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Plant Hire Finance

Spread the cost of plant hire equipment from £10,000 to £500,000+ with flexible finance options. HP, lease, or refinance, compare rates from 40+ lenders.

Can you finance a plant hire?

Yes, plant hires 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 £10,000 to £500,000, and most deals are written over 12–72 months with a deposit of around 10–20%. Decisions typically take 24–48 hours. Used machines are financeable too, usually with a shorter term.

200+ UK lenders
2-minute application
No credit check to apply
FCA-regulated brokers

Typical Cost

£10k – £500k

Approval Speed

24–48 hours

Same-day for < £75k

Rates From

4.5% APR

What would a plant hire cost per month?

£75,000
10%
60 months
9%
£0

Your estimate

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

Pre-filled with a typical plant hire price. Indicative only, not a quote.

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Finance options

Hire Purchase (HP)

Rate
From 4.9% APR
Term
12–72 months
Deposit
10–20%
Ownership
Yours at the end
Best for
Plant hire companies wanting to own assets outright

Finance Lease

Rate
From 4.5% APR
Term
12–72 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return or buy (balloon payment)
Best for
Tax-efficient, claim 100% of payments against profit

Operating Lease

Rate
From 5.2% APR
Term
24–60 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return at end
Best for
Keep hire fleet current. Off balance sheet.

Representative example

On a purchase price of £75,000: a 10% deposit of £7,500, then 48 monthly payments of £1,582 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £83,436, 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
JCB 3CX Backhoe £65,000 – £90,000 Backhoe Loader
Kubota U55-4 Mini Excavator £35,000 – £50,000 5.5t Mini Excavator
Wacker Neuson DW60 Dumper £28,000 – £40,000 6t Site Dumper
Bomag BW 177 D-5 Roller £45,000 – £65,000 Vibratory Roller

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Tax benefits

Plant and machinery qualifies for Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), letting you deduct the full purchase cost from taxable profits in year one, up to £1,000,000. HP gives access to capital allowances on owned assets. Lease payments are fully deductible from taxable profits.

Market context

Plant hire businesses buy the fleet they then hire out, excavators, dumpers, compactors, generators and access equipment, rather than the end users of that plant, who prefer to hire rather than own equipment they only need intermittently. Finance is central to how a hire company operates, since the fleet has to be bought and paid for well before it generates hire income, and structuring finance around expected utilisation is core to the business model. Replacement is driven by hours run, condition, and what customers expect from current-generation machines, since hire fleets need to stay reasonably modern. A large, liquid used market for ex-hire equipment funds fleet renewal.

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

Can I finance used plant equipment for my hire fleet?
Yes, most lenders will finance used plant equipment up to around 10 years old for a hire fleet, subject to hours run and condition, with an independent valuation typically required once a machine is over 5 years old. Rates on used plant tend to run 0.5 to 1% higher than for new equipment, reflecting the shorter remaining working life. Buying ex-hire machines with a clear service history from another operator or a dealer auction is common practice in the plant hire trade, and having that paperwork ready generally speeds up the finance application.
What deposit do I need to finance plant hire equipment?
For hire purchase, most lenders ask for a deposit of 10 to 20% of the equipment's price, while finance leases and operating leases are usually arranged with no deposit at all. Because a hire company needs its fleet earning hire income as soon as possible, many operators choose a low or no-deposit structure to keep cash available for insurance, transport, and yard costs rather than tying it up in an upfront payment. A larger deposit will reduce the ongoing payment, which can help if a particular machine's expected utilisation is lower than the rest of the fleet.
How quickly can I get plant hire finance approved?
Most applications are approved within 24 to 48 hours once the lender has your accounts and a supplier quote or auction invoice. Straightforward deals under £75,000 often get same-day approval for an established hire business with a clean credit history. Fleet purchases covering several machines, or larger single items over £75,000, may take 3 to 7 working days while the lender reviews the total order and how it fits with your existing fleet and utilisation levels.
Can I finance multiple machines at once as a plant hire operator?
Yes, many lenders offer fleet finance facilities covering multiple items bought at the same time, which can secure better overall rates than financing each machine individually. Rather than assessing each excavator or dumper in isolation, the lender looks at the total fleet value, your utilisation rates, and your hire revenue to judge affordability across the whole facility. This is the standard way established plant hire businesses fund a fleet refresh or an expansion into a new equipment category, since it keeps the paperwork and repayment dates aligned across the new machines.
Can I refinance plant I already own to release capital for the hire fleet?
Yes, refinancing owned plant is a common way for hire businesses to release capital tied up in existing machines to fund new additions to the fleet. The lender takes a fresh look at the equipment's current value and condition and lends against it, effectively converting an owned asset back into working capital without you needing to sell it. This suits plant hire operators well because it lets you expand the fleet or take on a large contract without waiting to save up cash, while keeping the existing machines earning hire income throughout.
Do I need different insurance for plant that's financed and then hired out to customers?
Yes, insurance for plant that's hired out to other businesses needs to reflect that it will be operated by people outside your own workforce, which most standard equipment policies don't automatically cover. Lenders financing a hire fleet will usually want to see evidence of appropriate hire-out cover, including public liability and cover for loss or damage while the machine is off-site with a customer, before releasing funds. It's worth confirming your insurance arrangements cover the full fleet you're financing before completing the purchase, since a gap here can affect both a claim and your finance agreement.

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