Eligibility & decisions
Van leasing for a new limited company
Yes — a limited company incorporated weeks ago can lease a van. With no trading history to read, the assessment leans on the directors, evidence of the work coming in, affordability, and the initial rental you put down.
Your agreement is with FleetMe · we confirm your quote in writing · new limited companies considered
Why is a brand-new company not an automatic no?
Business contract hire is asset-backed. We own the vehicle throughout, it has a known value, and it comes back to us at the end of the term. That shifts the question from "has this company proved itself over three years?" to "can this business carry a fixed monthly rental for the term, and who stands behind it if trading gets difficult?"
A company incorporated last month has no answer to the first question and can have a perfectly good answer to the second, provided the directors and the evidence stack up. That is why new limited companies are genuinely considered here rather than filtered out at the first screen.
What do we look at when there is no history?
The directors, first and hardest. A young company borrows its credibility from the people running it — so personal credit profiles, three years of address history and previous directorships all matter, including any that ended badly. Sector experience counts: someone who has run a groundworks firm for a decade and has just incorporated a new one is a very different proposition to a first-time director in an unfamiliar trade.
The work in hand. A signed contract, a subcontract agreement, a purchase order, or a customer prepared to confirm the arrangement in writing turns a plan into a pipeline.
How the company is set up. A business bank account in the company name, a registered office and trading address that make sense, an accurate SIC code, and filings made when they are due. None of these are impressive alone; together they say the business is being run properly.
What you can put down. The initial rental is the clearest signal available to you, and it is entirely in your hands.
What should you do before you apply?
Open a business bank account in the company name and run the income through it. Statements are the backbone of the assessment, and a personal account mixing business and household spending muddies them.
Check your Companies House record reads correctly — registered office, directors, SIC code, and anything due to be filed. It is the first place anyone looks.
Tidy your own credit file. Directors are checked, so being on the electoral roll at your current address and clearing or settling anything outstanding has more effect on a new company’s application than most people expect.
Gather the evidence into one place — contracts, purchase orders, invoices, bank statements — before you enquire rather than after. It shortens the whole process.
Decide what the company can genuinely commit to each month, then work back from that figure. Stretching to a bigger van and hoping is how agreements go wrong in year two.
What should a new company expect?
Expect to be asked for more than an established business would be. Expect a director’s personal guarantee to come up, because it often does where there is no trading history to lean on. And expect the list of suitable vehicles to be shaped by the evidence rather than the wish list.
Expect a straight answer either way. If the numbers do not support the vehicle you want, we will say so — and we will tell you what they do support.
How we work: FleetMe supplies the vehicle and the agreement is with us. Limited companies and LLPs hire on business contract hire over 24 to 60 months; individuals and sole traders hire on short-term rental for up to 89 days. Quotes are indicative until your vehicle, term, mileage and monthly rental are confirmed in writing.
Who we can help: We work best with good and fair credit profiles. New limited companies with no trading history are genuinely considered — commercial underwriting looks at the business, not just years of accounts. Adverse credit is reviewed case by case and we will always tell you honestly if we cannot help.
General information about business vehicle leasing. It is not tax, accounting or legal advice — your accountant should confirm how any of this applies to your business.
Questions, answered
How new is too new?
There is no minimum trading age we apply. A company incorporated this month can be assessed, because the assessment leans on the directors, on evidence of the work and on affordability rather than on time served.
Will I be asked for a personal guarantee?
Often, yes, where a company has no trading history. A personal guarantee is a genuine personal commitment, so it is worth understanding properly before you offer one.
Does the director’s personal credit matter?
Yes, particularly while the company is young. Directors are checked as part of the assessment, and a clean, current personal profile makes a material difference to a new company’s application.
Do I need a business bank account?
It is strongly advisable. Business bank statements are the clearest evidence of what the company earns and spends, and an account mixing business with personal spending is much harder to read.
Can a company that has not started trading lease a van?
It is the hardest version of this case and we will be straight with you about it. With no income to evidence, the assessment rests on the directors, on any signed work waiting to start, and on the initial rental. If work is contracted but not begun, say so — a contract in hand is evidence.
Tell us about the business
One short form covering the vehicle, the term and the mileage you need. We come back with a written quote — usually the same working day — and we will tell you honestly if we cannot help.
Thanks — your enquiry is in.
We’ll go through what you need and come back with a written quote, usually the same working day. Your agreement would be with FleetMe — we supply the vehicle, and we confirm it in writing before anything is agreed.
What happens next
- 1 We read what you sent us. We check the vehicle, the length and the mileage you asked for, and work out what we can do at that specification.
- 2 We come back with a written quote. Usually the same working day. It sets out the vehicle, how long you have it, the mileage, the initial rental and the monthly figure — ex VAT with the VAT-inclusive figure alongside.
- 3 You decide. Nothing is committed until you have that in writing and you are happy to go ahead. If we can’t help, we’ll tell you honestly and say why.
Nothing is committed at this stage, and if we can’t help we’ll tell you honestly rather than leave you waiting.
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Guide information · last reviewed September 2026. Every business is different, so nothing here is a decision. We assess each enquiry on its own facts and confirm the outcome to you directly.