Booking a limo or chauffeur in the UK
Limo Hire Deposits and Contracts: Your Rights
8 November 2026
Most limousine and chauffeur bookings need a deposit, and the contract you agree to decides what happens to it. There's no automatic 14-day cooling-off period for passenger transport, so the booking terms matter more than usual. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 still protects you, both on the day and if a term is unfair.
Quick answer: The 14-day cancellation right in the Consumer Contracts Regulations doesn't apply to passenger transport services, so a limo booking's own terms decide what happens if you cancel. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the service must be performed with reasonable care and skill, what the firm told you can be binding, and unfair terms aren't binding on you. Paying a deposit by credit card can add Section 75 protection.
Key Takeaways
There's no statutory 14-day cooling-off period for passenger transport services.
The firm must perform the service with reasonable care and skill.
What the firm says or writes about its service can become part of the contract.
An unfair term in a consumer contract isn't binding on you.
A credit card deposit can give you a Section 75 claim for the full price, within the limits.
No automatic cooling-off period
The Consumer Contracts Regulations give a 14-day right to cancel many contracts made online, by phone or away from a trader's premises. But regulation 27 says that part of the regulations doesn't apply to passenger transport services.
For a limousine or chauffeur booking, that means your right to cancel comes from the contract. Read the cancellation terms before you pay, and keep a copy.
Your rights on the day
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets out the standard a service must meet:
Section 49: the trader must perform the service with reasonable care and skill.
Section 50: anything the trader says or writes to you about itself or the service is part of the contract, if you took it into account when you decided to book.
Section 52: if no time is fixed, the service must be performed within a reasonable time.
If the service falls short, section 54 gives you the right to ask the firm to perform it again so that it meets the contract, and section 56 gives you a price reduction if that isn't possible. With a limousine booked for a set time, repeat performance often isn't possible. Section 56 says a price reduction can be the full price where appropriate, and any refund must come within 14 days of the firm agreeing you're entitled to it.
Unfair terms
Section 62 says an unfair term in a consumer contract isn't binding on you. A term is unfair if, contrary to good faith, it causes a significant imbalance in the parties' rights and obligations to your detriment.
Schedule 2 of the Act lists terms that may be unfair. These include terms that:
let the trader keep your money if you cancel, without you getting the same amount back if the trader cancels
make you pay a disproportionately high sum in compensation if you decide not to go ahead
let the trader keep payments for services it hasn't supplied, where it's the trader that ends the contract
Terms on that list aren't automatically unfair, but they're the ones to read carefully.
Paying the deposit
How you pay can make a difference if the firm doesn't deliver. Citizens Advice's guide to getting your money back after paying by card explains two routes.
Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 can apply when you pay by credit card for something with a cash price over £100 and up to £30,000. Citizens Advice says that if you paid only the deposit on your credit card, you can still claim the full cost. It adds that Section 75 doesn't usually apply if you booked through a third party rather than directly with the firm.
Chargeback can help with debit card payments, but Citizens Advice says it only gets back what you paid on that card. The trader can also challenge a chargeback.
Before you sign
Ask for the full terms in writing, including the cancellation terms.
Check the exact vehicle, the times, the places and the total price are written down.
Check the firm is licensed for the vehicle. Our guide on how to check a limo company is licensed shows how.
Pay the deposit by credit card if you can.
Keep copies of the quote, the terms and every message.
Weddings have extra things to check, which our wedding car hire guide covers.
So do proms, where groups are often large and many passengers are under 18. Our guide to prom limo hire explains what parents should check.
For a summary of all the rules, read limo hire rules explained.
Can I get my deposit back if I cancel?
It depends on the contract, because the 14-day cancellation right doesn't apply to passenger transport services. A term letting the firm keep a disproportionate amount may be unfair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and an unfair term isn't binding on you.
What if the firm cancels on me?
Schedule 2 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lists terms letting the trader keep payments for services it hasn't supplied, where the trader ends the contract, as terms that may be unfair.
Is a verbal promise binding?
Section 50 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says that what a trader says or writes about its service can be part of the contract, if you took it into account when booking. A written record is much easier to rely on.