How Much Does Car Storage Cost Per Month? (2026)
Car storage in the UK costs about £141 a month at a typical professional facility. That's the median starting price across the 120 facilities on Motorkeep that publish one. Most charge between £100 and £160 a month; managed, climate controlled storage costs £175–£300 a month plus VAT outside London.
If you've started ringing around storage facilities, you'll have noticed the quotes vary wildly. One place wants £115 a month for a container; another, seemingly for the same service, wants £350. A London facility might quote you more than £1,000. None of them are necessarily overcharging — they're simply selling different things, in different places, to different owners.
This guide sets out what UK car storage actually costs in 2026, what drives the differences, and where the genuine savings are. If the car is going away for a winter or longer, the long-term totals further down are the figures to look at.
Car storage cost per month: the short answer
| Type of storage | Typical monthly cost (2026) | Six-month winter |
|---|---|---|
| Council lock-up garage | £40–£120 | £250–£720 |
| Private lock-up or garage space | ~£133 (£218 in London) | ~£800 |
| Budget / container car storage | From ~£115 + VAT | ~£700 + VAT |
| Professional car storage, starting price | £141 median (middle half £100–£161) | ~£600–£970 |
| Managed, climate controlled | £175–£300 + VAT (£250–£400 South East) | £1,050–£2,400 + VAT |
| Central London flagship | £800–£1,100 | £4,800–£6,600 |
The £141 figure is ours: it's the median starting price across the 120 facilities listed on Motorkeep that publish one (checked 27 October 2026). Starting prices are for the most basic option each facility offers; the managed and climate controlled figures below come from facility price lists and industry data. Council and lock-up rents are from published council rates and Stashbee listings — see how much it costs to rent a garage for the detail.
What drives the price of car storage
Four factors account for almost all of the spread between a £115 quote and an £1,100 one.
Location
Property is the biggest cost a storage business carries, so where the building sits largely sets what you pay. A converted barn in Lincolnshire and a discreet facility in Kensington might offer near-identical care, but the London operator is paying central-city rates for every square metre your car occupies. As a rule of thumb, prices rise steadily as you approach the M25 and jump sharply once inside it.
Climate control
The single biggest step up in price — and, for many cars, in value — is climate control. A climate controlled facility keeps relative humidity in a stable band year-round, which is what actually protects paint, chrome, leather and wiring during a long stay. You'll sometimes see this called "dehumidified storage" in the trade; it's the same thing. Unheated containers and barns can't offer that stability, which is why they sit at the bottom of the price range. If you're weighing up whether your car needs it, our climate control guide walks through the decision in detail.
Security
CCTV and a padlock cost little. Monitored alarms, gated compounds, anonymous unmarked buildings, strict access protocols and full insurance-approved security specifications cost a great deal more. Facilities holding significant collections invest heavily here, and the monthly rate reflects it.
Service level
Finally, there's the difference between storing a car and managing one. At the budget end, you rent a space and everything else is your problem. At the managed end, the facility keeps the battery conditioned, maintains tyre pressures, inspects the car regularly, and can prepare it for collection at short notice. That labour is skilled and ongoing, and it's a large part of what you're paying for at £250 a month versus £115.
Two smaller factors also move quotes at the margin. Vehicle size matters — a long-wheelbase Rolls-Royce or a motorhome occupies more floor than an MGB, and some facilities price by footprint. And length of stay matters: the industry average stay is only around twelve weeks, so a facility that knows your car is committed for a year or more will often sharpen its pencil.
Long-term car storage: what six months or a year costs
For a long stay it helps to think in totals rather than monthly rates.
| Length of stay | At the £141 median | Managed, climate controlled at £250 a month |
|---|---|---|
| 3 months | about £420 | £750 |
| 6 months (a winter lay-up) | about £850 | £1,500 |
| 12 months | about £1,690 | £3,000 |
Most facilities charge by the month, but many will agree a better rate for a year paid up front, so ask. Check the minimum term and the notice period too, especially if you might want the car back early. Some facilities quote prices plus VAT, so compare like with like.
Three things keep the long-term bill down. Store outside the big cities if you can: the same level of care often costs much less an hour's drive out. Match the service to the car. A modern car stored for a few months may not need climate control, while a classic stored for a year usually does. And if the car will be off the road for the whole time, a SORN stops the vehicle tax, and laid-up insurance usually costs less than full cover.
UK car storage prices in 2026
Here's how the market breaks down by category. Treat these as typical figures rather than quotes — individual facilities set their own rates, and vehicle size, stay length and demand all move the number.
| Category | Typical monthly price (2026) | What you're getting |
|---|---|---|
| Budget / container storage | From ~£115 + VAT | A secure, lockable container or unit; minimal or no active care |
| Regional climate controlled, managed | £175–£300 + VAT | Stable humidity, battery conditioning, checks and tyre care, managed access |
| South East / climate controlled | £250–£400 + VAT | The same managed service, priced for South East property costs |
| Central London flagship | £800–£1,100 | Prime-location, high-security, full-service storage with concierge-level care |
For context on how the market has moved: a 2022 industry report counted roughly 15,000 cars in managed storage across the UK, with an average stay of about twelve weeks and an average price at the time of around £167 per month — ranging from £75 in South Wales to £650 in London. Prices have risen appreciably since then, driven by property costs, energy prices for climate control, and simple demand: good facilities are fuller than they were.
That report also revealed something worth knowing as a customer. A retained storage client is worth £1,800–£6,000 a year to a facility. You are a valuable, long-term customer, not a favour they're doing you — which means good facilities will work to keep you, and you can negotiate accordingly.
What facilities actually charge, by region and county
The ranges above describe the market. These figures are what facilities on Motorkeep publish as their starting price, so they show where a basic space starts, not what a managed package costs. We only quote a figure where at least five facilities publish one.
| Region | Facilities with a published price | Median starting price |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 31 | £147 |
| East of England | 11 | £147 |
| South West | 15 | £146 |
| North of England | 21 | £130 |
| Midlands | 28 | £123 |
| Scotland | 6 | £119 |
London has too few published prices to quote a reliable median; the four facilities that do publish one start between £160 and £498. Facilities describing themselves as climate controlled start at a median of £152 (53 facilities). All figures checked 27 October 2026.
By county, where we have enough data:
| County | Median starting price | |
|---|---|---|
| Surrey | £163 | Car storage costs in Surrey |
| North Yorkshire | £152 | Car storage costs in North Yorkshire |
| Cheshire | £150 | Car storage costs in Cheshire |
| Hampshire | £140 | Car storage costs in Hampshire |
| Kent | £137 | Car storage costs in Kent |
| Northamptonshire | £100 | Car storage costs in Northamptonshire |
Every county page shows the local figure where there's enough data, alongside the facilities in that county.
What's included — and what's an add-on
The headline monthly rate at a managed facility usually covers:
- The storage space itself, in a climate controlled or ventilated environment
- Site security and controlled access
- A battery conditioner connected while the car is stored
- Tyre pressure maintenance (and often tyre cradles or periodic rolling)
- Periodic visual checks, sometimes with photo updates
Almost everything else is priced separately, and this is where two quotes that look identical can end up far apart in practice. Common add-ons include:
- Exercise runs — starting the car and driving it periodically to keep fluids moving and seals healthy
- Detailing — anything from a wash before collection to full paint correction
- Enclosed transport — collecting or delivering the car in a covered trailer
- Servicing and MOT — arranging work with a trusted garage, or in-house at larger facilities
- Airport collection — dropping you at the terminal and storing the car until you're back
None of this is a hidden-fee trick; it's how the industry keeps base rates honest. But it does mean you should compare quotes on the total for the services you'll actually use, not the headline figure. If you'll never want an exercise run, a facility that bundles them into a higher base price is poor value for you.
One cost that isn't the facility's to charge: road tax. If the car is coming off the road entirely, declaring SORN stops the tax and changes your insurance position — our SORN guide covers how that interacts with storage.
If you're weighing up a rented lock-up instead, our guide to how much it costs to rent a garage compares council garages, private lock-ups and storage side by side, and car storage units covers containers and drive-up units: what size you need, what they cost, and why most self-storage rooms won't take a car.
London versus the regions
The gap between London and everywhere else deserves its own section, because it's the single biggest pricing decision most owners face.
A central London flagship facility at £800–£1,100 per month is not selling the same product as a £250 unit in Cheshire with a fancier postcode. It's selling proximity — the ability to have your car prepared and waiting minutes from home — plus a level of discretion, security and concierge service that a certain kind of collection genuinely needs. For owners who use their stored cars frequently, or whose insurers require a particular specification, it can be entirely rational.
But if your car will sit largely untouched between outings, you're paying London property prices for parked metal. The arithmetic is stark: at £1,000 a month in town versus £300 an hour's drive away, the difference funds a lot of enclosed transport for the handful of times a year you actually want the car. Many facilities in Kent, Essex and the wider Home Counties have built their business on exactly this trade-off, offering delivery into London as an add-on.
If central storage is what you need, car storage in London lists the options; just go in with clear eyes about what the premium buys.
How to pay less without compromising the car
There's rarely a bad reason to store a car properly, but there are several good ways to do it for less.
Store outside the M25
As above — this is the big one. Moving from central London to a facility 30–60 minutes out typically cuts the bill by half or more. Even within the regions, a facility ten miles further from a city centre often undercuts its urban rival meaningfully.
Ask about annual deals
Facilities prize long-term customers — remember that £1,800–£6,000 annual value. Many will discount meaningfully for twelve months paid up front, or offer a better monthly rate on an annual commitment versus rolling monthly. If you know the car is staying put for the year, ask. The worst answer is no.
Don't pay for care you don't need
A modern car stored for three months over winter doesn't need weekly exercise runs and monthly detailing. Conversely, a fresh concours restoration probably shouldn't be in an unheated container to save £150 a month. Match the specification to the car and the stay length: climate control and managed care for anything old, valuable or long-stay; clean, secure and simple for a modern car parked short-term.
Compare more than one quote
Obvious, but the spread in this market is unusually wide, and facilities don't publish rates consistently. The quickest way to get a real number is to ask three facilities near you at once — that is exactly what the form below does, and it costs nothing.
Questions to ask before you sign
A good facility will answer all of these happily. Hesitation on any of them tells you something.
- What exactly is included in the monthly rate — and what's the price list for add-ons?
- Is the storage climate controlled, and what humidity range do you maintain?
- What does your insurance cover while my car is with you — and what must remain on my own policy?
- What's the notice period and access arrangement? Can I visit or collect at short notice, and is there a fee?
- Who handles the car, how often is it checked, and will I get updates?
- How is the battery managed — conditioner connected throughout, or periodic charging?
- Are prices reviewed annually, and with how much notice?
Get the answers in writing as part of the contract. The best facilities already put all of this in theirs. It's also worth asking to visit before you commit: ten minutes on site tells you more about how a facility treats cars than any brochure, and a serious operator will be pleased to show you around.
Timing: the autumn rush
Car storage has a season. Searches for it roughly double in the autumn as owners lay up convertibles, classics and summer cars for winter, and the better facilities fill their remaining spaces within weeks. Book in July or August and you'll have your pick of spaces and more room to negotiate — particularly on annual rates, which facilities are keener to agree before the rush guarantees them full occupancy anyway.
If you're reading this in October or November, don't assume everywhere is full: facilities outside the big cities often have space, and a quote request to three of them takes a minute. Our guide to storing a car over winter covers how to prepare the car.
The bottom line
For 2026, sensible budgeting looks like this: from around £115 a month plus VAT for a secure container, a median starting price of £141 across professional facilities, £175–£300 for regional climate controlled managed storage, £250–£400 in the South East, and £800–£1,100 for a central London flagship. Decide what level of care the car genuinely needs, compare the total cost including the add-ons you'll use, and book before September if winter storage is the plan.
Motorkeep is an independent introduction service. We research and list professional car storage facilities across the UK, but we don't own or operate any of them — your contract and insurance arrangements sit directly between you and the facility. Verify inclusions, insurance and terms with the facility before signing.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is car storage a month?
- About £141 a month at a typical UK facility. That's the median starting price across the 120 facilities on Motorkeep that publish one, and the middle half charge between £100 and £161. Budget container storage starts from around £115 plus VAT; managed, climate controlled storage typically runs £175–£300 outside the South East and £250–£400 within it.
- How much does it cost to keep a car in storage for a year?
- At the £141 median starting price, a year costs about £1,690. At £250 a month for managed climate controlled storage it's £3,000, and many facilities discount a year paid up front by 10–15%. A six-month winter lay-up at typical rates costs £850–£1,800.
- How much does long-term car storage cost?
- At the £141 median starting price, six months costs about £850 and a year about £1,690. Managed, climate controlled storage at £250 a month comes to £1,500 for six months and £3,000 for a year. Many facilities give a better rate for a year paid up front, so it's always worth asking.
- How much does car storage cost per month in the UK?
- In 2026, budget container storage starts from around £115 per month plus VAT. Climate controlled, managed storage typically runs £175–£300 per month in most regions, rising to £250–£400 in the South East. Central London flagship facilities charge £800–£1,100 per month.
- Why is car storage so much more expensive in London?
- Property costs. A central London facility pays a multiple of what a rural unit pays per square foot, and every car occupies premium floor space. Storing just outside the M25 instead of in town can cut the monthly bill by half or more, often for a comparable level of care.
- What is usually included in the monthly price?
- Most managed facilities include the storage space itself, security, a battery conditioner, tyre care and periodic checks. Add-ons such as exercise runs, detailing, enclosed transport, servicing, MOT arrangement and airport collection are almost always priced separately.
- Is climate controlled storage worth the extra cost?
- For classics, low-mileage collectables and anything with leather, chrome or original paint, usually yes — stable humidity is what prevents corrosion and mould during long stays. For a modern daily driver stored for a few months, a clean, secure container is often perfectly adequate.
- When is the best time to book car storage?
- Before September. Demand spikes every September as owners lay cars up for winter, and the best facilities fill their remaining spaces quickly. Booking in summer gives you more choice and a stronger negotiating position, particularly on annual rates.