The Vehicle Archive / Long-term storage
LONG-TERM
STORAGE.
For vehicles measured in seasons and years rather than weekends — which is what the Archive was actually built for.
Most storage is priced and organised around vehicles that come and go. The Vehicle Archive is not. A deliberately small collection, access arranged rather than casual, and a building that stays shut most of the time all point the same way: this suits a vehicle that is being put away, not parked.
Who stores long-term with us
- People working away. A posting, a secondment, a sabbatical, a year on another continent. Cambridge produces a lot of these.
- Executors and families. A vehicle that is part of an estate, where nothing can be decided for months and the worst outcome is it sitting outside a house nobody lives in.
- Restorations waiting their turn. A car that is finished with one workshop and waiting on a slot at the next, or on a part that is six months out.
- House moves and building work. The garage is gone, or full of somebody else's scaffolding, for a year.
- People who have simply run out of room and would rather not sell something they will regret selling.
Why managed access is an advantage over a long stay
If a vehicle is staying eighteen months, twenty-four-hour entry is worth nothing to you — you are not dropping in on the way home. What is worth something is that few people pass through the building, that the environment stays dry and stable, and that somebody knows what is in there.
SORN, tax and insurance
A vehicle off the road can be declared SORN, which stops the tax and is usually the right call for a long stay. Insurance still matters — laid-up or storage cover keeps the vehicle protected against fire and theft while it is not being driven. Requirements are confirmed before storage begins, and you should tell your insurer where the vehicle is kept.
We will not file DVLA paperwork on your behalf, but we will make sure you know what needs doing before you go.
Not out of sight
Every customer gets a private portal with the vehicle record, inspection photographs and condition updates, billing, stored documents and access requests. On a two-year stay that matters considerably more than a key fob would.
Terms and cost
From £165 a month for standard cars, and from around £70 for motorcycles. Periods are agreed individually rather than fixed to a rigid minimum, and longer stays are exactly what the model is built around — tell us roughly how long and we will give you a straight figure.
Questions
Before you enquireIs there a minimum or maximum storage period?
Periods are agreed individually rather than fixed to a rigid minimum term, and there is no maximum.
Long stays are what the Archive is built around — a vehicle that sits quietly for two years is a better fit here than one collected every fortnight.
What happens to the vehicle over a long stay?
It is checked and photographed on arrival and the record goes onto your portal.
Any ongoing handling — moving, starting, charging — is agreed with you in advance and noted against the account. If you would rather it simply sat untouched, that is a perfectly good answer.
Can I end the arrangement early or extend it?
Yes. Notice arrangements are confirmed as part of your storage agreement rather than being buried in small print.
Extending is usually a conversation rather than a problem — though the collection is limited, so more notice is always better than less.
GOT SOMETHING
WORTH KEEPING?
Let’s find it somewhere better.
Enquire about storage