Your guide to long-term car hire in the UK and abroad

Whether you rent or lease, long-term car hire gives you flexibility to travel when and where you want. Here’s our guide to getting the most out of a long-term hire car.

The upsides of long term car rental

For a few days or a couple of weeks, a short-term car rental is a quick and easy transport solution – but have you ever considered a long-term car hire? In every city and airport, you’ll find a huge range of rental cars to suit most budgets and requirements. Whether it’s a long-term rental to support your needs at home in the UK or to help you get around on a longer holiday abroad, having a cheap long-term car hire can make life much easier.

As well as being convenient, long-term car hire can be a surprisingly cost-effective way to stay mobile. I recently spent several weeks working in the beach towns of Andalucia in Spain where a car was the only realistic means of transport. The cost of car hire for one month was less than I would have spent on public transport and taxis – and the ease was priceless.

A long-term hire car can also give you flexibility. Rental contracts mean you can renew your monthly car hire, usually up to a period of three to six months. Longer contracts come with lower day rates than short-term hire, making it cheaper than you might originally expect. It can mean you have access to a wider range of car types, too.

How long can you hire a car for?

Every company has a different policy when it comes to the duration and terms of a long term car hire agreement. Typically, rentals fall into the long term category if they last more than 28 days and anything up to three months. More and more, car hire companies now offer four, six-month and even year-long rentals too.

One month car hire

Long term rentals start when you hire a car for a month, or 28 days. Great for longer holidays like extended road trips, the longer rental period brings down the daily cost. You can book cheap car hire for a month, just like you would a short-term rental. Most companies will let you extend your car hire if you need to and even swap your car for another.

Three month car hire

If you need to hire a car for three months, you’re also getting into the realm of short-term leasing. This gives you options. Leasing a car for three months may work out cheaper, but it gives you less flexibility. Using a car hire company will likely cost a little more. But for that, you get far less paperwork and the ability to extend the rental and swap your car. You’ll find different deals and discounts to meet your needs, so you can choose which works best for you.

Six month car hire

More and more rental companies are extending their long-term car hire periods to six months, especially for business fleets. As with three-month hires, this gives you the choice of a standard long-term rental or a short-term lease. The same benefits and pitfalls for three-month hire versus leasing apply to six-month rentals too. Read on to find out more about the pros and cons of hiring versus leasing.

What is the cheapest way to rent a car for a month or more in the UK?

So you’ve decided you’d like to hire a car for at least a month – what do you do next? Use a price comparison tool to get an idea of costs for your desired period and your options as to where you can pick up and drop off the hire car. Car rentals are usually most expensive when picking up from an airport, so be mindful of this if your budget is tight.

Many car rental companies offer discount codes for longer hire periods, so take some time to scour the internet for these. If possible, being flexible with the rental dates can sometimes help keep costs down – and so too can booking in advance.

Long-term car hire vs. short-term car lease

If you need a car for longer than a few months, you face the question of whether it’s better to hire a car or lease one. Generally speaking, long term car hire targets rentals of one to six months. Any longer and short-term car leases become an option for anything up to 24 months.

What are the benefits of long-term car hire?

• Flexible rental periods. You can hire a car for as long as you want it rather than a predetermined fixed period. Need to extend your rental? Most long-term rentals will let you up to a predetermined limit.
• Convenient booking. Book quickly and easily in advance just like you would any hire car. There’s less paperwork than when leasing and you won’t be subject to credit checks.

What are the benefits of short-term car leasing?

• Longer rental periods. Most rental companies impose a long-term car hire limit of between three and six months. You can lease a car for years.
• It’s cheaper. The big plus with car leasing is that it’s almost always cheaper than hiring a car. That price gap only increases the longer you have the car.

How much does long-term car hire cost?

The cost of long-term car hire can vary wildly depending on lots of factors. These include the location, how long you’re hiring for, what mileage is included and what type of car you want. Then there are the hire companies themselves, with some charging far less but without much in the way of customer service.

Let’s look at a few examples using KAYAK’s car rental comparison tool, including one month UK car hire. It’s currently April 2025, and I can see that the best price for booking a 30-day car hire in Liverpool in June 2025 is £438. In Los Angeles, this is £482 and in Barcelona, it’s £409. Be sure to check customer reviews of the rental company before committing to a long-term car rental.

How do you find cheap long-term car hire?

There are a few things you can do to bring down the cost of a long-term hire car. The smaller, more basic and less powerful the hire car, the less it will cost. Although I wouldn’t recommend it, you can choose the least expensive insurance option. Beware though – this may end up costing more should the car get damaged and your insurance doesn’t cover the repairs. 

To save you searching through the tens of car hire companies out there, a dedicated search site is the easiest way to find the best car hire deals. 

Which companies offer long-term car hire?

All major car hire companies like SIXT, Enterprise and Budget offer long-term car hire. Make sure to check the details of every policy to make sure you’re getting the right deal. Pay particular attention to the type of car to make sure it suits your needs and if there are fixed mileage allowances. Companies often offer discounts if you book online rather than over the phone.

Let’s look at what each of the main car rental companies offer when it comes to car hire long-term.

Conclusion

Getting a long-term hire car comes with lots of benefits. It makes getting around easy, and removes the hassle of car maintenance and car insurance. If you’re going to be somewhere for three months, six months or longer, it offers convenience and mobility without the hassle of leasing or buying a car.

Before you hire a car, long or short term, there are plenty of things to consider. From the best way to pay to knowing what to do in an accident, KAYAK has guides to help.

How does KAYAK know what to put in this guide?

I’ve been working and living in different countries for more than 15 years and have only ever owned a car in the UK. During that time, I’ve had a few long-term hire cars, everywhere from Los Angeles to Cologne. My learning has been that the convenience of hiring a car almost always outweighs the hassle of leasing one.

This guide takes you through hiring a car long-term for anywhere from a month to a year – how to do it, whether it’s worth it, and what it’s likely to cost. This is all based on my experiences coupled with research into the latest prices and policies of car hire companies.

Long-term car hire FAQs