Two pricing modes, same booking form. Per-mile transfer or hourly chauffeur. Which is cheaper depends entirely on the trip shape.
This article runs three worked examples both ways.
Example 1: Short point-to-point — Southampton to Heathrow
Trip shape: 75 miles, no waiting, no return.
Per-mile: £99 (fixed-fare rate on this specific Heathrow route, Standard saloon)
Hourly: 3-hour minimum × £45 = £135
Per-mile wins by £36. This is the classic point-to-point case where the per-mile fixed fare is structurally cheaper than the hourly minimum.
The hourly math doesn't help: included miles are 45 (3hr × 15mi/hr), trip is 75 miles, so you'd pay extra-mile charges of 30 × £0.835 = £25 on top of £135 = £160 total. Per-mile beats this comfortably.
Rule of thumb confirmed: point-to-point with no waiting → per-mile.
Example 2: Multi-stop wedding day — 6 hours, ~75 miles total
Trip shape: Prep hotel → ceremony venue → photo stop → reception → end-of-night transfer. ~75 miles total across 6 hours.
Per-mile (Executive MPV):
- 75 mi × £2.60 = £195
- Waiting time at venues: ~3 hours × £20 = £60
- Subtotal: £255
- 15% volume discount (over £250): -£38.25
- Total: ~£216.75
Hourly (Executive MPV):
- 6 hr × £70 = £420
- Included miles: 90 (more than enough for 75-mile day)
- Subtotal: £420
- 15% volume discount: -£63
- Total: £357
Per-mile wins by £140.
Wait — per-mile wins this wedding-day case? Yes, because waiting time is included for hourly but billed at £20/hr for per-mile, and the trip's total mileage is moderate. The 6-hour hourly is buying you 3 hours that aren't really being used.
This is a common surprise. The intuition that "long multi-stop = hourly" isn't always right. Check the math.
Counter-example: if the same wedding involved 200 miles instead of 75 (e.g. venue is far from prep hotel), the math flips — extra-mile charges on hourly are 50% of per-mile, which beats raw per-mile distance at scale.
Example 3: Long-distance hourly — full day London → Hampshire tour
Trip shape: Pickup London hotel 09:00, drive through Hampshire countryside (Lainston, Beaulieu, Highclere), back to London hotel by 19:00. ~10 hours, ~200 miles total.
Per-mile (Executive saloon):
- 200 mi × £2.20 = £440
- Waiting time at sites: ~6 hours × £20 = £120
- Subtotal: £560
- 15% volume discount: -£84
- Total: ~£476
Hourly (Executive saloon):
- 10 hr × £60 = £600
- Included miles: 150 (10 × 15)
- Extra mileage: 50 mi × £1.10 = £55
- Subtotal: £655
- 15% volume discount: -£98.25
- Total: ~£556.75
Per-mile still wins by £80.
Hmm. Per-mile keeps winning even on long-day trips. What's going on?
The pattern: per-mile with waiting fees is competitive with hourly across most realistic trip shapes. Hourly's advantage isn't price — it's continuity and predictability.
When hourly's real advantage shows up
Hourly genuinely beats per-mile in two cases:
1. The waiting time is much longer than the per-mile math allows.
If you're booking a chauffeur for a 4-hour wedding ceremony with 50 miles of driving, per-mile would be: 50 × £1.67 + 4hr × £20 = £163. Hourly would be: 4 × £45 = £180. Close, but per-mile still wins.
If you're booking a chauffeur to wait while you're in a 6-hour meeting with 30 miles of driving, per-mile: 30 × £1.67 + 6hr × £20 = £170. Hourly: 6 × £45 = £270. Per-mile wins by £100.
The break-point: when waiting hours dominate driving miles. Per-mile is structurally fairer here.
2. The driver schedule matters for predictability.
This isn't a price advantage — it's a non-price one. Hourly locks in the same driver, same vehicle, predictable end time. Per-mile is "driver completes the trip and leaves" — if the trip extends, dispatch may not have the same driver available for re-engagement.
For high-stakes days (weddings, executive transport, important meetings), the predictability of hourly is worth the modest premium.
The general rule
Per-mile + waiting fees is usually the cheapest option for most trips. Choose per-mile by default.
Choose hourly when:
- You value driver continuity above the cost difference (typical premium £50-150)
- Your itinerary is too loose to estimate distance accurately (hourly is flat regardless of how far you actually drive within included miles)
- The trip is short enough that the 3-hour minimum still fits the use case
For more on when each mode applies, see per-mile vs hourly — which to pick.
Booking
The booking form at book.fare1.co.uk lets you toggle between modes — easiest way to compare exact quotes for your specific trip.
For complex multi-leg bookings where it's not obvious which mode applies, email us with the trip shape and we'll quote both.