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Food Truck Finance

Spread the cost of food truck from £15,000 to £90,000+ with flexible finance options. HP, lease, or refinance; compare rates from 40+ lenders.

Can you finance a food truck?

Yes, food trucks are financed as a standard asset purchase, usually on hire purchase or a lease, with the machine itself acting as the security. UK prices typically run £15,000 to £90,000, and most deals are written over 24–72 months with a deposit of around 10–20%. Decisions typically take 24–48 hours. Used machines are financeable too, usually with a shorter term.

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Typical Cost

£15k – £90k

Approval Speed

24–48 hours

Same-day for < £50k

Rates From

7.3% APR

What would a food truck cost per month?

£45,000
10%
60 months
9%
£0

Your estimate

Indicative only. Not a quote and not an offer of finance.

Pre-filled with a typical food truck price. Indicative only, not a quote.

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Finance options

Hire Purchase (HP)

Rate
From 7.8% APR
Term
24–72 months
Deposit
10–20%
Ownership
Yours at the end
Best for
Food Truck buyers wanting to own it outright

Finance Lease

Rate
From 7.3% APR
Term
24–72 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return or buy (balloon payment)
Best for
Tax-efficient; claim 100% of payments against profit

Operating Lease

Rate
From 8.0% APR
Term
24–72 months
Deposit
1–3 rentals in advance
Ownership
Return at end
Best for
Upgrade food truck regularly. Off balance sheet.

Representative example

On a purchase price of £45,000: a 10% deposit of £4,500, then 48 monthly payments of £949 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £50,052, including the deposit. The rate you are offered depends on your business and the asset.

What buyers actually specify

Guide prices for sizing a finance agreement, not quotes. Manufacturers in this market mostly price on application, so where a current UK list price could not be confirmed the row describes a specification class rather than naming a model. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.

Machine or specification Guide price Type
Converted catering van, compact £15,000 – £30,000 Compact Food Truck
Custom-built food truck, Sprinter-based £35,000 – £60,000 Custom-Built Food Truck
Premium fully-equipped food truck £60,000 – £90,000 Premium Food Truck

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Tax benefits

Food truck equipment qualifies for Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), letting you deduct the full cost from taxable profits in year one, up to £1,000,000. HP allows capital allowances. Lease payments are fully deductible against profit.

Market context

Food truck buyers range from a first-time operator converting a single van to established caterers commissioning a bespoke build with full commercial kitchen equipment inside. Because a food truck is a registered vehicle as well as a kitchen, it depreciates like a vehicle even though it is also fitted out like a kitchen, which is a combination lenders assess carefully. Most operators finance a food truck rather than buy outright, since the build cost of a well-equipped truck is a large share of a new street-food or events business's total start-up capital, and cash is usually needed elsewhere for stock, permits, and pitch fees.

Bad credit?

Several of our 200+ lenders specialise in businesses with imperfect credit histories. You may need a larger deposit or personal guarantee, but options exist. Checking your options here does not affect your credit score, because we do not run a credit search to match you. A lender will run their own checks only if you decide to apply.

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Frequently asked questions

Is a food truck financed as a vehicle or as catering equipment?
It is usually treated as a combination of both. The base vehicle depreciates and is valued like any other commercial vehicle, while the kitchen fit-out inside is assessed more like catering equipment. Lenders experienced in mobile catering understand this split; a general vehicle lender that has not financed food trucks before may undervalue the fit-out or overvalue the base van, so it is worth using a lender or broker familiar with the sector.
Will trading history be a bigger issue for a food truck than for a fixed kitchen?
Yes, generally. Mobile catering is seen as higher risk again than a fixed site, partly because income depends on pitches, events, and weather as well as food quality, and partly because the sector has high turnover of operators. A first-time food truck operator should expect a personal guarantee, a larger deposit, and possibly a shorter term than an equivalent fixed kitchen would attract.
Does the finance cover gas certification and safety checks needed before trading?
Gas Safe certification, fire suppression systems, and other safety sign-off required before a food truck can legally trade are sometimes included if the build company quotes them as part of the total build cost. If you are commissioning the safety work separately from the vehicle build, budget for it outside the finance agreement, since not all lenders will fund compliance costs that are invoiced independently.
What term length is typical for food truck finance?
Terms of 24–72 months are common, roughly reflecting how long the vehicle and fit-out are expected to remain serviceable before a major refresh. Shorter terms suit operators planning to move to a fixed site within a few years; longer terms keep monthly payments manageable for a business built around the truck long-term. Whichever term you choose, most lenders allow early settlement, so a shorter effective term is still possible later if the business outgrows the truck faster than originally expected.

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Guides and resources

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