Guide
Supercar lease deposits: what is held, and when it comes back
Updated 6 min read Performance & Prestige
A refundable security deposit is held for the term of the agreement, separately from the monthly payments, against a card in the hirer’s own name. It runs from £1,500 to £50,000 depending on the car, and from £2,000 to £10,000 on the cars in our own fleet. It is not a payment towards the monthly figure, it is not the insurance excess, and nothing is taken through this website.
What is the deposit for?
It is security held against the car for the three months or more it is with you, and it exists so that the things that can go wrong have somewhere to be settled from without a difficult conversation about payment afterwards.
It is not a booking fee, it is not one of the monthly payments, and it is not revenue. If the car comes back as it went out, the whole deposit comes back — which is the normal outcome and a far less interesting story than the internet suggests.
The amount is set per vehicle, published on that car's page, and repeated on your quote. It is stated before there is any form to fill in, because a deposit discovered late is the fastest way to lose somebody's trust in this business.
How much is it, and why does it vary so much?
From £1,500 to £50,000 across the catalogue, and from £2,000 to £10,000 on the cars we own.
The spread follows the value of the car and what it costs to put right, not a view about the customer. Our BMW X5 M Sport holds £2,000; the Mercedes-AMG C 63 and the Range Rover Sport SV hold £3,000; the Urus Performante holds £10,000. At the top of the partner-sourced catalogue the Aston Martin Valhalla holds £50,000.
That top figure is worth looking at properly before you fall in love with a car. A hold of £50,000 needs a card that will actually take it, and finding out at the kerb is nobody's idea of a good morning.
Is the deposit the same as the insurance excess?
No, and conflating the two is how people end up feeling misled.
The excess is a liability limit: on a claim the policy covers, you pay the repair bill up to it and the insurer pays above it. You only ever meet it if something is actually damaged. Across the catalogue it runs from £1,500 to £35,000, and from £2,000 to £10,000 on our own cars.
The deposit is money held and given back. On every car in our own fleet the two figures happen to match exactly. On some sourced cars they part company — the Valhalla again, with a £50,000 deposit against a £35,000 excess. Where they differ, both numbers are on the car's page. Insurance and excess explains the excess side in full.
Why must the card be in the hirer’s own name?
Because the person who is licence-checked, named on the agreement and insured to drive has to be the same person the money sits with.
A third party's card cannot be used: not a spouse's, not a parent's, not a company card belonging to somebody who is not on the lease. It is an identity control and a fraud control at the same time — a car of this value handed over against somebody else's payment method is the oldest problem in vehicle rental.
Where a business is hiring for a director or an employee, say so at the enquiry stage and it is set up that way from the start. The invoice goes to the company; the deposit still sits with the named hirer. Business leasing covers that arrangement.
What can be deducted from it?
Four things, and nothing else:
- Miles above the 1,000 a month the agreement includes, at that car's published per-mile rate — 95p to £10 a mile depending on the vehicle.
- Fuel or charge not replaced.
- Damage, up to the insurance excess for that car.
- Any penalty, toll or congestion charge incurred while the car was with you, plus the administration of handling it.
There is no cleaning fee for a car that has been driven, no charge invented at the end of the term, and no line item that was not explained before you signed. If something is deducted, you will already know why, because it will have been discussed at the car.
When does it come back?
Once the car is back at the end of the term, checked, and anything owed is settled. We confirm the release timing in writing when the agreement is confirmed rather than leaving you to guess at it.
The check is the collection walk round: the same photographs, the same odometer and fuel readings, done with you present. Where everything matches, there is nothing to hold the release up.
What slows a release down is almost always a question rather than a dispute — a mark that needs a second look, a charge notice that has not landed yet. We would rather tell you that is happening than let a silence do it.
How do you get it all back?
Five things, in rough order of how often they matter:
- Watch the mileage. It is the most common deduction by a distance, and it is entirely predictable — work your real monthly mileage out against the 1,000 included before you choose the car, not in the last month of the term.
- Bring the fuel or charge back as it went out. Both are recorded at both ends.
- Photograph everything at handover. Your own photographs, kept until the deposit is back.
- Deal with charges as you go. A congestion charge paid by you at the time is simpler than one recovered from the deposit at the end of the term.
- Say something the same day. A kerbed rim reported the afternoon it happens is a much better conversation than the same rim found at collection.
Common questions
Is the deposit taken when I enquire or book online?
No. Nothing is taken through this website at any point — no deposit, no card details, no payment. It is arranged with a person before delivery, once the vehicle, the dates and the driver have been confirmed with you.
Can I pay a larger deposit to lease a car I am too young for?
No. The minimum age on a car’s page is an insurance condition rather than a commercial one, so it is not something money moves. What we can do is tell you which cars you can lease — 44 of the catalogue are available at 25.
Does the deposit count towards the monthly payments?
No. It is held separately and returned separately. The monthly figure is its own number, and the two are never netted off against each other.
What if my card limit will not take the hold?
Tell us at the enquiry stage. A card that cannot take the hold is the single most common reason a delivery does not go ahead, and it is completely avoidable with a week’s notice. It may also point you at a car with a smaller deposit.
Is the deposit different on a partner-sourced car?
The figure is set by whoever holds the vehicle, and it can be considerably higher than on our own cars. It is published on that car’s page as a guide and confirmed with you in writing before anything is agreed.
Related guides
- What happens if you damage a leased supercar? The clearest answer we can give to the question everybody asks and nobody wants to ask out loud: what a scratch actually costs, what the deposit can be used for, and what happens in the hour after an incident.
- What happens at handover The handover is the part of a lease people remember and the part that protects both sides afterwards. What happens in it, what to bring, what to photograph, and what to ask before the driver leaves.
Supercar lease deposits: what is held, and when it comes back
Every figure in this guide is published per car, before there is any form to fill in.
A person confirms every booking · No payment taken online · Delivery or collection, your choice
Written by Performance & Prestige against the rates, driver criteria and delivery areas published on this site. Rates are “from” prices inclusive of VAT and are confirmed with you before anything is agreed — see driver requirements, insurance and excess and delivery.