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Car hire companies in London

1,356 car hire companies have a registered office in London, and 495 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £7,986 in cash and owed £23,089 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Renting and leasing of cars and light motor vehicles” (SIC 77110).

The numbers

Car hire companies in London compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureLondonUK
Registered companies1,3567,111
Formed in 2025 or 2026495 (37%)30%
Being struck off or in liquidation233 (17%)15%
Typical cash at year end£7,986151 accounts£9,564
Typical amount owed at year end£23,089495 accounts£39,258
Typical number of employees1505 accounts1

What this means if you’re starting one

Cash is tight in this trade

At year end the typical car hire company in London holds £7,986 in cash and owes £23,089; that cash figure is lower than 86% of UK industries.

Typical operators end the year holding less cash than they owe, so there is little slack if takings dip or a big bill lands early.

More of these companies are closing than in most trades

15% of car hire companies in London are currently being struck off, against 6.9% of all companies there. Nationally that rate is higher than 94% of UK industries.

Closures run high here. It is a churn signal, not a survival rate, but it means the common failure points are worth learning before you start.

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical car hire company in London reports 1 employee; the top quarter has 2 or more (505 filings).

You are mostly up against owner-operators. Your own hours are likely to be your biggest cost, and the easiest one to undercount.

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What these figures can’t tell you

Companies are counted where their registered office is, which may be an accountant or a home address rather than a shop. Sole traders and partnerships are not on the register, and electronically filed accounts cover roughly 60–75% of accounts filed each year. The figures describe companies that exist; they cannot prove demand for your idea or predict whether it will work. How the figures are built.

Car hire in other places

Other businesses in London

All business benchmarks in London