Licensing, insurance and finance for wedding cars

Three separate questions

Each answers a different question and is given by a different body.

Finance permission

Does the agreement allow the car to be used for paid wedding work, or for any self-drive hire? The finance provider decides.

Insurance

Does the policy cover paid passenger carrying for weddings and every other use? The insurer decides.

Licensing

Does the work need a vehicle, driver or operator licence? The relevant licensing authority decides.

Exact use, including mixed work

Write down every kind of job the cars do or might do: weddings, funerals, proms, birthday or anniversary trips, airport transfers, corporate events, photo or film shoots. Note whether you supply a driver, whether fares are charged per journey, and how bookings are taken. The licensing and insurance answer can change with any of these. A wedding car that also does airport runs is very likely to be looked at differently from one that only attends weddings.

Geography and local positions

Coventry City Council, for example, states that wedding and funeral cars fall outside its licensing responsibility. That is one authority’s published position. Department for Transport guidance on private hire licensing applies to England only and is not a definitive statement of law. Operator licensing in England and Wales is separate from the processes in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and London has its own regime. If you work across boundaries, check with the authority where you are based and consider where journeys start.

Whom to ask, and what to keep

Ask the licensing team at your local council (or the relevant authority in Scotland, Northern Ireland or London) in writing, describing your exact use. Ask your insurer or broker to confirm cover for each use. Ask the finance provider, through your broker, to confirm permitted use before signing. Where the position is unclear, a solicitor familiar with licensing can advise; Sorbus cannot.

• Written reply from the licensing authority, dated and referencing your described use
• Insurance schedule and policy wording covering every use
• Finance agreement or written confirmation of permitted use
• A note of when you last checked, and when you will check again

Why a lender cares

A car used outside its licence, insurance or agreement is at risk of enforcement or an uninsured loss, and that risk sits with the asset the lender has funded. Describing use accurately protects you as much as the lender. If one of the three answers is no, it is better to know before you buy.

What happens after you enquire

1. 1

   Enquiry

   You tell Sorbus about the business and the vehicles. It is not an application, and no lender sees it.

2. 2

   Discussion and evidence review

   A broker talks it through and reviews accounts, bookings, licences and vehicle details.

3. 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.