Eligibility & decisions
Business van leasing credit requirements
No single credit score gets a business van lease approved. Commercial underwriting reads the limited company’s credit file, its directors’ profiles, affordability and the deal itself together. Good and fair profiles suit us best; adverse credit is case by case.
Your agreement is with FleetMe · we confirm your quote in writing · new limited companies considered
Commercial risk bands, by agency
Business scoring is not the same as a personal credit score. Each commercial agency runs its own scale, so the same company can sit in different bands with each of them. The bands below are a guide and agencies revise them — check your own company file rather than relying on a published range.
| Agency & score | Scale | Bands (higher risk → lower risk) |
|---|---|---|
| Experian Commercial Delphi | 0–100 (lower = higher risk) | Dissolved / serious adverse 0Winding-up or dissolution notice 1Maximum risk 2–15High risk 16–25Above average risk 26–50Below average risk 51–80Low risk 81–90Very low risk 91–100 |
Whose credit file is actually checked?
A business van lease is assessed on the company’s credit file and — particularly for younger companies — on the personal files of its directors. They are separate things, held by different agencies, built from different data, and it is common for one to be strong while the other is not.
That is also why a single number never tells you whether an application will succeed. A company with a modest score and six months of clean, evidenced income can read better than a higher-scoring company with an unsatisfied judgment and an overdue filing.
What is on the company credit file?
Business credit agencies score limited companies on their own scales. Experian’s Commercial Delphi score runs from 0 to 100, where a lower score means higher risk, and is published in the risk bands set out in the table on this page (Experian, checked 2026). Creditsafe, Dun & Bradstreet and Equifax each operate separate commercial scales, so a score with one does not translate to another — compare like with like.
What moves a company score: filing history, and whether accounts and confirmation statements arrive on time; county court judgments; the strength of the most recent accounts; how promptly suppliers are paid; the age of the company; and the sector it trades in.
A brand-new company usually scores low for one reason only — there is nothing yet to score. That is a very different thing from a company that has scored badly, and it is read differently here.
What do the directors’ personal profiles show?
Directors are checked because a young company effectively borrows its credibility from the people running it. What is looked at: defaults, judgments and insolvencies over the last six years; address history and electoral roll registration; and existing personal commitments.
In practice, a director with a clean current file and a settled address history strengthens a thin company file considerably. A director with recent, unresolved adverse credit makes a marginal case harder, and where a new company has nothing else to lean on it can be decisive.
Older, settled issues carry much less weight than recent, unresolved ones. Time helps, and so does evidence that whatever happened has been dealt with.
How much does affordability really matter?
The most common reason a business van lease does not proceed is not a score at all. It is that the monthly rental cannot be evidenced as affordable alongside what the business already pays out.
That is assessed from bank statements, management accounts or filed accounts, together with existing finance and hire commitments. Seasonal businesses are not penalised for being seasonal, but the pattern needs to be visible and explained rather than left to be discovered.
Work out what the business can comfortably carry across the whole term — the quiet months as well as the busy ones — and build the quote around that figure rather than around the vehicle you would like.
How does the shape of the deal change the answer?
The initial rental. More upfront reduces the exposure across the term, and it is the most direct lever you have.
The term and the monthly rental. A longer term lowers the monthly figure; a shorter one raises it but reduces the total commitment.
The mileage. Set it honestly. Understating it does not improve the assessment, and it produces an excess mileage charge at the end.
The vehicle. Value, type and any conversion all matter — a standard panel van is a simpler proposition than a specialist body.
A director’s personal guarantee, where one is offered or asked for.
What credit profile does FleetMe work best with?
We work best with good and fair credit profiles. New limited companies with no trading history are genuinely considered, because the assessment is about the business, its directors and affordability rather than years served.
Adverse credit — judgments, defaults, a weak company score — is reviewed case by case on the facts. It is not a headline promise and we will not pretend otherwise. If we cannot help, we will tell you honestly and say what would need to change.
Nobody can tell you the answer before the assessment is done, and you should be wary of anyone who says they can.
How we work: FleetMe supplies the vehicle and the agreement is with us. Limited companies and LLPs hire on business contract hire over 24 to 60 months; individuals and sole traders hire on short-term rental for up to 89 days. Quotes are indicative until your vehicle, term, mileage and monthly rental are confirmed in writing.
Who we can help: We work best with good and fair credit profiles. New limited companies with no trading history are genuinely considered — commercial underwriting looks at the business, not just years of accounts. Adverse credit is reviewed case by case and we will always tell you honestly if we cannot help.
General information about business vehicle leasing. It is not tax, accounting or legal advice — your accountant should confirm how any of this applies to your business.
Questions, answered
What credit score do you need for business van leasing?
There is no published minimum and no single score decides it. The company file, the directors’ profiles, evidenced affordability and the shape of the deal are read together — which is why two companies with the same score can get different answers.
What is a good business credit score?
It depends whose scale you are reading. On Experian’s Commercial Delphi scale — 0 to 100, where lower is riskier — 81 to 90 is classed as low risk and 91 to 100 as very low risk (Experian, checked 2026). Other agencies score differently, so compare like with like.
Is a credit search run on my company?
Yes. A search of the company’s credit file forms part of the assessment, and directors are usually searched too. You are told what will be searched before that step.
Does my personal credit matter if the lease is in the company name?
Usually yes, especially while the company is young. Directors are assessed alongside the business, and a clean personal profile strengthens a thin company file.
Can a business with a CCJ lease a van?
It is possible and it is assessed case by case. A satisfied judgment reads very differently from an outstanding one, and the size, age and reason behind it all matter. We will not promise an outcome before we have looked at it.
Does getting a quote affect my credit file?
A written quote is worked out from what you tell us about the vehicle, term and mileage. The credit search happens when the application itself is assessed, and you are told before that point.
Tell us about the business
One short form covering the vehicle, the term and the mileage you need. We come back with a written quote — usually the same working day — and we will tell you honestly if we cannot help.
Thanks — your enquiry is in.
We’ll go through what you need and come back with a written quote, usually the same working day. Your agreement would be with FleetMe — we supply the vehicle, and we confirm it in writing before anything is agreed.
What happens next
- 1 We read what you sent us. We check the vehicle, the length and the mileage you asked for, and work out what we can do at that specification.
- 2 We come back with a written quote. Usually the same working day. It sets out the vehicle, how long you have it, the mileage, the initial rental and the monthly figure — ex VAT with the VAT-inclusive figure alongside.
- 3 You decide. Nothing is committed until you have that in writing and you are happy to go ahead. If we can’t help, we’ll tell you honestly and say why.
Nothing is committed at this stage, and if we can’t help we’ll tell you honestly rather than leave you waiting.
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Guide information · last reviewed September 2026. Every business is different, so nothing here is a decision. We assess each enquiry on its own facts and confirm the outcome to you directly.