No. You can keep a car, motorbike or bicycle in a unit, store its parts there and come and check on it, but you can't repair, service, refuel or charge it inside. Our terms say the unit is used "solely for the purpose of storage", and they bar keeping petrol, oil and other flammables in it. Nothing can be connected to power unless we've authorised it, so you can't charge a battery or run a maintainer in the unit. Car and motorbike storage is offered at Chipping Norton; if Chipping Norton isn't your nearest site, call us before you book. See our vehicle storage FAQ. A pedal bicycle can go in an ordinary unit.
What you can do
- Store the vehicle. At Chipping Norton, your car or motorbike can live in a drive-up unit. Our vehicle storage page asks for an insurance cover note and an up-to-date MOT before you store.
- Store its parts and kit: clean, dry parts, tools, covers and stands are ordinary stored goods (fluids, spray cans and tyres are covered below).
- Check on it. Come in during access hours, normally 6am to 10pm (check your site's page), look it over, check the tyres and cover, and drive or ride it out when you're ready.
Whatever you store, whether a car, motorbike or bicycle, it stays at your own risk (clause 30) and must be insured while it's with us (clause 31).
What you can't do, and why
These come from our storage terms. The opening words of clause 22 cover most of them: "You will use the Unit solely for the purpose of storage and shall not (or allow any other person to)…" So a job that isn't storage isn't allowed in the unit. A unit is a closed space with other people's belongings on the other side of the wall, and fuel, oil, fumes and charging batteries are the things that could turn one person's project into everyone's loss.
| You want to… | Allowed? | The term behind it |
|---|---|---|
| Repair, service or restore it in the unit | No | 22: "solely for the purpose of storage" |
| Change oil, top up fluids or keep them there | No | 18(c): no "combustible or flammable substances including but not limited to gas, paint, petrol, oil, cleaning solvents or compressed gases" |
| Run the engine to warm it up or charge the battery | No | 22(b): no nuisance, "including the escape of any substance or odour from or generation of noise or vibration which may be heard or felt outside the Unit" |
| Keep something that gives off fumes or smells | No | 18(f): "any item that emits fumes, or odours" |
| Plug in a charger, maintainer or lamp | No, unless we've authorised it (22(e)) | 22(e): no utilities "unless authorised by Us" |
| Use a portable heater | No | 19: no portable heaters "at any time" |
Starting the engine to drive in or out is part of storing a vehicle. Leaving it running inside is where 22(b) applies: exhaust, fumes and noise escaping the unit.
Cars and classic cars
A unit won't work as a winter rebuild space for a project car. It will keep the car dry and secure between sessions elsewhere.
Clause 18(c) names petrol and oil, so ask us when you book what fuel level we need in the tank.
For classic cars, GOV.UK says you don't need an MOT if the vehicle "was built or first registered more than 40 years ago" and no "substantial changes" have been made. Our vehicle storage page asks for an up-to-date MOT, so if your car is exempt, ask us when you book what we'll accept instead.
For the vehicle options and paperwork, see our vehicle storage FAQ.
Motorbikes and scooters
The same rules apply. You can store the motorbike or scooter, its helmet, kit, cover and paddock stand, and check on it. Chain cleaning, wheel and tyre changes, oil changes and carb work belong at home or in a garage, and chain lube, degreaser and spray cans can't be kept in the unit (clause 18(c)).
A track-only bike with no MOT or road insurance needs a conversation first: our vehicle storage page asks for an insurance cover note and an up-to-date MOT, so ask us what we'll accept before you book.
Bicycles and e-bikes
A pedal bicycle can be stored in an ordinary unit, alongside your other things. Looking it over before you ride away is part of checking on it; stripping down a hub or bleeding brakes is repair work and doesn't belong in the unit. Chain oil and lube count as "oil" under clause 18(c), so keep them at home.
E-bikes and e-scooters follow clause 20: up to five per unit, and no removable battery over 160Wh (the rating is usually printed on the battery), with no charging in the unit (clause 22(e)). Our guide to storing an e-bike or e-scooter covers the battery rules, charging and how to prepare one.
Spare parts, oil, tyres and spray cans
| Item | Can it be stored? |
|---|---|
| Clean body panels, trim, seats, tools, covers | Yes |
| Engines, gearboxes, fuel tanks, carburettors | Ask us first: 18(c) covers petrol and oil |
| Fuel cans, including empty ones | Ask us first |
| Engine oil, petrol, brake fluid, coolant, solvents | No (18(c)) |
| Aerosols: spray lube, spray paint, tyre inflator cans | No: 18(c) lists "compressed gases" |
| Loose tyres and wheels | Not named in our terms; ask us before you bring a set |
| Spare lithium-ion batteries | 20(a) doesn't bar one of 160Wh or less, but 20(b) bars "portable battery chargers, power banks or any similar portable power source", so ask us first. Over 160Wh, no (20(a)) |
| Jump starters and power packs | No (20(b)) |
| Spare lead-acid batteries | Not named in our terms; ask us first |
A leak or spill is your responsibility. Clause 23 says you must keep the unit "clean and in good repair", and we can charge for cleaning or repairs if it isn't. Under clause 32 you compensate us "for the full amount of all claims" incurred by us or third parties that result from your use of the unit. An oil leak that damages a neighbour's goods would be yours to pay for.
Battery maintainers and trickle chargers
A battery maintainer needs power, and clause 22(e) says you mustn't "connect or provide any utilities or services to the Unit unless authorised by Us". Power isn't something we offer with a unit, so plan without it. If you want the battery kept topped up, take it home and keep it on the maintainer there. If you'd like to leave the maintainer itself in the unit, ask us first.
Traders, mechanics and anyone helping you
If you're a mobile mechanic or trader, you can store tools, stock and clean parts. You can't work from the unit or use it as your business address (clause 22(a)); our guide to running a business from a storage unit covers what's allowed.
If you're storing a car for a relative, or sending a mechanic or friend to collect it, the rules bind them too: clause 22 says you mustn't "allow any other person to" break them, and only you or your agents may access the unit (clause 14). Anything they do there is your responsibility under clause 32.
Before you book
If the car needs work, plan to do it at home, in a garage or at a workshop you've arranged elsewhere. If you're comparing options for work space, our answer on using a storage unit as a workshop sets out what a unit can and can't be used for.
Ask us about:
- which unit size fits your car: check its length against the unit's depth;
- whether small jobs, such as pumping up a tyre with a foot pump, swapping a bulb or fixing a puncture or changing a tyre on a bicycle, count as checking on it, and whether wiping down or polishing the vehicle does too. Ask as well whether polish or wax can be kept in the unit: clause 18(c) names "cleaning solvents".
Call us on 0800 2545585. For vehicle storage at Chipping Norton, our vehicle storage page gives 01608 656300. If you're ready to store, get a price online.
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