Combi oven finance
A combi is the busiest box in most kitchens, so it is funded over the years it cooks service after service rather than paid for in one hit.
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Yes. A combi oven is funded as a standard asset finance item, normally on hire purchase so the oven is yours at the end, or on a lease if you would rather refresh it sooner. Reconditioned units are fundable too, and a dealer-supplied Rational or Convotherm is an easy conversation. What catches operators out is the invoice. Gas interlocks, three-phase electrical work, water softeners and making good are services, not assets, so several funders will only advance against the oven and its stand and will ask you to cover the rest.
Who finances this
Usually an owner-operator restaurant or gastropub replacing an oven that has begun failing mid-service, or a site adding a second combi because the pass cannot hold up on a Saturday. Hotel kitchens buy them on a refurbishment cycle instead. The trigger is nearly always a breakdown during a busy week, an environmental health conversation about temperature consistency, or a new menu that needs overnight low-temperature cooking the old oven simply cannot hold.
How lenders see it
Funders are happier with combis than with most catering kit because they are one of the few genuinely hard assets in a kitchen: serial numbered, a recognised brand, and a live second-hand market through dealers and auction houses. Even so, hospitality is underwritten as a higher-risk sector, so the decision still turns on the business, filed accounts, bank conduct, how long the site has traded. New-start restaurants are hard without a director guarantee or an operator with a track record behind them. Anything on the invoice that cannot be unbolted and resold, such as ducting, tiling or plumbing, is treated as soft and either stripped out or lent against the covenant alone.
Buying used
Yes, reconditioned combis are routinely funded, typically up to around ten years old, provided there is a service history and the supplier is an established dealer rather than a private sale.
Also in catering and hospitality finance
See everything we fund in catering and hospitality finance →
Funding a seasonal trade
Flowzo funds restaurants, pubs and cafes against card takings rather than filed accounts, useful when the kit is bought and the quiet months still have to be covered.
Machines we have funded
| Rational iCombi Pro 6-1/1 | Six-grid combi steamer for small kitchens |
|---|---|
| Rational iCombi Pro 10-1/1 | Ten-grid combi steamer for busy service |
| Rational iCombi Pro 20-2/1 | Twenty-grid floor-standing combi for volume sites |
| Lincat CombiSlim 1.06 | Slimline six-grid combi for narrow kitchens |
| Convotherm maxx pro 6.10 | Six-grid combi with easyTouch controls |
| Unox ChefTop MIND.Maps Plus XEVC-0711 | Seven-tray countertop combi oven |
| Electrolux Professional SkyLine Premium 10 GN 1/1 | Ten-grid combi with automatic cooking cycles |
| Zanussi Professional combi ovens | Gastronorm combis for mid-size kitchens |
| Alto-Shaam Converge multi-cook oven | Multi-chamber oven combining several cooking modes |
What a combi oven actually costs to buy
Prices for a combi oven advertised by UK suppliers run from £3,600 to £20,169.99 + VAT (checked 28 October 2026).
Grid count matters less than boiler and phase. Same Lainox 6x1/1 gas costs £5,719.99 boilerless vs £6,589.99 with boiler. A single-phase 6-grid draws 50A against 16A three-phase, so the cheaper oven often forces a costlier supply upgrade.
| Machine | Asking price | Seen at |
|---|---|---|
| Used Rational SCC Gas 6 Grid combi oven with stand (ref CQC6032) | £3,600 +VAT | caterquip.co.uk |
| New Giorik Movair Electric Combi Oven 5x 2/3GN MTE523W-R, 2.7kW 13A plug-in | £3,699.99 ex VAT | nisbets.co.uk |
| New Rational iCombi Classic Electric 6-1/1 Three Phase, 10.8kW (FN883) | £4,439.99 ex VAT | nisbets.co.uk |
| Used Rational White Efficiency Gas 10 Grid combi with stand (ref CQC4755) | £5,995 +VAT | caterquip.co.uk |
| New Rational iCombi Pro Electric 10x 1/1 GN, 18.9kW 32A (HW704) | £8,199.99 ex VAT | nisbets.co.uk |
| Used Rational White Efficiency Electric 20 Grid combi with roll-in trolley (ref CQC5508) | £9,100 +VAT | caterquip.co.uk |
| New Rational iCombi Classic Electric 20x 1/1 GN, 37.2kW 63A per phase (FN891) | £11,379.99 ex VAT | nisbets.co.uk |
| New Lainox Naboo Boosted Touch Screen Electric 20x 2/1 GN with boiler (HP546) | £20,169.99 ex VAT | nisbets.co.uk |
Prices checked 28 October 2026 on caterquip.co.uk, nisbets.co.uk. These are asking prices observed on dealer and marketplace listings, shown as examples. They are not a quote or an offer of finance, and they move with the market. Check the current advert before budgeting.
How finance works on a combi oven
The prices above are what a seller is asking. What a funder will actually do with the purchase is a separate question, and it is the one that decides whether the deal happens.
| Question | Typical answer |
|---|---|
| Term available | 12 to 72 months. Most agreements sit between 24 and 60 months; anything shorter or longer needs a funder check before you rely on it. |
| Age of the asset | There is no single cut-off. It depends on the asset class, and condition, hours and resale value are underwritten rather than the year alone. Tell us the age and we will say before you commit. |
| Buying from a private seller | Often possible, but case by case. It needs a funder who will write it, an inspection and proof of ownership, so say whether the seller is a dealer or a private seller when you enquire. |
| Deposit | Frequently nil where the credit profile is standard. Where it is not, typically 10–20%, nearer 20% if a default is recent. |
| VAT on the purchase | Both approaches exist, depending on the funder. The agreement is commonly written on the ex-VAT price with the VAT paid upfront and reclaimed, though some funders will include the VAT in the agreement. |
General guidance from our own funder panel as at 31 October 2026, not a quote and not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status and to the funder's own criteria.
Can I finance a combi oven if I have only just taken the site?
It is harder but not impossible. With no filed accounts a funder is lending against you rather than the restaurant, so expect to be asked for a personal guarantee, evidence of previous operating experience and a look at the trading projections. Buying a recognised brand rather than an unknown import helps, because the oven is worth something if it ever has to be recovered.
Does the finance cover installation and the water softener?
Sometimes, and it depends on the funder rather than on you. Ancillaries bolted to the oven, such as the stand, trolley or integrated softener, usually sit happily on the agreement. Pure labour, gas interlock work, ducting, electrical upgrades, removing the old unit, is a service with no resale value, so it is often excluded or funded separately.
Is hire purchase or leasing better for a combi oven?
Hire purchase suits operators who intend to keep the oven for its whole working life, which is most restaurants, because ownership passes at the end. Leasing suits groups that refresh kitchens on a cycle and want the equipment treated as a running cost rather than an owned asset. Your accountant will have a view on which sits better with your figures.
Can I add a second oven to an agreement I already have?
You would normally take a second agreement rather than amend the first, because the original facility was underwritten on that invoice. Where a funder already knows you and the account has run cleanly, the second application is usually much quicker. Some will consolidate both into one facility at the point the second oven is delivered.
What happens at the end of a combi oven agreement?
On hire purchase the title transfers to you once the final instalment and any option-to-purchase fee are paid, and the oven becomes a company asset you can keep, sell or part-exchange. On a lease the oven goes back, or you continue on a secondary rental, or the funder sells it on your behalf. Check which you have signed before you plan a replacement.
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Illustrative only, not a quote, a flat rate is not an APR, so the APR on a given agreement will be higher. VAT and fees excluded.
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