A car storage unit is a self-storage unit or container you rent by the square foot and look after yourself; specialist car storage is a building that holds only cars and looks after them while they sit. For a modern car going away for a few weeks, a unit big enough for it, usually 10ft by 20ft, is often enough. For a classic, a supercar or any car away for a season, specialist storage does the jobs a unit cannot, from £150 a month including VAT at Pitstop 66 in Stalybridge.
Car self storage sells you space. Specialist storage sells what happens to the car inside that space.
This guide sets out both honestly, including the cases where a unit is the better buy.
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What does a car storage unit actually give you?
A locked, dry space and your own key. Car storage units come in three forms: a drive-up unit with a roller door, an indoor unit inside a larger building, or an outdoor steel container on a yard.
Any of them takes the car out of rain, sun, frost and road salt, and out of sight of the street. Security is usually decent: 90.8% of UK self-storage stores use monitored CCTV, according to the SSA’s 2026 industry report.
You come and go on your own schedule within the site’s opening hours, and nobody touches the car. For some owners that is exactly the point.
What size storage unit for a car?
Usually 10ft by 20ft, which is 200 sq ft or about 3.05m by 6.10m. That takes almost any car with room to open a door on one side.
A 10ft by 15ft unit (4.57m long) takes a small car such as a Mazda MX-5 at 3.92m, but a VW Golf at 4.28m leaves less than 30cm spare. A 10ft by 10ft unit is too short for anything bigger than a Smart ForTwo, which is 2.69m long.
Outdoor car storage units are often 20ft shipping containers, 5.87m long inside but only 2.33m wide. A Golf is 1.79m wide, which leaves about 27cm each side: enough to fit the car, not enough to open a door and climb out.
Our guide to what size storage unit a car needs works through more cars. Garage-style storage units and rented lock-ups work the same way, with the same limits.
What a car storage unit does not do
It stores the car; it does not look after it. Six things decide whether a car comes out as it went in, and a unit handles none of them.
- Damp. A steel door and roof lose heat faster than the air inside when the temperature drops at night, so condensation forms on the coldest surfaces, and the car is one of them. With no ventilation that moisture stays, and mould follows in the cabin. Dehumidified car storage holds the air at 55% relative humidity, below the 60% at which steel can corrode and above the 45% at which leather and rubber can deteriorate.
- Power. Without a socket there is no battery conditioner or trickle charger. The alarm and control modules keep drawing current, so the battery runs down for as long as the car sits.
- Checks. Cameras watch the site, not the car. A soft tyre, a fluid leak, a seized handbrake or rodents in the air box go unnoticed until your next visit.
- Preparation. Nobody washes and dries the car, raises the tyre pressures against flat-spotting or cleans the brakes before it is parked. Salt left on the sills keeps working all winter.
- Records. Nothing is photographed on arrival, so a mark found later is a matter of opinion.
- Fuel and battery. Some self-storage agreements require the fuel drained and the battery isolated, which is the opposite of how a car should be laid up. An empty steel tank collects condensation, and water in the tank is the start of rust. A brimmed tank with a fuel stabiliser, ideally E5 rather than E10, is the usual advice instead.
Car self storage or specialist storage: side by side
The two overlap on price and on almost nothing else. Here is what each one does for the car.
| What you get | Self-storage unit | Specialist car storage at Pitstop 66 |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | Roughly £87 to £260 for a container; more for a 200 sq ft indoor unit | From £150 including VAT (secure indoor); from £200 (dehumidified) |
| Humidity | Follows the weather | Held at 55% RH on the £200 tier |
| Battery | A conditioner only if the unit has a socket | Battery and fluid levels checked on arrival; battery conditioning as an add-on |
| Checks | None between your own visits | Daily visual check |
| Preparation | Whatever you do yourself | The 8-step pre-storage process, wash included |
| Security | Site CCTV; you hold the key | Gated site, 24/7 CCTV, monitored alarm |
| Access | Your key, within site hours | By arrangement, 24 hours’ notice, 08:00 to 16:00 weekdays |
| Getting it there | You drive or transport it | Collection and delivery from anywhere, charged |
| Contract | Often monthly | One-month minimum, then notice |
Self-storage or car storage: what does each cost?
A basic container can cost less than specialist storage; a full-size indoor unit usually costs more. Car storage units in the UK are priced by the square foot, whereas specialist storage is priced by the car.
Container operators quote around £20 to £60 a week for a container big enough for a car, which is roughly £87 to £260 a month. Indoor units are dearer: the SSA UK Annual Industry Report 2026 puts average revenue at £27.40 per square foot per year before VAT. At that rate a 200 sq ft unit works out at about £457 a month before VAT, though the average covers every size and region, so treat it as a guide rather than a quote.
Secure indoor storage at Pitstop 66 costs from £150 a month including VAT for the first three months, then from £165. Dehumidified storage costs from £200 a month including VAT, then from £225. Battery conditioning and a car cover are the two add-ons, charged on top, and the minimum term is one month.
So the cheapest container undercuts us on the monthly figure. What it does not include is the preparation, the daily check and, on the dehumidified tier, the controlled air, and those are what a car sitting for a season needs.
When is self-storage for a car the right answer?
When the car is ordinary, the stay is short and you can check it yourself. There is no point pretending a unit is always the wrong choice; for plenty of cars it is fine.
A self-storage unit makes sense when most of these are true:
- The car is a modern everyday car, not a classic MG or a Porsche you would struggle to replace.
- It is going away for weeks, not a whole winter.
- You can get there every week or two to look it over.
- The site allows vehicles in writing and does not insist on drained fuel.
- You want weekend access or somewhere to work on the car yourself; our access is weekdays, by arrangement.
- A container quote comes in well under £150 a month and price decides it.
Change one or two of those and the balance moves. A car you care about, left for a season, is the case a unit handles worst.
What to check before you put a car in a storage unit
Three things: the vehicle clause, the insurance and how the car gets there. Each one has caught owners out after the contract was signed.
The vehicle clause: Self-storage for vehicles is not automatic. One UK operator’s terms exclude vehicles unless the fuel and oil are fully drained and the battery isolated, and a national chain lists petrol and diesel as prohibited items. Get written confirmation that a car is allowed, and on what conditions.
Insurance: Self-storage goods cover often stops at cars; one of the main self-storage insurers states that its policy will not cover a car in storage. You will need your own laid-up or SORN cover, which is between you and your insurer.
Getting it there: A storage unit is private land, so a SORN made with DVLA is valid while the car sits in one. A SORN car can only be driven to a pre-booked MOT, though, so it needs tax and insurance for the drive to the unit, or a trailer.
Specialist car storage at Pitstop 66
Pitstop 66 offers car storage in Stalybridge, in Tameside, ten minutes from the M60. Owners bring cars from across Greater Manchester, Cheshire and the North West; our car storage in Manchester page covers the wider area.
Every car goes through the 8-step pre-storage process before it is parked:
- Condition photographed: a full visual record before storage begins.
- Hand wash and dry: removes the contaminants that damage paint over time.
- Tyres inflated: guards against flat spots and sidewall damage.
- Battery check: battery and fluid levels checked.
- Brakes cleaned: stops corrosion seizing the brakes.
- Interior protected: protective covers over the steering wheel and seats.
- ID tagged and logged: every car indexed for quick collection.
- Air-dried: fully dried before it is parked; a breathable cover can be added, never plastic.
Both tiers include the wash on arrival, a daily visual check, a gated site, 24/7 CCTV and a monitored alarm. Access is by arrangement with 24 hours’ notice, 08:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday, and servicing and repairs can be arranged if the car needs work.
Battery conditioning and a breathable car cover are the two add-ons, charged on top of the monthly rate. We can collect and deliver from anywhere; it is a charged service and we keep the charge as low as we can, so give us the route and we will quote it.
Call 0161 464 7494 with the car and how long it is going away, or send us the details and we will compare it honestly with the unit you are considering.
Car storage unit questions
Can I put a car in a self-storage unit?
Yes, if the site allows vehicles in writing and the unit is big enough, usually 10ft by 20ft. Check first whether it insists on drained fuel or an isolated battery.
Is a self-storage unit safe for a car long term?
It keeps the rain off but not the damp. Over a season, condensation and a flat battery are the usual results, because nobody checks the car between your visits.
How much does a car storage unit cost?
Roughly £87 to £260 a month for a container big enough for a car, and more for a 200 sq ft indoor unit. Specialist storage at Pitstop 66 costs from £150 a month including VAT.
Can I just park a car at a self-storage site?
Some sites rent outdoor parking spaces. That is parking rather than storage: the car stays outside in the weather.
Does self-storage insurance cover a car?
Often not. One of the main self-storage insurers says its policy will not cover a car in storage, so you need your own laid-up or SORN cover.
Not sure which your car needs?
Tell us the car and how long it is going away, and we will say honestly whether a unit would do. Storage at Pitstop 66 costs from £150 a month including VAT, with a one-month minimum. Call 0161 464 7494, 08:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday, or send us the details.
