot between shops. See the UK’s top shopping destinations. You can shop without carrying everything all day.
A big shopping day often means several places, such as a city centre, a retail park and an outlet village. With a car by the hour, you can go from one to the next without worrying about parking or the bus. Your driver waits while you shop.
For a wedding, a new home or the start of the school year, there is often a lot to buy. With the bags in the boot, you can keep going. At the end of the day, everything comes home with you.
Choose a car with room for the bags, such as an estate or a people carrier. Only the cars that fit your party and your luggage are offered when you book. Big items, such as furniture, are best left to the shop’s delivery.
4. Weddings
Guests between the ceremony and the reception, or the couple’s getaway. See our wedding transport guide. Weddings have many moving parts, and a car by the hour keeps them together.
A car booked by the hour can take the bridal party to the ceremony, wait for the photographs and then take them on to the reception. There is no need to book separate journeys for each step. The car is there when it is needed.
For guests, people carriers and minibuses by the hour can shuttle between the ceremony and the reception. For elderly relatives, a car by the hour can take them to and from the day at the times that suit them. Nobody is left stranded.
Plan the day as a timeline, and book enough hours to cover it, with time to spare. Weddings often run late. It is better to have the car for a little longer than you need.
5. Client visits
A roadshow of meetings in one day. See client visits by the hour. The car waits between meetings, so you are never late for the next one.
Between meetings, the back of the car becomes a quiet office for calls and preparation. You can leave your bags and your coat in the car. You only carry what you need into each meeting.
If a meeting runs over or a new one is added, the car is still there. You can change the plan as the day goes on. The price for the hours does not change.
For companies, a business account keeps the journeys off personal cards and records each one against the right cost centre. See ZeroLanes for business. It makes regular roadshows much easier.
6. A day in the countryside
Villages, gardens and a pub lunch, with nobody on driving duty. See the Cotswolds villages. Everyone can enjoy the views, and a glass of wine with lunch.
Country lanes can be narrow and winding, and parking in popular villages is often hard to find. With a car by the hour, you are dropped at the door and collected when you are ready. It makes a day out much more relaxing.
Plan a route that takes in several places, such as a stately home, a garden and a village for lunch. Your driver takes you from one to the next. See our guides to gardens and castles.
A day in the countryside is a lovely treat for a birthday, an anniversary or a visit from family. Nobody has to worry about the driving or the parking. Everyone can relax.
7. Visiting relatives
Several family visits on one day, with the car waiting outside each. At Christmas, on birthdays or when family are visiting, the day can be a round of visits. A car by the hour makes it easy.
For older people who no longer drive, a car by the hour can take them to visit friends and family. The driver waits outside, and takes them home at the end. It helps them stay in touch.
If you are visiting from abroad or from another part of the country, a car by the hour can take you around your relatives. There is no need to hire a car or learn the roads. You can spend the time with the people who matter.
Visits often last longer than planned, and it is hard to leave on time. Book enough hours to allow for it. The car will be there when you are ready.
8. Nights out
Dinner, a show and drinks after, with a car at each stop and a lift home. Nobody has to stay sober to drive. Nobody has to wait in a queue for a taxi at the end of the night.
For a birthday, an anniversary or a special night out, a car by the hour adds a sense of occasion. Your driver drops you at the restaurant, collects you after dinner and takes you to the show. At the end of the night, the car takes you home.
For a group of friends, a people carrier or a minibus keeps everyone together. It is often better value than several taxis. Everyone arrives together and leaves together.
Late at night, taxis can be hard to find, especially after a concert or a big event. With a car by the hour, you know you have a way home. It is safer and much less stressful.
9. Moving a student
Halls, the supermarket and the flat-pack shop, all in one run, with room for the boxes that fit in a boot. Moving into university is a big day, and there is a lot to carry. A car by the hour can take the strain.
Start at home with the cases and boxes, drive to the halls, unload and then head to the shops for the things you forgot. The car waits while you shop. At the end of the day, the parents can be taken home or to the station.
Choose a car with plenty of room, such as an estate or a people carrier. Count the bags and boxes when you book, and only the cars that take them are offered. Anything that will not fit in a boot, such as furniture, is best delivered.
Moving days at universities are busy, with thousands of students arriving at the same time. Parking near halls is often limited. Being dropped at the door saves a lot of trouble.
10. Photo and film shoots
A crew and kit between locations on a tight schedule. Shoots often move between several locations in a day, with a lot of equipment. A car by the hour keeps the crew and the kit together.
The car waits at each location, so the crew can move on as soon as they are ready. There is no waiting for taxis, and no parking to find. It keeps the day on schedule.
Choose a car with room for the equipment, such as a people carrier or a minibus. Count the bags and cases when you book. Fragile kit travels with the crew, rather than in a van.
For shoots in the countryside, where taxis are scarce, a car by the hour is often the only practical choice. It can take the crew to remote locations and back. The driver can also help with local knowledge.
You see the total for the hours you book before you confirm anything.
Ride with ZeroLanes. A car booked ahead, at a price fixed before you confirm, with the driver and the car on your journey page before pickup. Book a car by the hour.