Mini launches 26p an hour car hire scheme

Until 6pm today (December 6), Londoners can hire a Mini for 26p an hour.

The initiative, inspired by the ‘Boris Bike' scheme, is part of Mini’s aim to make its cars more affordable.

The cost of just 26p is an hourly rate based on a special finance package of £189 a month for a Mini Cooper (plus deposit).

To hire a Mini there is no need to sign up first, just visit the Mini Fun Hire Service in the West End's Berkeley Square , insert 26p into the ticket machine and take a ticket.

Staff will accompany the driver for the hour and even drive it back from their end destination.

Mini said that the initiative comes off the back of new research revealing that Brits have fun for an average of just over two hours a day - that is a mere 10% of their year.

 More than half of Brits (54%) blame their fun-deprived days on their daily commute - and a further 42% admit they work too many hours to be able to enjoy themselves. 

Londoners have the least amount of fun in Britain, followed by their counterparts in Manchester and Birmingham - with 142, 148 and 152 minutes fun-time daily. This is compared to a smiling Swansea whose residents manage to find more than four hours (244 minutes) to enjoy themselves each day.

A spokesman for Mini said: "The research showed that Londoners in particular could do with a little bit of fun in their lives so I hope that a zip across town in a Mini Cooper will bring some much needed pre-Christmas cheer."