Storage and Transport
What Climate Controlled Storage Costs per Month
Supercar storage is published at 300 to 700 pounds a month. On a car covering 2,000 miles a year that is 3.00 a mile before the car has moved at all.
Storage is the running cost that looks smallest per month and behaves largest per mile. Published rates for supercar and classic storage including handling and condition monitoring run 300 to 700 GBP a month and above. At the midpoint of 500, that is 6,000 a year, and on a car covering 2,000 miles it works out at 3.00 a mile before the engine is started.
What the market charges
| Tier | Per month | Per year | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist classic storage | 150 to 300 | 1,800 to 3,600 | secure space, basic service |
| Premium and supercar | 250 to 500 and above | 3,000 to 6,000 | climate control, monitoring |
| Supercar with handling and condition monitoring | 300 to 700 and above | 3,600 to 8,400 | plus concierge and documentation |
| Essex and Greater London | 200 to 350 plus VAT | 2,400 to 4,200 plus VAT | location premium applies |
Climate control in these facilities is described as holding temperature between 15 and 20 degrees with relative humidity below 60 per cent. Those two figures are what separates storage from parking, and they are worth confirming rather than assuming, because the phrase is used loosely.
The cost per mile nobody calculates
Storage is billed by the month, which puts it firmly in the category of costs that get more expensive per mile the less the car is used.
| Miles per year | Annual storage | Per mile |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | 6,000 | 12.00 |
| 1,000 | 6,000 | 6.00 |
| 2,000 | 6,000 | 3.00 |
| 5,000 | 6,000 | 1.20 |
Against the full cost model calculated elsewhere on this site, where a 250,000 car came to 11.70 per mile at 2,000 miles a year, adding 3.00 of storage raises it to 14.70, an increase of 25.6 per cent. Storage is not a small line on a lightly used car. It is the third largest after depreciation and insurance.
What the money is actually buying
Three of the four costs that continue while a car stands still are unaffected by where it stands: the service interval runs on the calendar, brake fluid ages chemically, and tyres age by date code. Storage addresses none of those.
What it does address is narrower and real:
- Humidity, which is the mechanism behind corrosion in places that are not inspected, and the reason the 60 per cent figure appears in facility descriptions.
- Temperature stability, which reduces condensation cycles rather than eliminating them.
- Security, which is priced separately by insurers and may be a condition of cover.
- Condition monitoring, which is what turns a stored car into a maintained one, including battery management and periodic movement to address flat spotting.
The question to ask before the car goes in
Facilities commonly provide insurance for stored cars, and the published advice is consistent: confirm the details rather than assume them. Two specifics decide whether that cover means anything on a car of this value.
- The sum insured per vehicle, which on a facility policy may be capped well below what a single car in the building is worth.
- Whether your own policy remains in force, and on what basis. Laid up cover for fire, theft and malicious damage is a different product from road cover and is quoted from as little as 56 GBP a year on ordinary vehicles.
Where the facility's cover is capped, the honest arrangement is usually both: their policy for their liability, and yours for the car's value.
Questions readers ask
How much does supercar storage cost?
Published UK rates are 300 to 700 GBP a month and above for supercar storage including handling and condition monitoring, 250 to 500 for premium storage and 150 to 300 for specialist classic storage. In Essex and Greater London, 200 to 350 plus VAT is quoted.
What does climate controlled actually mean?
Facility descriptions give temperature held between 15 and 20 degrees with relative humidity below 60 per cent. Those are the numbers worth confirming, because the phrase is used loosely for anything indoors.
What does it work out at per mile?
At 500 a month, 6,000 a year, which is 3.00 per mile on a car covering 2,000 miles and 12.00 on one covering 500. It is billed by time, so it gets more expensive per mile the less the car is used.
Does storage reduce other costs?
Barely. The service interval still arrives annually, brake fluid still ages, and tyres still age by date code. Storage addresses humidity, temperature stability, security and condition monitoring, not the calendar.
Is the car insured while it is there?
Facilities commonly provide insurance and the advice is to confirm the details. The two questions that matter are the sum insured per vehicle, which may be capped below the car's value, and whether your own cover stays in force.
Should I keep my own policy running?
Usually yes, and possibly as laid up cover rather than road cover. That is a fire, theft and malicious damage product quoted from as little as 56 GBP a year on ordinary vehicles, and it sits alongside the facility's own liability cover rather than replacing it.
Sources
- Prestige Car Storage, UK car storage costs for prestige vehicles, for the 300 to 700 GBP supercar range, the 250 to 500 premium range, the 150 to 300 classic range and the Essex and London rates.
- Auto Boutique London, car storage guide, for the climate control parameters of 15 to 20 degrees and relative humidity below 60 per cent, and the insurance confirmation advice.
- SORN Insurance, laid up cover, for the fire, theft and malicious damage basis and quotes from 56 GBP a year on ordinary vehicles.