Picture Car Hire UK: 2,500+ Cars for Film & TV

01 — France 1974
02 — New York 1976
03 — Consulting
04 — London 1967
05 — Los Angeles 1985
06 — List your car
07 — Berlin 1983

A Citroën DS on a Paris boulevard in golden afternoon light, 1974

Paris / 1974

Every car tells you
something about the character.

Picture car hire. Picture cars for film, TV and advertising, cast from owners across the UK.

CarSeen is a picture car hire and casting service based in London, sourcing vehicles across the UK for film, television, commercials, photography and music videos. Tell us the scene, dates and location in a brief; we shortlist cars for how they read on camera and confirm the real car with its owner.

How does picture car hire work, and what does it cost?

It depends on the scene. You send a brief with the dates, location and how each car will be used; we shortlist cars that fit and confirm the real car with its owner. Every job is quoted individually: the price depends on the car, the number of days, whether it is driven or static, transport, drivers, the location and insurance.

As of October 2026, the catalogue lists 2,500+ cars. · Updated 26 October 2026

Browse picture cars →Picture car hire in London →

NetflixAmazon Prime VideoBBCChannel 4ParamountApple TVMetaGoogleDisney+Discovery

CarSeen is a UK picture-car casting brokerage. Our team have worked with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC, Channel 4, Paramount, Apple TV, Meta, Google, Disney+, and Discovery.

What we cast for

From picture car hire in London to UK-wide TV car hire, music video car hire, advert car hire and 1980s and 1990s cars for film. Also period film, commercials, black cab scenes and photoshoot car hire in London. London units can open with picture car hire London, then add TV production vehicle hire or music video car hire when the format asks for it.

A rain-soaked New York street at dusk in 1976 with a Checker taxi and period sedans

New York / 1976

Cast the street
before you shoot it.

A single wrong car can break the illusion. We help productions build believable worlds, one vehicle at a time.

Brief the street with background vehicles for film, or plan action vehicle hire for vehicles with a job to do in the scene.

Source for a production→How CarSeen works

A Mercedes-Benz sedan on a rain-wet Berlin boulevard at dusk, a city built from period vehicles

Consulting

Larger productions.
We cast the cars first.

On bigger shows we consult scene by scene — which vehicles belong where — then source them for the shoot.

Production consulting→Send a brief

London / 1967

Cars aren't props.
They're part of the story.

Tell us the year, the character, the location or simply the feeling. CarSeen can recommend and source the vehicles that belong in the scene.

Send your brief→

Script. Treatment. Moodboard. Reference image.
We'll take it from there.

Los Angeles / 1985

Whatever the scene.
We'll find the cars.

From everyday background cars to hero vehicles, rare classics and complete period street scenes.

Film · TV · Commercials · Music Videos · Editorial · Photography

A classic coupe under a film studio spotlight, waiting to be cast

List your car

Put your car
on the call sheet.

Own a period-correct or characterful car? Register it with CarSeen — when a production needs that look, that era, that marque, we’ll be in touch.

List your car→Browse cars

A Mercedes-Benz sedan on a rain-wet Berlin boulevard at dusk in 1983, the TV tower in the mist

Berlin / 1983

Every era.
One call.

We are building a European network of historic-vehicle clubs, marque specialists and classic-car federations — so a single brief can reach the owners, collections and archives that keep every era on the road. From everyday background cars to museum pieces, if it can be filmed, we can find it.

Browse by decade:1950s· 1960s· 1970s· 1980s· 1990s

Send a brief→Back to the beginning

Every Marque · Every Era · UK & Europe

Popular with productions

Start with a type of shoot, an era or a kind of vehicle. Each page shows real cars from our catalogue that you can brief us on.

Browse all picture cars Picture car hire London Period cars for film Car hire for photoshoots Music video car hire TV car hire Advert car hire 1980s and 1990s cars for film Cars for commercials Police cars for filming93 Background vehicles American cars482 Taxis and black cabs32 1960s cars368 1970s cars375 1980s cars370

Picture car hire across the UK

A picture car is any vehicle that appears on camera: the detective's saloon, the getaway van, the cab in the background of a street scene. CarSeen is a UK picture-car casting brokerage for film, TV, commercials, music videos and photoshoots. We find the right car for the scene, check it with the owner and coordinate its arrival on set, anywhere in the UK. Whether you call it picture car hire, picture car rental or picture vehicle hire, the job is the same: the right car, in the right condition, where and when you need it. For how a shoot booking works from brief to set, see car hire for filming. Explore picture car hire through the shapes, colours and eras that suit your scene. For an earlier setting, browse period cars for film by decade.

Picture cars for every kind of production.

Different productions ask different things of a car. A TV drama may need the same hero car for every block of a series, looking identical each time. A commercial may need one immaculate car shot from every angle in a single day. A music video may want something loud, rare or colourful, and a photoshoot may need a car that can sit still under lights for hours. We start from your script, treatment or mood board and cast the car the way a casting director casts an actor. It has to suit the character, the period and the location.

How picture car hire works.

Send a brief. Tell us the scene, the shoot dates, the location and anything the car must or must not be. A rough idea is fine, and so is a precise make, model and colour.
Get a shortlist. We come back with options, photos and practical notes on each car, such as how it's used, whether it's left- or right-hand drive and any transport needs.
Confirm and book. Once you've chosen, we confirm availability, terms and on-set requirements with the owner and send you a quote.
On the day. We coordinate arrival, standby and wrap with your production team, whether the car is driven by its owner, delivered on a low loader or simply parked in shot.

Hero cars, background cars and action vehicles.

Hero cars are featured on screen and often driven by cast, so condition, reliability and continuity matter most. Background cars dress a street, car park or driveway and make a setting believable, often booked in groups with a realistic mix of ages and colours. Action vehicles covers police and emergency lookalikes, liveried vans, buses and other specialist vehicles. One brief can cover all three. Read picture cars vs action vehicles. What does a picture car coordinator do, and how do you brief one? · Car product placement in UK film and TV: how it works

London and beyond.

CarSeen is based in Shoreditch, East London, and sources picture cars for productions across the UK. Cars are often found close to where you shoot, which keeps transport simple. When a specific car has to travel, we arrange transport and plan around the unit's schedule. Shooting in the capital? See picture car hire in London.

Picture car hire FAQ

What is a picture car?

A picture car is any vehicle that appears on camera in a film, TV programme, commercial, music video or photoshoot, from a featured hero car to cars parked in the background.

Is picture car hire the same as picture car rental?

Yes. In the UK it is usually called picture car hire, and in the US picture car rental or picture vehicle rental. CarSeen covers the whole job: finding the car, confirming it with the owner and coordinating it on set.

Do you supply picture cars outside London?

Yes. We are based in London and source picture cars for productions across the UK.

How much does picture car hire cost?

Every job is quoted individually. The price depends on the car, the number of days, how it is used, transport and whether a driver is needed. Send a brief and we will confirm it on your quote.

Can I book several cars for one scene?

Yes. One brief can cover a hero car, background cars and specialist vehicles, and we cast them as a matching group for the period and location.

Can cast drive the cars?

That depends on the car, the owner and the insurance in place. Tell us how the car will be used in your brief and we will confirm what is possible for each option.