FAQs

If you’re an experienced private hire driver who’s tired of endlessly renting or wants to upgrade their private hire car, this is the plan for you.

Rent to Buy is more or less what it sounds like. You pay weekly rental fees for the length of your scheme, and at the end of it, the private hire car will be fully yours.

We’ve helped thousands of private hire drivers become car owners since 2015.

Rent to Buy is the stress-free ownership plan that provides everything you need at one simple price. It gives you the perfect all-in-one package to become a car owner with insurance, servicing, breakdown cover, MOT, road tax* and the PHV licence** included.

Work your way towards owning a PCO car without the unexpected running costs. This is hassle-free motoring and a totally safe ride.

There is no credit check and the plan includes up to 8 week holiday break every year which you build up to over time. Our private hire cars also come fully fitted with our state of the art CCTV camera system.

Please note, we additionally offer a Rent to Buy plan without insurance in both Manchester and Rest of UK on selected models. For full breakdown of options, please select your location and car on the Rent to Buy page.

*For all vehicles registered from 1st March 2025.

** For Manchester-based drivers, the cost is reimbursed to you once proof of payment has been provided

On selected private hire cars, eligible Uber Partners can choose spread their EV Assistance over the full length of contract, or for the first 47 weeks. With both options, you still make the same amount of savings overall.

This is a fantastic opportunity to lower your weekly car payment costs on Rent to Buy. You can learn more about EV assistance on our dedicated support page https://ottocar.co.uk/uber-clean-air-plan/

Yes! All the log-book details and information will be transferred into your name at the end of your scheme.

Down payments start from just £499. Please check the individual Uber cars on our Rent to Buy page for exact pricing.

The down payment is refundable if you cancel your Rent to Buy order at least 7 days before picking up the car. Unfortunately, if you cancel your order within 7 days of your pickup date, we cannot issue any refunds.

Wear and tear items such as tyres and brakes are not included and will be your responsibility to replace.

Once your payments are completed, there is £200 admin fee to change the log book into your name. That’s it!

Please bring the following:

– Deposit & first week’s rent

– Driving licence

– National insurance number

– PCO/private hire licence (original) & badge

– Proof of address (within the last 3 months and address must match your driving licence)

– For the Premium PCO cars -Tesla Model 3, Model Y, Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 Air – please bring proof of your 1 year no claims with you

This isn’t a problem. Here at Otto Car we’re more interested in your present than your past.

The minimum age for our standard private hire cars is 25 years and over (for Manchester, it’s minimum age of 30).

Premium PCO cars – Tesla Model 3,Model Y Hyundai Ioniq and Kia EV6 – have a minimum age of 30.

Please note, maximum age is 65 years old for all of our PCO cars.

London

– At least 1 month of recent private hire driving experience and 200 trips (For the Tesla Model Y, 3, VW ID.BUZZ, Kia EV6 Air and Hyundai Ioniq 5, it’s 6 months private hire driving experience and 1,000 trips).

– Have a good level of English

– Tesla Model 3, Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq and Kia EV6 Air, you need 1 year of no claims, and you need to bring proof with you at the point of order.

Manchester

– At least 6 month of recent private hire driving experience or 1,000 trips

Normally we can accept up to 6 points on your licence, however, certain convictions such as IN10’s cannot be accepted onto our scheme.

We recommend that private hire drivers call us before visiting if they have any major convictions.

Premium PCO cars – Tesla Model Y, 3, VW ID.BUZZ , Hyundai Ioniq and Kia EV6 – require maximum 3 points.

No. We welcome private hire drivers from all platforms onto our car plans. We only ask that you’re already signed up to at least one platform before visiting us.

Unfortunately, if you’ve had two or more fault accidents, we won’t be able to accept you onto our Rent to Buy plan.

Through our Rent to Buy plan you are eligible for up to 8 weeks’ payment break through the year.

Please note, you start with 4 weeks in the first year, gaining an additional week with each year you stay in your contract. All requests are subject to approval from the Credit Control team.

There is a £25 admin fee for every week taken.

Your Rent to Buy and insurance contract is with Otto Car Limited.

Not a problem. Our minimum term is 6 months. After 5 months you can cancel with 4 weeks’ notice.

Please keep in mind that you will lose all of your rental payments up to that point.

In addition to this, if your total mileage exceeds 1000 miles per week then you may be liable for any excess mileage charges. There is also a £200 cancellation fee if you decide to cancel before the contract finishes.

If you had a fault accident whilst on the Rent to Buy Contract then you will still be liable for the insurance premium.

You are covered by our fleet insurance for third-party claims and the cost of the car. Your liability is limited to £1,000 for any fault accident and we cover the rest.

Yes it does. Our private hire insurance covers deliveries for companies such as Uber Eats. Please speak to a member of the Otto Team for more information.

If you’ve decided to take out your own insurance, please see the below list of potential insurance companies that could help you:

– Zigo
– Inshur
– Haven (Motorcade)
– DCL (Direct Chauffeur Line)
– Walsingham

Delivery mileage includes mileage from the dealership to the TfL licensing facility, and then to our garage where you collect your new car. This is usually 30-40 miles.

Yes. We have a fair usage policy of 1000 miles per week. If you exceed this, you will be charged but your contract length will be shortened meaning you own the car quicker. You’ll never pay more than the agreed price set out in the contract.

Mileage Cap 48,000 miles/year = 1000 miles/week + 8 weeks Holiday.

Excess mileage costs £0.20p per mile that you’ve gone above the cap each week.

As the log book of the private hire car is in our name, the PCN will come to us first. We’ll then transfer the PCN into the PCO drivers name who can then decide to pay it or appeal it.

Every private hire car is serviced at 10,000 miles.

This will depend on availability and approval. There is no guarantee of a replacement vehicle at any time.

Only you are allowed to drive the private hire car under the contract. Under no circumstances can anybody else drive your PCO car.