Hourly Chauffeur Hire
One Question Decides It: Will the Car Wait?
Hourly chauffeur hire, also called as-directed, reserves a vehicle and driver for a block of time instead of a journey between two points. You set the stops while the day is happening, and the agreed rate holds whether the car is moving or parked outside.
Deciding between hourly hire and separate fixed fares comes down to a single question: does the car need to wait? If it does, hourly hire is almost always cheaper as well as simpler, because three separate bookings mean three separate waits for a car to arrive.
Rates start at £50 per hour on a four hour minimum, each tier carrying its own mileage allowance. Half days run four hours, full days eight, with twelve and twenty four hour tiers above that.
Everything is inside the quoted figure: the chauffeur's time, waiting at every stop, the mileage allowance, parking, the Congestion Charge and ULEZ. There is nothing to settle with your chauffeur at the end of the day.
Below: what people hire by the hour for, the fleet, why the arithmetic favours it, how groups travel, where the day can go, what the rate covers, and how to book.
- Rates from
- £50/hr
- Minimum booking
- 4 hrs
- Mileage and waiting
- Included
- Dispatch, every day
- 24/7
Four Days With More Than One Destination
Back-to-back meetings
Car holds between stopsAppointments across the City, Canary Wharf and the West End with no parking to find and the materials staying in the boot.Read moreShopping days
Bags in the bootHarrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Bond Street, where a car cannot stop at the door but can hold nearby and take the bags.Sightseeing at your pace
From £200 half dayLondon landmarks or a day trip, with the car waiting while you look rather than a coach leaving without you.Read moreProperty viewings
Several addressesEstate agents and buyers moving between viewings, with comfortable transit and a discreet presence at each door.
Four Things the Arithmetic Favours
No waiting for a car
Three separate bookings mean three separate waits. The car is already outside when you come out of the second meeting.A plan you can change
Add a stop, skip one, or stay somewhere an extra hour. None of it needs a new booking or a new price.Everything stays in the car
Bags, coats, samples and documents travel with you all day rather than being carried into every building.One figure at the end
The rate agreed at booking, with mileage, waiting and charges inside it. Nothing is settled with the chauffeur.
A Party for the Whole Day
Families and friends
Up to 7 seatsOne V-Class for the whole day, which beats coordinating several cars across a changing plan.Client teams
Several vehiclesMultiple cars held for the same block of hours under one coordinator, arriving at each stop together.Wedding parties
Cars held throughoutThe whole party covered for the day, with the vehicles waiting through the ceremony rather than leaving.Read moreWith children
Seats fitted freeAny stage supplied at no charge and left in the car for the whole booking rather than refitted at each stop.
Four Hours or Twenty Four
Half day, 4 hours
A concise block of meetings, a shopping excursion around Mayfair, or a focused sightseeing morning.- West End
- City
- Knightsbridge
- Mayfair
Full day, 8 hours
The most requested tier, for executives and visitors needing continuous availability across a whole day.- London-wide
- Windsor
- Oxford
- Hampton Court
Extended, 12 hours
Regional travel, multi-venue commitments and full-day wedding coordination that needs constant standby.- Bath
- Stonehenge
- Cotswolds
- Brighton
Round the clock, 24 hours
Multi-day VIP visits and intensive business programmes, quoted against the brief.- Quoted per programme
What the Hourly Figure Covers
- The chauffeur for the whole booking
- A mileage allowance for the tier
- Waiting time at every stop
- Congestion Charge and ULEZ where they apply
- Parking at each destination
- Luggage and shopping handled to the car
- Wi-Fi, bottled water and device charging
- Child seats in any stage
Choose the Hours, Not the Route
- 01
Pick the tier
Four, eight, twelve or twenty four hours. If you are unsure, the desk will say which one your day actually needs. - 02
Sketch the stops
A rough outline is enough. It helps with timing and parking and is not binding on the day. - 03
Set the start
The clock begins at your pick-up rather than a fixed departure, so an early start costs no more than a late one. - 04
Change it as you go
Add or drop destinations while the day is happening. Only hours beyond the booked tier change the figure.
Extensions are usually possible at the same hourly rate, subject to the chauffeur's next booking. Mention it around lunchtime rather than at 18:00 and it is nearly always fine.
What Our Clients Say
Frequently Asked Questions
What is hourly chauffeur hire?
It reserves a vehicle and driver for a block of time rather than a journey between two points. You direct the stops as the day unfolds, and the agreed rate holds whether the car is moving or waiting.
How much does hourly chauffeur hire cost?
From £50 per hour on a four hour minimum, with a mileage allowance included in each tier. Vehicle class and start location shape the exact figure, which is confirmed at booking.
Is there a minimum booking?
Yes, four hours. Anything shorter is better booked as a point-to-point journey, which is priced as a fixed fare between two addresses instead.
Hourly hire or separate fixed fares, which is cheaper?
Hourly, whenever the car would otherwise wait. Three separate bookings mean three separate waits for a car to arrive; if your day has more than one stop, hourly hire is usually cheaper as well as simpler.
What can an hourly booking include?
Back-to-back meetings, shopping days, sightseeing at your own pace, property viewings, wedding coordination, and airport arrivals that continue into a full day in London.
Can I change the itinerary during the day?
Yes, that is the point of as-directed hire. Add a stop, skip one or stay somewhere longer; only hours beyond the booked tier change the figure.
Is mileage included?
Yes, each tier carries its own allowance. Longer runs can exceed it, which the desk confirms before you book rather than afterwards.
What if we need longer than booked?
Extensions are usually possible at the same hourly rate, subject to the chauffeur's next job. Flag it around lunchtime and it is nearly always fine.
Does the clock start when I am collected?
Yes, at your pick-up rather than at a fixed departure time. An early start costs no more than a later one, and there is no night or weekend loading.
In Summary
Hourly chauffeur hire reserves the car and driver for a block of time instead of a route, from £50 per hour on a four hour minimum with a mileage allowance in each tier.
The decision comes down to whether the car needs to wait. If it does, hourly hire beats separate fixed fares on cost as well as convenience, because three bookings mean three waits for a car to arrive.
Half days run four hours and full days eight, with twelve and twenty four hour tiers above. Waiting, mileage, parking, the Congestion Charge and ULEZ are all inside the rate, and nothing is settled with the chauffeur at the end.