What established booking evidence looks like
A wedding car business is judged on whether its income is real and repeatable. Several past seasons of bookings, matched to bank receipts, carry more weight than a busy diary for next year. Useful evidence includes a booking record showing dates, venues and prices; the contract terms customers sign; and bank statements showing deposits and balances arriving as expected.
Newer businesses can still make a case, but should expect closer questions about how bookings are won, whether venue or planner referrals are dependable, and how the business would cope if a season was quieter than forecast.
Be precise about how the cars are used
Wedding cars are normally driven by the owner or an employed chauffeur, with the couple as passengers. That is a different risk from self-drive hire, where a customer drives the car, and different again from proms, corporate events, airport runs or film work. Each use can affect licensing, insurance and whether a finance agreement permits it.
- Chauffeured wedding use
- The core of most wedding businesses. Licensing position depends on your authority.
- Self-drive hire
- Needs written finance permission and specific hire insurance. See the prestige self-drive hire hub.
- Other events
- Proms, corporate or airport work may bring private hire licensing into play even where weddings do not.
Choose the guide for your purchase
Buying an older car to anchor the fleet? The classic wedding car guide covers authenticity, inspection and parts. Unsure how to present a year with a busy summer and quiet winter? Read the seasonal cash flow guide. Adding a second or third car, or a backup vehicle? The expansion guide deals with simultaneous bookings and capacity. And if your work mixes weddings with other events, read the licensing, insurance and finance guide before buying.
If you run year-round executive work with a driver, the chauffeur hub fits better. If customers drive your cars, use the prestige self-drive hire hub.
The vehicle still matters
A modern prestige saloon has trade guide values and a straightforward market. A 1960s classic does not, and its value depends on condition and history. Lenders’ appetite for older vehicles varies and is not guaranteed; the more independent evidence you bring, the clearer the conversation.
What happens after you enquire
- 1
Enquiry
You tell Sorbus about the business and the vehicles. It is not an application, and no lender sees it.
- 2
Discussion and evidence review
A broker talks it through and reviews accounts, bookings, licences and vehicle details.
- 3
Lender proposal, only if appropriate
If it looks suitable, and only with your agreement, we approach selected lenders from our panel (not the whole market). Any decision is the lender’s.
Sorbus Finance is a broker, not a lender. We do not quote rates, deposits or terms on this page, and an enquiry is not approval.