UK Limo Law
Travelling in a limo with your friends/family/colleagues on the way to town for a big night out is a lot of fun, however, you need to be aware of some very important laws in the industry. The laws are important for your safety as well as the providers.
The following information has been sourced from the GOV.UK website.
- Limousines with up to 8 passenger seats don’t require a licence for weddings and funerals.
- Limousines must be run by a licensed operator unless they’re being hired out without a driver.
- For small limousines - seating up to 8 passengers - you’ll need a private hire vehicle (PHV) operator licence.
- This is different inside London and outside London.
- For large limousines - seating 9 passengers or more - you’ll need to get a public sector vehicle (PSV) operator licence.
Vehicle standards
Stretched limousines must have Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) to be registered and licensed. For those built before 29 July 2011, a Certificate of Fitness (COIF) is accepted.
Fines and penalties
Your limousines can be destroyed or confiscated if you aren’t licensed or your vehicles aren’t properly insured. For other offences you can be prosecuted and fined.
Operators hiring out limousines and drivers separately to avoid licensing are breaking the law.
If the vehicle operators want to carry more people, they need to register the vehicle as a passenger-carrying vehicle (PCV), likening it to a bus, and carry a PCV licence. However, the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA) who issues the licences, will not recognise stretch limos as PCVs as they do not meet the safety requirements for this class of vehicle.
This includes the oversized limousines, such as the stretch Hummer, some of which can carry up to 28 passengers, and are doing so without proper licensing. Therefore, many limo hire companies are taking advantage of the public and police ignorance of the passenger laws and operating illegally.
Download ‘Guidance for operators of stretch-limos’ - (PDF, 116KB)
The information below is based on public information available on the internet, please do other research for accurate answers. We advise you visit the GOV.uk website for full details.
