Can you drive a London taxi as a car?

Yes, you can buy a London taxi and keep it as a personal vehicle. However, you should ensure that you aren't misleading people into thinking the black cab is for hire – to do so, make sure the cab is modified so it's fit for private use.



Yes, you can drive a London black cab as a private car, but it must be officially decommissioned for commercial use first. In 2026, many people buy used TX4 or newer electric LEVC models for personal use because of their legendary tight turning circles and vast interior space. To do this legally, you must remove the "For Hire" signage and any taxi licensing plates. You don't need a special "cabbie" license to drive one for private use—a standard driving license is sufficient—but you must obtain specialized "decommissioned taxi" insurance for social, domestic, and pleasure use. While safe and spacious, older diesel models may face heavy daily charges in London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), making the electric models a much more practical choice for private city driving today.

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Taxi insurance for private use If you're buying a taxi for private use, you'll need decommissioned taxi insurance for social, domestic and pleasure. Not all insurance companies offer this though, so you'll likely need to find a specialist car insurance company like us.

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Looking at information you provided before, London taxi is not a commercial vehicle as it is classed as M1 type light goods carriage vehicle.

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Drivers who own their cabs as opposed to renting from a garage are known as mushers and those who have just passed the knowledge are known as butter boys. There are currently around 21,000 black cabs in London, licensed by the Public Carriage Office.

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London taxis have broad rear doors that open very wide (or slide), and an electrically controlled ramp that is extended for access. Other models of specialist taxis include the Peugeot E7 and rivals from Fiat, Ford, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz.

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Do Make Money as a Taxi Driver in the UK a Good Living? On average, taxi drivers in the United Kingdom earn between £20,000 and £30,000 per year. On average, taxi drivers in the United Kingdom earn between £9 and £15 per hour. However, the rate may increase on certain days, such as bank holidays and Saturday evenings.

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The average london taxi driver salary in the United Kingdom is £39,000 per year or £20 per hour.

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Partly due to regulations, originally being a licensed vehicle, London black cabs are regarded as being particularly safe and robust. Built for city centres they don't go too fast simply because they rarely need to. The top speed is near to 80mph; another attribute making a black cab an ideal family car.

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Drivers who own their cabs as opposed to renting from a garage are known as "mushers" and those who have just passed the "knowledge" are known as "butter boys". There are currently around 21,000 black cabs in London, licensed by the Public Carriage Office.

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If your vehicle is being used as a taxi or private hire vehicle ( PHV ) you need to get it licensed. You can be prosecuted if you drive a vehicle as a taxi or PHV without a vehicle licence. A PHV can only be pre-booked. Taxis can also be hired at a rank or hailed in the street.

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Between 1 November 2021 and 31 October 2022, vehicles that are older than 12 years will be ineligible for licensing. Transport for London's (TfL) latest figures, from 31 August 2021, show that 1,228 vehicles will be over 12 years of age and will not be eligible for licensing from 1 November 2021.

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London taxi drivers are licensed and must have passed an extensive training course (the Knowledge). Unlike many other cities, the number of taxicab drivers in London is not limited.

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It's easier to handle and manage cash compared to other modes of payment. Cash payments are immediate and there is no need to wait for the payment to be processed. Some taxi drivers may prefer cash payments to avoid paying fees associated with card payments.

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A taxi driver is obliged to accept passengers which fall within the taxi authorized area and are within 6 miles of the origination of the fare. A taxi driver can refuse a fare if the passenger looks drunk, sick or aggressive.

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Black Cabs and Bowler Hats One unique fact about the Hackney Cab is that dating back to their horse-drawn equivalents in the 17th century, they were required to be tall enough to fit a person wearing a bowler hat.

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In other words, taxi drivers had plumper memory centers than their peers. It seemed that the longer someone had been driving a taxi, the larger his hippocampus, as though the brain expanded to accommodate the cognitive demands of navigating London's streets.

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If you're taking one of the famous black cabs, it's customary to tip. If you're traveling by minicab or Uber, things are slightly different. So, how much would I add to the fare in a London taxi? The general consensus is that you add about 10% to the fare when using London's famous Hackney cabs.

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Working with Addison Lee, you can out-earn the average PHV driver and make at least £1 000 a week before vehicle hire. If you're a licenced PCO driver with your own car, you could earn at least £1 500 a week for the first 4 weeks of driving for Addison Lee.

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