Eligibility & decisions
Van leasing with no trading history
For a limited company, "no trading history" usually means nothing has been filed yet, not that nothing is happening. If you are trading, evidence it: business bank statements, signed contracts, invoices raised and paid, and VAT returns.
Your agreement is with FleetMe · we confirm your quote in writing · new limited companies considered
What does no trading history actually mean?
A company that has traded for eight months and has not reached its first filing deadline, and a company that has never traded at all, both show an empty history at Companies House. They are nothing like the same risk — and the entire job here is making sure yours is not read as the other one.
That is a presentation problem as much as an underwriting one. Trading that exists only in your head, your inbox and a personal bank account is trading nobody else can see.
What goes in the evidence pack, in order of weight?
Business bank statements, three to six months. Nothing else shows income arriving as reliably. In the company’s name, covering the trading period, with the income visible.
Signed contracts and purchase orders. Forward-looking evidence that the income continues — a subcontract agreement, a framework, a standing arrangement with a main contractor, a quote signed off by a customer.
Invoices raised and paid. A run of invoices with matching payments in the statements ties the story together and is far stronger than either document on its own.
VAT returns, if you are registered. Filed with HMRC, so they carry weight a self-prepared document does not.
Management accounts. A profit and loss and balance sheet straight out of your bookkeeping software, even unaudited, gives the numbers a shape.
Anything sector-specific that proves you are operating: an operator’s licence, trade accreditation, an insurance schedule, a lease on premises.
How should you present the evidence so it holds up?
Put it in one place. A single PDF pack in a sensible order, with the company name and number on the front, gets read properly. A drip-feed of screenshots does not.
Keep names and addresses consistent. If the invoices show one trading name, the bank another and Companies House a third, that is the first thing anyone will query — so explain any differences before they are noticed.
Explain the gaps yourself. A thin month, a director’s loan in and out, a large one-off payment: a sentence each. Volunteering context reads as competence; leaving it to be discovered reads as something else.
Be straight about what is not there. If there are no written contracts because the work is repeat and informal, say so and show the payment pattern instead. An honest gap is easier to assess than a silent one.
What if the company genuinely has not started trading?
This is the harder case and it deserves a straight answer. With no income at all, the assessment rests almost entirely on the directors, on any signed work waiting to start, and on what you can put down as an initial rental.
It is not an automatic no. It is, though, where a personal guarantee is most likely to be asked for, and where the honest answer is sometimes that the vehicle you want is more than the evidence supports. If that is the case we will tell you, and we will tell you what would change it.
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
What counts as trading history?
In practice, evidence that money is coming in and work is going out: business bank statements, invoices raised and paid, signed contracts, VAT returns and management accounts. Filed accounts are the formal version, but they arrive late and they are not the only version.
Can I use personal bank statements?
They are much weaker than business statements and can raise more questions than they answer. If the company has been paid into a personal account, explain why and open a business account — it helps this application and every one after it.
How much trading history is enough?
There is no fixed threshold. Three to six months of clear, consistent business income with evidenced work behind it is a solid position for a young company.
Do you need my accountant’s details?
Not always, but they help. An accountant who can confirm the management accounts and the position of the company adds credibility that is hard to build any other way.
Will you tell me if my evidence is not strong enough?
Yes, and we will tell you what would strengthen it. Often it is one more month of statements or a contract confirmed in writing, rather than anything dramatic.
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.