Parking at an airport isn’t cheap and costs can go up depending on demand and when you choose to book. Leave it late and it can cost more than the return flight for a short weekend away.
Gatwick Airport has implemented an ingenious solution for both reducing the number of cars parked in their garages and also for making their customers a small profit: you can now park your car and offer it for hire to incoming flyers during the period you are on vacation.
There are huge bonuses here. If you are successful in renting out your car, the incoming rent will easily cover the cost of the parking and will make a small profit. You earn 52% of all the rental income, or up to £200/week, depending on the age and quality of your car.
In addition, your car will be fully valeted and RAC inspected, before it is let out, plus tracked and fully insured, meaning that you have peace of mind whilst you are on vacation. The car is also given RAC breakdown cover, in case it breaks down with the hirer, whilst you are away.
You can’t rent out your company car. You have to be the registered keeper. The car can’t be over eight years old and needs to have less than 100,000 miles on the clock. On top, you need full comprehensive insurance, up-to-date servicing and MOT, be over 25-year-old, held a licence for over two years and have no more than 3 points on a licence. The car can’t be worth more than £50,000.
The biggest downside is, rental is not guaranteed. Don’t go booking the service thinking you’re going away on vacation and coming back to a small profit on your parking. It might help if you have a desirable car, but then there’s no guarantee it won’t be mistreated, too, by someone renting. Also, we are slightly confused. We thought this would be aimed at hirers from outside the UK, as reported by other websites, but the terms of hiring on the Car & Away website state “be resident within the UK or Republic of Ireland”. So, that limits incoming flyers who will want to rent your car.
It’s always worth adding, although the service is listed on the official Gatwick Airport website, it’s actually run by Car & Away and is likely to be rolled out in other areas and with other partners, in the near future.
