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Refrigerated Vehicle Finance

Spread the cost of refrigerated vehicles from £25,000 to £120,000+ with flexible finance options. HP, lease, or refinance, compare rates from 40+ lenders.

Can you finance a refrigerated vehicle?

Yes, refrigerated vehicles 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 £25,000 to £120,000, and most deals are written over 12–60 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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2-minute application
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Typical Cost

£25k – £120k

Approval Speed

24–48 hours

Same-day for < £50k

Rates From

4.8% APR

What would a refrigerated vehicle cost per month?

£55,000
10%
60 months
9%
£0

Your estimate

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

Pre-filled with a typical refrigerated vehicle price. Indicative only, not a quote.

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Finance options

Hire Purchase (HP)

Rate
From 5.2% APR
Term
12–60 months
Deposit
10–20%
Ownership
Yours at the end
Best for
Businesses wanting to own the vehicle outright

Finance Lease

Rate
From 4.8% APR
Term
12–60 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return or buy (balloon payment)
Best for
Tax-efficient, claim 100% of payments against profit

Operating Lease

Rate
From 5.5% APR
Term
24–48 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return at end
Best for
Keep your cold chain fleet up to date. Off balance sheet.

Representative example

On a purchase price of £55,000: a 10% deposit of £5,500, then 48 monthly payments of £1,160 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £61,180, 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
Mercedes Sprinter Fridge Van £40,000 – £60,000 Large Fridge Van
Ford Transit Custom Fridge £32,000 – £48,000 Medium Fridge Van
DAF LF Refrigerated 7.5t £55,000 – £85,000 Refrigerated Rigid
Peugeot Boxer Fridge Van £28,000 – £42,000 Medium Fridge Van

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Tax benefits

Refrigerated vehicles qualify for Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), letting you deduct the full purchase cost from taxable profits in year one, up to £1,000,000. The refrigeration unit and vehicle can both be claimed. Lease payments are fully deductible as a business expense.

Market context

Refrigerated vehicles are bought by food and drink distributors, catering suppliers, pharmaceutical logistics firms and any business moving temperature-sensitive goods, from a single refrigerated van for a small food producer to a fleet for a regional distributor. Finance is the standard route because a refrigerated vehicle costs meaningfully more than an equivalent standard van, largely due to the refrigeration unit and insulated body, keeping the purchase manageable for businesses on tight delivery margins. Replacement is driven by mileage, refrigeration unit condition and rising maintenance costs, since a failed fridge unit can write off a whole delivery run. A reasonably active used market supports residual values.

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 a used refrigerated vehicle?
Yes, used refrigerated vehicles can be financed, and it is a common route given how much more a refrigerated body and unit add to the cost of an equivalent standard vehicle. Lenders will want to see the age and mileage of both the chassis and the refrigeration unit, since the two often wear at different rates, and a recent service history for the fridge unit specifically. A vehicle bought through a dealer specialising in refrigerated conversions is usually easier to finance than a private sale, because the lender has more confidence in the condition of the insulated body and unit.
What deposit do I need for refrigerated vehicle finance?
Hire purchase typically asks for a deposit of around 10 to 20% of the vehicle's cost, with the balance repaid over the agreed term and ownership passing to you at the end. A finance lease usually needs no deposit at all, since the lender's security sits in the vehicle itself, and instead ends with either a return, an extension, or a final balloon payment to take ownership. The deposit level a lender asks for depends on your trading history and the age of the vehicle, with older or higher-mileage refrigerated vehicles sometimes needing a larger deposit to offset faster depreciation.
How quickly can I get refrigerated vehicle finance?
Most refrigerated vehicle finance is approved within 24 to 48 hours once the lender has your application, the vehicle or supplier quote, and basic company details such as recent accounts or bank statements. Delivery vans and smaller refrigerated vehicles from an established dealer tend to move fastest through approval, while a larger or bespoke conversion can take slightly longer as the lender reviews the specification of the refrigeration unit and body. Having your paperwork ready before applying, rather than gathering it after a decision in principle, is the main thing that keeps the process quick.
Can I finance the refrigeration unit separately from the vehicle?
It is possible, but most lenders prefer to finance the chassis and the refrigeration unit together as one vehicle, since separating them creates two assets with different depreciation profiles secured against effectively the same delivery run. Financing them as a single package is usually simpler to arrange and easier to refinance later, because a lender assessing the resale value of a refrigerated vehicle is really assessing the combination of the two. Where a business is retrofitting a refrigeration unit onto a vehicle it already owns, that unit can often be financed on its own agreement instead.
Can a new business or one with a poor credit history get refrigerated vehicle finance?
Yes, though the options and rate are usually more limited than for an established business with clean credit. Newer businesses are commonly asked for a larger deposit, a personal guarantee from a director, or a shorter term, and lenders will look closely at any existing contracts or delivery work the vehicle will support, since that shows the finance can be repaid from day one. A poor credit history does not automatically rule out finance, but it typically narrows the pool of lenders willing to offer terms, which is where comparing several lenders through a broker rather than approaching one lender directly tends to help.
What happens if I want to sell or part-exchange the vehicle before the agreement ends?
The vehicle remains the lender's security until the agreement is settled, so you cannot sell or part-exchange it without first clearing the outstanding balance, which is usually done from the sale proceeds or the part-exchange value at the point of the transaction. Most lenders will provide a settlement figure on request, and if you are upgrading to a newer refrigerated vehicle it is common to roll any shortfall or surplus into the new agreement. It is worth asking your broker about early settlement costs before you commit to an agreement if you expect to change vehicles again within a few years.

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