If you’ve got a family holiday approaching and have suddenly realised that everything isn’t going to fit in the car, a roof box can be the perfect solution.

But that creates another question:

Should you buy a roof box or simply hire one when you need it?

There isn’t one answer that’s right for everybody.

If you’re using a roof box regularly throughout the year, buying your own can make perfect sense. If you only need one for an annual summer holiday, skiing trip or occasional weekend away, hiring can be considerably more practical.

At West Midlands Roof Box Hire, we provide professionally fitted roof boxes and roof bars to create additional luggage space for journeys.

So, let’s look at the pros and cons of roof box hire versus buying your own.

How Often Will You Actually Use a Roof Box?

This is probably the most important question.

Be realistic.

It’s easy to buy holiday equipment with the intention of using it constantly, only for it to spend most of its life gathering dust in the garage.

If you expect to use a roof box six or seven times every year, buying one could be a sensible investment.

If you’re going to use it once a year — or perhaps once every couple of years — hiring becomes much more attractive.

Think about your previous few years of travelling rather than what you imagine you might do in the future.

How many times would a roof box genuinely have been useful?

If the answer is once or twice, ownership might not be necessary.

The Cost of Buying a Roof Box

When comparing buying and hiring, don’t just look at the price of the roof box itself.

You also need to consider the equipment required to attach it to your vehicle.

For most cars, you’ll need:

• A suitable roof box
• Compatible roof bars
• The appropriate fitting system
• Potentially vehicle-specific components

The total cost can therefore be significantly higher than the headline price of the roof box.

If you’re looking at premium equipment from manufacturers such as Thule, the investment can become substantial.

That doesn’t make buying a bad decision.

Quality equipment can last for many years when properly looked after.

But if you’re only using it occasionally, you need to consider whether tying up several hundred pounds in equipment makes sense.

Hiring Spreads the Cost Around Actual Use

Hiring works differently.

Instead of buying equipment that may spend most of the year unused, you’re paying for the roof box when you actually need it.

At West Midlands Roof Box Hire, our hire service includes the appropriate roof bars and professional fitting.

That means you’re not simply hiring the box.

You’re getting a complete setup appropriate for your vehicle.

For customers who only need additional luggage capacity for holidays, that can offer much better value than purchasing everything.

The Storage Problem

This is the part many people overlook.

Roof boxes are big.

Really big.

A large 470-litre roof box provides fantastic luggage capacity when it’s attached to your car.

That same capacity suddenly becomes rather less appealing when you’re trying to find somewhere in the garage to store it.

You can’t fold a rigid roof box away.

If you don’t have a garage, large shed or suitable storage area, keeping one at home can be difficult.

Some owners use wall brackets or ceiling storage systems, but that still requires a suitable space.

Hiring eliminates the problem completely.

When the holiday is over, you bring the roof box back to us.

Your storage problem becomes our storage problem!

Roof Bars Need Storing Too

It’s not only the box.

Roof bars and fitting components also need somewhere safe to live between holidays.

They’re considerably smaller than the roof box, of course, but it’s still another collection of equipment to keep organised.

And anyone who has ever stored something safely for a year knows exactly what happens next.

Eleven months later, you know you’ve got all the components.

You just can’t remember where you put them.

What Happens When You Change Your Car?

This is another important consideration.

A roof box itself may be usable on different vehicles, but the roof-bar system isn’t necessarily transferable.

Change your car and you may discover that your existing bars or fitting kit aren’t compatible with the new vehicle.

That can mean purchasing additional equipment.

With hiring, this isn’t your problem.

We maintain a large range of roof bars and fitting equipment for different vehicles.

When you change cars, simply give us the details of the new vehicle and we can check what equipment is required.

Compatibility Can Be Confusing

Modern vehicles use several different types of roof-bar fitting systems.

You might have:

• Raised roof rails
• Flush roof rails
• Fixed mounting points
• A plain roof requiring a specific fitting system

Even different versions of apparently similar vehicles can require different components.

If you’re purchasing equipment yourself, it’s important to make sure everything is genuinely compatible.

At West Midlands Roof Box Hire, we do this for you.

Provide your registration number or exact vehicle details and we can identify the appropriate setup.

Professional Fitting Is Included When You Hire

One of the biggest advantages of our hire service is convenience.

You don’t collect a roof box and then have to work out how to attach everything.

We professionally fit the roof bars and roof box to your vehicle.

That means no searching through instruction manuals.

No watching six different fitting videos online.

And no disagreement on the driveway about which way around a particular component is supposed to go!

Once the hire period is finished, return to us and we’ll remove the equipment again.

What Size Roof Box Should You Buy?

If you’re buying, you also have to decide which size will work for all your future requirements.

Buy something too small and you may regret it when the next family holiday comes around.

Buy something unnecessarily large and you’re paying for — and storing — more roof box than you need.

Hiring gives you more flexibility.

For a typical family holiday, one of our large 470-litre roof boxes may be ideal.

For a particularly luggage-heavy trip, you may prefer one of our XXL 580-litre boxes available from our Tamworth location.

You can choose based on the trip rather than committing permanently to one size.

When Does Buying Make More Sense?

We aren’t going to pretend that hiring is right for everybody.

Buying can make excellent sense if you:

• Use a roof box frequently
• Take numerous driving holidays each year
• Regularly go camping
• Travel to Europe frequently by car
• Have plenty of storage space at home
• Intend to keep the same vehicle for several years
• Want access to a roof box at very short notice

If you’re attaching the roof box every couple of months, the economics of ownership become much more attractive.

For regular users, buying good-quality equipment can be a worthwhile long-term investment.

When Does Hiring Make More Sense?

Hiring is particularly attractive if you:

• Only need a roof box once or twice a year
• Mainly use one for the annual family holiday
• Don’t have suitable storage at home
• Don’t want to buy roof bars
• Change vehicles regularly
• Don’t want to fit the equipment yourself
• Need different box sizes for different trips
• Want to keep the upfront cost down

For many families, these points make hiring the obvious solution.

Is Hiring Good for First-Time Roof Box Users?

Absolutely.

In fact, hiring can be an excellent way of discovering whether a roof box works for your family before considering buying one.

Perhaps you’ve never used one before.

Hiring lets you experience the additional storage capacity without committing to buying all the equipment.

You can see how much luggage fits inside, how the car feels with the box fitted and whether you find it useful.

If you subsequently decide you want to buy your own, you’ll have a much better idea of what size and type you need.

What About Buying a Cheap Second-Hand Roof Box?

The second-hand market can certainly offer good value, but buyers need to know what they’re purchasing.

You should consider the condition of the box, locks, hinges and mounting components.

You also need compatible roof bars and fittings for your particular vehicle.

If you’re knowledgeable about roof boxes and can find quality used equipment in good condition, it can be a cost-effective route into ownership.

If you only need the equipment for a single holiday, however, hiring may still be easier.

Quality Matters

Whether you’re hiring or buying, we’d recommend using good-quality equipment.

A roof box is going to be travelling at motorway speeds while carrying your belongings.

It’s not something where we’d recommend choosing purely on the cheapest possible price.

At West Midlands Roof Box Hire, the majority of our fleet consists of quality large roof boxes from established manufacturers such as Thule.

Many of our boxes are dual-opening, allowing access from either side of the vehicle.

This can make loading and unloading considerably easier.

Does a Roof Box Affect Driving?

Any equipment fitted to the exterior of a vehicle can affect its aerodynamics.

You’ll also have additional weight on the vehicle.

Drivers should always follow the applicable limits and instructions for their vehicle, roof bars and roof box.

Remember that the roof box increases the overall height of the vehicle too.

This is particularly important when entering height-restricted car parks, garages or other areas with overhead barriers.

Take your time, load correctly and remember that you’ve got additional equipment fitted.

Don’t Overload Your Roof Box

Whether you hire or buy, capacity isn’t the same thing as weight allowance.

A 470-litre box provides 470 litres of nominal storage volume, but you can’t simply fill that space with extremely heavy items.

You need to stay within the permitted load limits of the vehicle, roof bars and roof box.

The weight of the roof bars and box themselves also contributes to the load on the vehicle roof.

Roof boxes are therefore particularly useful for bulky but relatively lightweight luggage.

Clothing, coats, sleeping bags and similar belongings are ideal examples.

Roof Box Hire in Birmingham and the West Midlands

West Midlands Roof Box Hire is based in Tamworth and provides roof box hire for customers throughout Birmingham, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, East Midlands and surrounding areas.

Our large fleet allows us to accommodate a wide variety of family holidays, camping trips, weekend breaks and winter getaways.

We also operate a sister location in the Codsall/Wolverhampton area, helping customers across the western side of the region.

So, Should You Hire or Buy?

It ultimately comes down to frequency of use.

If you’re going to use a roof box regularly, have plenty of storage and don’t mind buying and fitting your own equipment, purchasing one can be a sensible investment.

If you need one occasionally, hiring offers some significant advantages.

There’s no large upfront purchase.

There’s no permanent storage requirement.

There’s no need to own several sets of vehicle-specific equipment.

And with West Midlands Roof Box Hire, professional fitting is taken care of for you.

For many families who simply want extra luggage space for their holiday, that’s considerably easier.

Hire a Roof Box from West Midlands Roof Box Hire

If you’ve decided that hiring makes more sense for your next trip, we’d be happy to help.

We offer large quality roof boxes, an extensive range of compatible roof bars and professional fitting from our Tamworth location.

You’ll find us at:

West Midlands Roof Box Hire Ltd
Unit 154, Amington Industrial Estate
Sandy Way
Tamworth
B77 4ED

To check availability and compatibility with your vehicle:

Telephone: 07903 839112
Email: westmidlandsroofboxhire@gmail.com

Simply provide your vehicle details and the dates you’re travelling and we can advise on the options available. View current hire prices or check availability online.

For an occasional holiday, hiring can give you all the benefits of a quality roof box — without having to find somewhere to keep it for the other 50 weeks of the year.