Cancellation & Refund Policy

Last updated: July 24, 2026

This policy explains what happens if You need to cancel a vehicle hire booked with Abacus Self Drive, how much of what You have paid is refundable, and how to give Us notice. It applies to all bookings, whether made through this Website, by telephone or in person, and forms part of our Conditions of Hire.

Summary

The security deposit is never retained as a cancellation charge. It is returned to You in full whenever a hire is cancelled, regardless of how much notice is given.

1. How the notice period is calculated

The notice period runs from the moment We receive your cancellation to the scheduled collection date and time shown on your booking confirmation.

For example, if your vehicle is due for collection at 8:00am on Friday, We must receive your cancellation by 8:00am on Wednesday for a full refund, or by 8:00am on Thursday for a 50% refund.

A cancellation is treated as received at the time your email arrives, or at the time You speak to a member of our team. Messages left outside our opening hours are treated as received when We next open. It is your responsibility to make sure the cancellation has reached Us. If You have not received an acknowledgement from Us, please assume the booking is still live and contact Us again.

2. How to cancel a booking

To cancel, contact Us by email at hire@abacus-self-drive.co.uk, or by telephone using the number shown on our Contact page.

Please quote your booking reference, the name the booking was made in, and the collection date. A cancellation only takes effect once We have confirmed it to You in writing.

3. Refund of hire charges

48 hours or more notice. All hire charges You have paid are refunded in full.

Between 24 and 48 hours notice. 50% of the hire charges are refunded. We retain the remaining 50% to cover the cost of holding a vehicle that can no longer reasonably be re-let at short notice.

Less than 24 hours notice. No refund of hire charges is due. This also applies if You do not arrive to collect the vehicle and do not contact Us (a "no-show").

Where a booking has been paid for only in part, for example where a deposit against the hire has been taken and the balance is due on collection, the same percentages apply to the total hire charge, and any shortfall remains payable by You.

4. Security deposit

The security deposit is separate from the hire charges. It is held against damage, loss, fuel, fines and other charges arising during a hire, and where no hire takes place there is nothing for it to be held against.

If the deposit was taken as a payment, it is refunded in full to the card used. If it was taken as an authorisation hold, the hold is released and no money is taken. Depending on your bank, a released hold can take several working days to disappear from your available balance.

5. Optional extras and additional drivers

Charges for optional extras and for additional named drivers are refunded on the same basis as the hire charges, using the notice periods set out above.

6. Changes to a booking

Where possible We would rather move your booking than cancel it. Changes to the collection date, return date, collection location or vehicle type are subject to availability and to any difference in price at the time of the change.

A change requested 48 hours or more before collection is treated as an amendment, not a cancellation, and no cancellation charge applies. If the new booking costs less, We refund the difference; if it costs more, the difference is payable before collection.

A change requested less than 48 hours before collection is treated as a cancellation of the original booking followed by a new booking, and the refund tiers above apply to the original booking. We may waive this at our discretion where the change does not leave Us with an unlettable vehicle.

7. Shortened hires and early returns

The hire charge is calculated on the period You book, not the period You use. If You return the vehicle before the agreed return date, no refund is due for the unused days. If You need a shorter hire, please tell Us before collection so the booking can be amended under section 6.

8. If We have to cancel

Very occasionally We may be unable to supply a vehicle, for example if a vehicle is damaged, breaks down, or is not returned on time by a previous hirer.

Where this happens We will contact You as soon as We can and offer You an alternative vehicle, or an alternative collection time or location, wherever one is available. If We cannot offer a suitable alternative, or You do not wish to accept the one offered, You will receive a full refund of everything You have paid, including any deposit, with no cancellation charge.

Our liability in these circumstances is limited to that refund. We are not able to cover onward costs such as the cost of hiring from another supplier, removal firms, lost earnings or missed appointments, and We would encourage You to allow for this when planning a move or a job.

9. If We are unable to release the vehicle at collection

Every driver must meet the requirements set out in our Conditions of Hire, including holding a valid full driving licence, providing a valid DVLA check code, meeting our minimum age and experience requirements, and passing our identity and address checks.

If a driver does not meet these requirements when they arrive, or the payment or security deposit cannot be taken, We may be unable to release the vehicle. Because this is discovered at the point of collection, it is treated as a cancellation with less than 24 hours notice and no refund of hire charges is due. The security deposit, if it has been taken, is returned in full.

If You are unsure whether You or a named driver will meet these requirements, please contact Us before your collection date rather than on it.

10. How refunds are paid

Refunds are made to the original payment method. We are not able to refund to a different card or bank account, or to pay refunds in cash.

We process refunds within 3 working days of confirming your cancellation. Once processed, funds normally appear in your account within 5 to 10 working days, depending on your card issuer.

11. Exceptional circumstances

We understand that plans occasionally change for reasons entirely outside your control. Where a cancellation at short notice is caused by something such as a bereavement, a hospital admission or severe weather that makes travel unsafe, please contact Us and tell Us what has happened. We may waive or reduce a cancellation charge at our discretion, and We may ask for reasonable evidence before doing so. This is a discretion rather than an entitlement, and applying it in one case does not oblige Us to apply it in another.

12. Your statutory rights

The statutory 14 day right to cancel a contract made at a distance does not apply to contracts for the hire of a vehicle where a specific date or period of hire is agreed. Vehicle hire is excluded from that right under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, and this policy applies instead.

Nothing in this policy affects your other statutory rights, including your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 where a service is not carried out with reasonable care and skill.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The version in force is the one published on this Website at the time your booking was made, and the "Last updated" date above indicates when it was last revised.

14. Contact Us

If You have any questions about this policy, or You would like to discuss a cancellation, You can contact Us:

• By email: hire@abacus-self-drive.co.uk
• By telephone or post: see our Contact page