Buying a second hand Private Hire Vehicle

​We usually recommend that you start by hiring a vehicle so that you get comfortable with the job of a minicab driver and also can test different types of vehicles. This will also allow you to reduce the initial costs that come with getting PCO licensed. Any vehicle you do use will need to be a licenced Private Hire Vehicle (PHV).

​Once you are ready and want to make a career as a minicab driver, you can start at looking to buy a vehicle, second hand or new.

From January 2012 new rules were brought in, which imposed vehicle age restrictions and these are:

• Vehicles can be no older than 10 years from January 2012.
• From April 2012 all vehicles that are new to licensing must be no older than 5 years.
• All newly licensed PHVs must meet the Euro 4 standards as a minimum.

If you are buying a second hand car, which has an existing PHV Licence, check the remaining amount of life left in it to comply with the new regulations. For example, a car on a 2006 plate could only be licensed until 2016.

If you are buying a car that doesn’t have an existing PHV licence, remember that the vehicle cannot be older than 5 years and should also meet the Euro 4 emissions standards.

Based upon the latest regulations, it makes more sense to buy a vehicle that has an existing PHV licence and that has been licenced before January 2012, simply because this vehicle is significantly cheaper to purchase compared to a newer vehicle (less than 5 years old) and you will be able to use it until it becomes 10 years old.

Whereas if you buy a newer vehicle (less than 5 years old), it will give you the full 10 year use, however you will pay a lot more and the car value will depreciate significantly given the excessive mileage you put in as a minicab driver.

​Where to buy Your Vehicle?

The operator you are working for will probably have some contacts for buying second-hand minicabs, but a useful website is AUTO TRADER.