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Self-drive minibus hire from North London Van & Truck Hire – family-run, BVRLA registered, over 30 years’ experience. We offer 9-seat and 12-seat minibuses for airport transfers, family trips, sports teams, wedding guests, corporate events, and group travel across the UK.
All our minibuses are ULEZ compliant diesel vehicles, regularly serviced, and come with comprehensive insurance, AA breakdown cover, and 150-mile daily allowance. Based in Enfield (Brimsdown) and Hertford with convenient A10/M25 access.
Book online now or call 020 8805 0011 for same-day availability.
Stop splitting your group across multiple cars, paying extortionate taxi fares, or trying to coordinate three different drivers. A self-drive minibus keeps everyone together, costs less than you think, and gives you the flexibility to travel on your own schedule.
We’re a family-run vehicle hire business with over 30 years’ experience, based in Enfield and Hertford. We’re not a massive corporate rental chain – we’re local people who understand North London and Hertfordshire, and we treat customers the way we’d want to be treated ourselves. When you call us, you’ll speak to someone who actually knows the vehicles and can give you proper advice about which minibus suits your needs.
Our minibuses are maintained to commercial fleet standards – GPS tracked, serviced every 5,000 miles, professionally cleaned between every hire. As BVRLA members, we follow industry standards for safety and professionalism. But we’re also a family business that cares about doing things properly, not just hitting corporate targets.
Whether you’re taking a sports team to a match, organising a wedding guest shuttle, running a corporate away day, or just getting a big family to the airport together, we’ll sort you out with a clean, reliable minibus and straightforward service.
We offer two sizes of self-drive minibus to suit different group sizes and journey types. All are diesel, manual transmission, ULEZ compliant, and come with 150-mile daily allowance and comprehensive insurance.
Our 9-seater is the most popular choice for families, small groups, and airport transfers. It’s the largest vehicle you can drive on a standard UK car licence without any special category, making it accessible for most drivers.
Perfect for: Extended families, small sports teams (8 players plus kit), airport transfers for up to 8 passengers with luggage, wedding guest transport, corporate team travel, day trips
Seats: 9 (8 passengers plus driver comfortably, or 9 adults at a squeeze)
Fuel: Diesel (economical for longer trips)
Transmission: Manual
ULEZ: Fully compliant (no daily charges in London)
Licence Required: Standard UK car licence (category B)
Luggage Capacity: Reasonable space behind rear seats, or remove back row for maximum load area
Daily rate from £30
Same capacity as our standard 9-seater but with enhanced comfort features and newer vehicle specification. Better suited to longer journeys or when you want to make a slightly better impression for corporate or wedding use.
Enhanced features typically include: Better seating comfort, improved air conditioning, additional charging points, quieter cabin
Seats: 9
Fuel: Diesel
Transmission: Manual
ULEZ: Fully compliant
Licence Required: Standard UK car licence (category B)
Daily rate from £30
Our 12-seater gives you maximum capacity for larger groups. This is the biggest minibus you can hire and drive yourself, though you’ll need the D1 category on your licence (most drivers who passed their test before 1997 have this automatically – we’ll check when you book).
Perfect for: Large families, full sports teams with subs, wedding parties, corporate team building, festival groups, charity events, theatre trips, larger airport transfers
Seats: 12 (11 passengers plus driver)
Fuel: Diesel
Transmission: Manual
ULEZ: Fully compliant
Licence Required: UK driving licence with D1 category (or standard licence if passed before January 1997)
Luggage Capacity: Good space available, or remove seats for equipment transport
Daily rate from £30
Important: You must have D1 category on your licence to drive our 12-seat minibus. Most people who passed their driving test before 1st January 1997 have this automatically. If you passed after that date, you’ll need to have taken your D1 minibus test separately. We’ll check this when you book – don’t worry if you’re not sure, we’ll walk you through it.
9-Seat Minibus – No Special Licence Needed Our 9-seat minibuses can be driven on a standard UK car licence (category B). If you can legally drive a car, you can drive our 9-seater. This is the most popular choice because anyone in your group with a normal licence can share the driving.
12-Seat Minibus – D1 Category Required Our 12-seat minibus requires D1 category on your licence. Here’s who has this:
Passed your test before 1st January 1997: You automatically have D1 category. Check your licence – if it shows categories that include D1, you’re good to go. Most older drivers have this without realising it.
Passed your test after 1st January 1997: You don’t automatically have D1 category unless you’ve taken the minibus test separately. Very few people do this, so most drivers who passed after 1997 can only drive our 9-seaters, not the 12-seater.
Not sure? Bring your licence in when you collect the vehicle and we’ll check together. Or take a photo of your licence categories and send it to us when booking – we’ll confirm whether you can drive the 12-seater.
If you need a 12-seater but don’t have D1 category, you have three options:
Taking three generations to the coast for the day? Multiple families heading to a wedding? Extended family airport run? A minibus keeps everyone together instead of splitting across three cars, saves fuel costs, means one person can drive while others relax, and makes the journey part of the fun rather than a logistics nightmare.
With 150 miles per day included, you can easily do return trips from North London to Brighton, Cambridge, Oxford, or the Cotswolds without extra charges. Longer trips to Cornwall, Scotland, or Wales are absolutely fine – just 10p per mile over 150, which is still cheaper than multiple cars.
Whether it’s Sunday league football, netball tournaments, rugby matches, or athletics meets, getting the team and all the kit to away fixtures is always a challenge. Our minibuses give you space for 8-11 players plus equipment, keeping the team together, building morale on the journey, and meaning one parent does the driving instead of coordinating five different cars.
Remove the back row of seats and you’ve got massive space for team bags, goals, training equipment, or whatever else you’re carting around. Much easier than trying to stuff it all in car boots.
Running a shuttle between the ceremony and reception? Taking guests from hotels to the venue? Need to move people from the church to the photos location? A minibus is far more cost-effective than multiple taxis, keeps your timeline on track, and means guests don’t need to navigate unfamiliar roads after a few drinks.
Our executive 9-seater is particularly popular for wedding use – it’s smart, comfortable, and doesn’t look like a builder’s van. Though honestly, once everyone’s celebrating, nobody cares what the transport looks like as long as it’s clean and gets them there.
Taking the team to an away day? Client meeting off-site? Conference in another city? Minibus hire means you can work or socialise during the journey rather than everyone driving separately. It’s also significantly cheaper than taxi hire for larger groups.
The 9-seater works well for senior teams or client entertaining. The 12-seater suits larger team events or when you’re transporting equipment for exhibitions, trade shows, or presentations.
Families or groups heading to Stansted, Luton, Gatwick, or Heathrow often find that a minibus costs less than airport parking for multiple cars or splitting taxis. You get dropped at the terminal, keep the vehicle parked at our Enfield or Hertford location (saving airport parking fees), and someone collects you on return.
Our 9-seater easily handles 7-8 passengers with full holiday luggage. The 12-seater copes with larger groups or when you’ve got ski equipment, golf clubs, or excessive baggage.
Heading to a festival with friends? Taking a group to a concert? Theatre trip with the extended family? Reading, Glastonbury, Download, or any multi-day event becomes much easier when you’ve got a minibus for transport and can share the driving. You can also use it to store stuff during the day rather than carrying everything around.
Day trips from London to Silverstone, Goodwood, Wimbledon, Lord’s, Twickenham, or any major sporting venue are popular uses.
Church groups, scout troops, community associations, and charity organisations often need to move people around on tight budgets. Our Monday-Thursday 20% discount helps, and longer-term hire rates make regular use affordable. We’ve worked with various community groups over the years and understand that every pound matters when you’re volunteer-run.
Getting everyone from North London to Edinburgh, Liverpool, Bath, or wherever you’re having your last hurrah? A minibus beats the train for cost and flexibility, beats flying for environmental and practical reasons, and beats everyone driving separately for obvious safety reasons. Plus you can start the party on the journey.
One designated driver outbound, different driver back, everyone chips in for fuel and hire cost, job done.
Parents’ associations organising trips, universities running field visits, schools booking sports fixtures – all common minibus uses. We need appropriate insurance documentation for regular institutional use, but we work with various educational groups.
Collected furniture from three different Facebook Marketplace sellers across Hertfordshire? Need to clear your parents’ house? Moving student accommodation? A minibus with the back seats removed gives you a surprising amount of load space – not van-sized, but significantly more than a car.
Obviously for a full house move you want an actual van. But for intermediate-sized jobs where you’re collecting multiple items, a minibus works well.
Comprehensive Insurance
All our minibuses come with fully comprehensive insurance covering you for accidents, third-party damage, and the vehicle itself. The insurance excess is £1,200 (varies slightly by driver age and experience), but we can halve this to £600 for just £15 per day – most customers take this option for peace of mind.
The insurance covers all standard driving situations, normal damage to lights, mirrors, and tyres during regular use, and AA breakdown assistance anywhere in mainland Britain. What’s not covered: overhead damage (height barriers), off-road driving, deliberate damage, and driving under the influence.
AA Breakdown Cover
Every minibus hire includes AA breakdown assistance across the UK. If you have any mechanical problems, call the AA (number provided with your hire documents), they’ll come out to you, fix the problem roadside if possible, or recover you and the vehicle. We’ll sort a replacement vehicle if needed.
Breakdowns are rare because we service our vehicles every 5,000 miles and do thorough checks between hires. But when you’re driving to Scotland for a week, it’s reassuring to know you’re covered.
150-Mile Daily Allowance
Each day of your hire includes 150 miles. That’s generous for most uses – it’s over 1,000 miles on a week’s hire. Return trips from Enfield to most locations within a 70-mile radius fit comfortably within daily allowance.
Extra miles are charged at just 10p each. So if you do 200 miles in a day instead of 150, that’s an extra £5. Simple, transparent, no penalty rates. We note your mileage when you collect and return the vehicle, work out any excess, and include it in your final invoice.
24-Hour Drop-Off at Enfield
Our Enfield branch at Brimsdown offers 24-hour vehicle drop-off. If you’re returning late from an event, coming back from a long trip, or just want to drop the minibus Sunday evening instead of rushing back during office hours, you can return it any time within your paid hire period.
We’ll show you how the out-of-hours drop-off works when you collect – it’s straightforward, takes 2 minutes, and means you’re not constrained by a 5pm deadline.
(Hertford branch has standard office hours drop-off: Monday-Friday 07:30-17:00, Saturday 07:30-12:00)
GPS Tracking
All our vehicles are GPS tracked. This is for vehicle security and recovery in case of theft, not for monitoring your driving or route-checking. You’re free to drive anywhere in Great Britain without us questioning where you went.
Regular Professional Servicing
Every NLVTH vehicle is serviced every 5,000 miles regardless of time intervals. Most rental companies service based on time (annual services), but we do mileage-based servicing because hire vehicles cover distance fast. This means you’re getting a well-maintained vehicle that’s been professionally checked recently.
ULEZ Compliance
Every minibus in our fleet meets London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone standards. You won’t pay the £12.50 daily ULEZ charge when driving through Central London, inner London, or anywhere within the expanded ULEZ boundary. That saves you money and means one less thing to worry about when planning your route.
Pre-Authorised Deposit System
We pre-authorise £100 on your card when you collect the minibus. This is a hold, not an actual charge – your bank reserves the amount but we don’t take it. If you return the vehicle on time, within mileage, with agreed fuel level, and without damage beyond normal wear, we don’t take anything from the deposit.
If there are legitimate additional costs (late return, excess mileage, damage), we’ll discuss it with you and only charge what’s fair. Most customers get their full deposit hold released with no deductions.
Daily Rates
Our minibus hire starts from £30 per day, though exact pricing depends on which vehicle you choose, how long you’re hiring for, and when you’re booking. Longer hire periods get better daily rates because it’s more efficient for us to have a vehicle out for a week than managing multiple short hires.
Monday-Thursday Discount: 20% Off
Book and collect your minibus Monday through Thursday and you automatically get 20% off your daily rate. This applies to the base hire cost and helps us balance demand across the week. If your schedule allows it, this is an easy way to save.
Example: 3-day weekend hire (Friday-Monday) at £40/day = £120. Same 3-day hire collected on Monday = £96 (20% off). That’s £24 saved just by being flexible about collection day.
Long-Term Hire Discounts
Hiring for a week or more? We offer significantly better rates for longer contracts. Call us on 020 8805 0011 to discuss – we’ll usually beat the daily rate substantially if you’re hiring for business purposes, extended family visits, or longer trips.
Weekly rates are typically 20-30% better than 7x the daily rate. Monthly rates are even more competitive if you need a minibus for temporary business use or extended projects.
Insurance Excess Reduction
Standard insurance excess is £1,200 (slightly higher for younger drivers or those with less experience). You can reduce this to £600 for £15 per day. Most customers take this option because it’s good value for peace of mind, especially on longer trips or unfamiliar routes.
Example: £15/day excess reduction on a 4-day hire = £60 total. That halves your potential liability from £1,200 to £600 if anything goes wrong. Usually worth it.
Deposit
£100 pre-authorised on collection. Not actually taken unless there’s a reason to charge it (late return, damage, excess mileage). Released when you return the vehicle in agreed condition.
Extra Mileage
10p per mile over your daily 150-mile allowance. So if you do 200 miles in a day instead of 150, that’s £5 extra. If you do 500 miles in a day (long trip to Scotland), that’s 350 extra miles = £35. Simple calculation, charged at the end of your hire.
Fuel
You return the minibus with the same fuel level it had when you collected it. We’ll note this on your hire agreement and check it on return. Diesel is more economical than petrol for the distances most customers cover, and you can refuel anywhere.
What’s Not Included
Example Costings
Weekend sports trip (Friday-Monday): 3 days at standard rate = approx £120-150 depending on vehicle
Week-long family holiday: Call for weekly rate (significantly better than 7x daily rate)
Wedding guest shuttle (Saturday only): 1-day hire = £40-50 depending on vehicle
Corporate team building (Monday-Wednesday): 3 days with 20% discount = £96-120
Call us for exact pricing based on your dates and requirements.
Call 020 8805 0011 or use the booking form on this page. We can usually tell you immediately if we’ve got the vehicle you need for your dates. At busy times (bank holidays, summer weekends, wedding season May-September), book as early as you can.
For 9-seaters: Standard UK car licence is fine For 12-seaters: You need D1 category on your licence (we’ll check this when you book)
Not sure if you have D1? Look at the back of your licence. If you passed your test before 1997, you almost certainly have it. If you passed after 1997, you probably don’t unless you took the minibus test separately. Send us a photo of your licence and we’ll confirm.
Valid UK driving licence (or international licence with UK entitlement and D1 if hiring 12-seater) Credit or debit card for £100 pre-authorised deposit Proof of address if your licence doesn’t show current address Additional driver licences if you’re sharing the driving
Enfield (Brimsdown): 1320 Mollison Avenue, Enfield EN3 7NJ – behind McDonald’s, easy access from A10, M25, North Circular. Offers 24-hour drop-off.
Hertford: Kingfisher Nurseries, White Stubbs Lane, Bayford, SG13 – quieter location outside Hertford, good for Hertfordshire-based customers.
Office hours: Monday-Friday 07:30-17:00, Saturday 07:30-12:00, Sunday closed.
We’ll walk around the minibus with you, noting any existing marks on your hire agreement so you’re not liable for pre-existing damage. We’ll check the fuel level together and note it. You’ll sign the paperwork, we’ll pre-authorise the deposit, show you the vehicle controls (especially important if you’ve not driven a minibus before), and hand over the keys.
We’ll also explain the 24-hour drop-off procedure if you’re collecting from Enfield, show you where everything is (fuel cap, lights, seat adjustment), and answer any driving questions. The whole process typically takes 15-20 minutes.
Bring the minibus back to the same location you collected from (unless we’ve agreed otherwise). Make sure it’s got the same fuel level as collection. If returning during office hours, we’ll check it over with you and release the deposit hold immediately. If using 24-hour drop-off at Enfield, follow the procedure we showed you and we’ll process everything next working day.
If you’ve never driven a minibus before, don’t worry – it’s easier than you think. Here’s what’s different from driving a car:
Minibuses are longer and taller than cars. Our 9-seater is about the same length as a long-wheelbase van. The 12-seater is longer again. This affects:
Parking: You need more space and it takes longer to manoeuvre. Allow extra time for parking and use car parks with larger spaces where possible.
Turning: Wider turning circle means you need more space at junctions and roundabouts. Take corners more slowly than you would in a car.
Overtaking: You need more road length to safely overtake because the vehicle’s longer. Be patient and only overtake when you’ve got plenty of clear road.
Minibuses are taller than cars (around 2.4-2.7 metres depending on model). This means:
Height barriers: Check before entering car parks – many town centre car parks have 2m or 2.1m barriers that you won’t fit under. Retail parks usually have higher clearance.
Tree branches: Country roads with low-hanging branches can scratch the roof. Rural lanes require more attention than in a car.
Multi-storey car parks: Most won’t take you. Use surface car parks or park-and-ride facilities.
Drive-throughs: Most fast food drive-throughs won’t accommodate minibus height. Park and walk in instead.
Overhead damage isn’t covered by our standard insurance, so if you’re unsure about clearance, find an alternative route or parking spot.
You’ll rely on mirrors more than in a car because the vehicle’s longer and you’ve got passengers behind you blocking the rear view. Take time when you collect to adjust mirrors properly before you set off. Check them frequently, especially when changing lanes or manoeuvring.
Reversing requires more care and usually someone outside guiding you if you’re parking in tight spaces. Passengers can help – use them.
Minibuses are heavier than cars and accelerate more slowly, especially when fully loaded. Allow more time to reach motorway speed when joining from slip roads. Plan overtaking carefully because you accelerate slower than car drivers expect.
Braking distances are longer because of the extra weight. Leave more following distance on motorways and dual carriageways. In wet conditions, increase your following distance even more.
Diesel minibuses are economical considering their size, but they use more fuel than a car. Budget roughly 30-35 mpg for mixed driving, less if you’re heavy on the accelerator or doing lots of town driving. Motorway cruising at 60mph is more economical than 70mph.
Filling up: Diesel pumps are usually green at petrol stations. Don’t put petrol in – you’ll destroy the engine. If you’re unsure, ask the forecourt staff.
Never driven anything this size before? No problem. Suggestions:
Allow extra time for your first journey – don’t set off with a tight schedule until you’re comfortable Practice manoeuvring in a quiet car park before heading onto busy roads Have someone experienced in the passenger seat for the first leg if possible Take motorways over town centres until you’re confident with the size Use retail park car parks rather than tight town centre spaces while you’re learning
After an hour or so, most people adapt and it becomes natural. It’s not difficult, just different.
Yes, our minibuses can be driven anywhere in mainland Great Britain. You’re fully insured and covered by AA breakdown throughout England, Scotland, and Wales. If you want to take the vehicle to Northern Ireland or Europe, call us first – we’ll need to arrange additional paperwork and insurance.
You’re covered by AA breakdown assistance. Call them (number provided with your hire documents), they’ll come out to you wherever you are, fix the problem at the roadside if they can, or recover you if not. We’ll sort a replacement vehicle if needed. Breakdowns are rare because we service regularly, but you’re fully covered if it happens.
Additional drivers can be added when you book. Both the main driver and any additional drivers must be present with their licences when collecting the vehicle, and additional drivers must meet our age and experience requirements. There’s usually a small extra charge per additional driver.
For the 12-seater, all drivers must have D1 category on their licence.
Call us as soon as you know you need extra time. If the minibus isn’t booked by someone else, we can extend your hire at the same rate (or better if it’s now a longer period overall). Don’t just keep the vehicle without calling – that causes problems. A quick phone call sorts everything.
If your plans change and you don’t need the full hire period, call us. We usually can’t refund days already paid for, but we’re reasonable – if you’ve booked a week and circumstances change after two days, talk to us. We’d rather have you as a happy customer who comes back next time than stick rigidly to terms when life happens.
Drivers typically need to be 25 or over with at least two years’ UK driving experience. If you’re under 25 or a newer driver, call us – we may still be able to help but there might be additional insurance costs or higher deposit requirements.
Return it in roughly the condition you collected it. We don’t expect it spotless – normal trip mess is fine. If you return it unreasonably dirty (covered in mud, significant mess, strong odours, food debris everywhere), we might charge for professional cleaning. A quick tidy and removal of rubbish is usually sufficient.
Our minibuses are for self-drive hire, not for you to run your own passenger transport business. Using them for corporate team transport, charity group trips, or moving people as part of an event is fine. Using them as a taxi service, paid passenger transport, or running a competing minibus hire business isn’t allowed under our insurance and hire terms.
Minibuses are around 2.4-2.7 metres tall. Many town centre car parks have 2m-2.1m height barriers you won’t fit under. Always check height limits before entering car parks or going under bridges. Sat nav systems sometimes don’t account for vehicle height – use common sense and if in doubt, find an alternative route. Overhead damage isn’t covered by our standard insurance.
Yes, but you must tell us in advance so we can arrange the correct insurance documentation and permissions. There’s usually extra paperwork required for taking vehicles to Europe. Ferry and Eurotunnel costs are your responsibility. Call us to discuss before booking ferries.
9-seater: Realistically very comfortable for 7-8 adults, workable for 9 at a squeeze 12-seater: Comfortable for 10-11 adults, full capacity of 12 works for shorter trips
If you’ve got really tall passengers or you’re doing a long journey, go for the larger option even if you’re slightly under capacity. Comfort matters on a three-hour drive.
What about luggage space?
With all seats in use, luggage space is behind the rear row – decent but not enormous. For airport trips, the 9-seater handles 7 people with full luggage comfortably. The 12-seater manages 10-11 people with luggage.
If you’ve got less people but loads of equipment (sports team with kit bags, band with instruments), remove the back row and you’ve got significant load space.
No. All our vehicles are non-smoking. If you return a vehicle with smoke odours, we’ll charge for professional cleaning and deodorising (usually £100+). Vaping also isn’t permitted.
We prefer pets not to travel in our minibuses unless they’re in proper secure carriers. If you do need to transport pets, discuss it when booking. You’ll be liable for any damage or cleaning required.
Usually no – we need the vehicle returned to the location you collected from. If you’ve got an unusual requirement (picking up from Enfield, returning to Hertford, or vice versa), call us and we might be able to arrange something depending on our fleet movements.
These are your responsibility during the hire period. If we receive a penalty notice for something that happened while you had the minibus, we’re legally required to pass your details to the authorities. We’ll also charge an admin fee for processing the paperwork. Best to drive carefully and park legally.
Our minibuses aren’t set up for towing and our insurance doesn’t cover it. If you need to tow something, that’s not possible with our self-drive minibus hire.
We’ve Been Doing This for Over 30 Years We started as a small family van hire business in the 1990s and we’ve grown steadily by treating customers properly and maintaining vehicles well. We’re not trying to be the biggest or flashiest – we’re trying to be the business you’d come back to and recommend to friends.
As members of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, we follow industry standards for professionalism, safety, and fair dealing. It’s not just our word – it’s backed by the UK’s vehicle rental trade body.
We’re based in Enfield and Hertford, we know North London and Hertfordshire properly, and when you call us you’re talking to someone local. We understand that getting through Enfield on a Friday afternoon is horrible, that the A10 corridor gets congested, that parking in Hertford town centre is difficult with anything bigger than a car. We’re not reading from a script in a Birmingham call centre.
When we say family-run, we mean it. This isn’t corporate speak – it’s actual family members working in the business who care about reputation and doing things properly. You’re not just a booking reference number to us.
Try calling the big rental chains on a Saturday morning when you need help. You’ll be in a phone queue for 20 minutes. Call us and you’ll get a person who can actually help you, usually within a few rings. That matters when you’ve got a problem or a time-sensitive question.
We won’t try to sell you insurance you don’t need, upgrades you didn’t ask for, or extras that are already included. We’ll tell you what your options are, explain what’s included, answer your questions, and let you decide. No pressure, no tricks.
Our Enfield branch offers 24-hour vehicle drop-off, meaning you’re not constrained by office hours if you’re returning late from an event or want to drop the minibus Sunday evening rather than Monday morning. That flexibility makes life easier.
We pre-authorise £100 but don’t actually take it unless there’s a legitimate reason. Most customers get the full hold released with no deductions because they return the vehicle in good condition. We’re not looking for excuses to keep deposits – we’re looking to build long-term customer relationships.
Included Our daily mileage allowance is genuinely generous. 150 miles covers most uses comfortably – that’s over 1,000 miles on a week’s hire before you’re paying extra. And when you do go over, it’s just 10p per mile, not punitive rates.
If your schedule allows flexibility, book Monday-Thursday collection and you automatically save 20%. No special codes, no complicated terms – it just applies.
