How much does a combine harvester cost in the UK?
Eighteen machines actually for sale, with year, hours and price — plus the reason a 2017 combine can cost more than a 2021 one, and the cost that is almost always quoted separately.
A usable older straw walker machine starts around £7,000. Mid-2000s machines with moderate hours sit around £50,000 to £57,000. Recent high-capacity machines run £119,000 to £184,500. All plus VAT.
The year on the plate is a poor guide. Class, hours and header move the price far more — see the table below, where a 2017 machine outprices a 2021 one by 55%.
Eighteen combines actually for sale, by price
This is one UK dealer’s used stock on a single day, ordered by price rather than by year — because the year is precisely what does not predict it. All figures exclude VAT.
| Machine | Year | Hours | Asking price (ex VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claas Dominator 86 | 1981 | 4,042 hrs | £6,950 |
| Claas Dominator 98s | 1986 | — | £7,650 |
| New Holland TF78 Elektra | 1996 | — | £16,250 |
| Massey Ferguson 7274 Cerea | 2002 | 2,395 drum hrs | £21,450 |
| Claas Mega 202 | 1993 | 3,534 eng hrs | £22,850 |
| John Deere 2256 Hillmaster | 1997 | — | £24,950 |
| Claas Mega 204 Dominator | 1996 | 3,849 hrs | £29,950 |
| Claas Lexion 480 | 2001 | 3,800 eng hrs | £34,950 |
| John Deere 9870 CTS | 2001 | — | £38,850 |
| Claas Lexion 470 | 2003 | 1,900 drum hrs | £49,950 |
| John Deere 9580i WTS | 2005 | 2,671 drum hrs | £51,850 |
| New Holland CR9060 | 2008 | 1,582 drum hrs | £54,950 |
| New Holland CSX 7070 | 2010 | 1,715 drum hrs | £56,450 |
| Massey Ferguson 9380 Delta | 2016 | 752 drum hrs | £79,950 |
| Massey Ferguson Delta 9380 | 2015 | 1,074 drum hrs | £89,500 |
| Claas Tucano 420 | 2021 | 329 hrs | £119,250 |
| Case IH 5130 Axial Flow | 2014 | 738 drum hrs | £120,500 |
| New Holland CR9.80 | 2017 | 1,830 eng hrs | £184,500 |
Source: Agri-Linc used combine stock, retrieved 10 October 2026. These are asking prices, not achieved prices, and they exclude VAT. Stock turns over, so treat them as a picture of the market on that date rather than a live price list.
Why a 2017 combine can cost more than a 2021 one
Look at the two highlighted rows. A 2021 Claas Tucano 420 with just 329 hours is £119,250. A 2017 New Holland CR9.80 with 1,830 hours is £184,500 — four years older, five times the hours, and 55% more money.
The reason is class. The CR9.80 is a large twin-rotor machine built to move serious acreage in a short weather window; the Tucano is a capable mid-range machine. They are not competing for the same buyer, and the market prices capacity, not age.
The same thing happens at the other end of the list: a 1996 Claas Mega 204 at £29,950 outprices a 2002 Massey Ferguson 7274 at £21,450.
Work out the output you need first — acreage, crops, and how many days of weather you can afford to lose — then look at price. A cheaper machine that cannot clear the farm in the window is not cheaper. Sorting adverts by year tells you very little.
The header is usually priced separately
This is the cost most often left out of a budget, and it is not small. From the same stock list on the same day, all ex VAT:
- £19,950 — Claas 1050 Vario combine header with trolley, 2013
- £22,950 — Shelbourne Reynolds 6m stripper header, 2014
- £2,950 — oilseed rape pick-up header
- £2,850 — Claas 10.5m Vario conversion kit with side knives
- £995 — pair of rape side knives
Before you compare two machines, check whether each includes a header, what width it is, whether it suits your crops, and whether a trolley is included. A combine without a header is not a working machine, and a header bought separately can add more than 20% to the bill.
What recent machines make at auction
Dealer stock shows asking prices. Auction shows what someone actually paid. Cheffins, which runs the largest monthly sale of second-hand agricultural machinery in the world, listed two combines among its top lots for Q2 2026:
- £187,000 — 2022 Claas Trion 720 Terra Trac, timed online auction, Somerset
- £160,000 — 2018 New Holland CR9.90, live sale, Devon
Those are the most useful anchors for a recent, high-capacity machine — and they sit close to the £184,500 being asked for the 2017 CR9.80 above, which is a reasonable sign the dealer market and the auction market agree.
Source: Cheffins, Cheffins reports £23 million-worth of machinery sold in Q2 2026, published 8 July 2026.
What about a new one?
There is no published UK list price to give you, and that is worth saying plainly rather than inventing a figure. Combine manufacturers price through their dealers against a specification — rotor or drum configuration, header width and type, tracks or tyres, grain tank size, guidance and yield mapping — so two machines wearing the same model badge can be a long way apart.
Most of what is published online about combine prices is American. A converted US figure will not match a UK dealer invoice: the specification, the emissions standard, the header options and the dealer network are all different. If a price is not in pounds and from a UK source, it is not useful here.
If you are weighing new against used, the practical questions are warranty, expected hours before major work, and what the machine will be worth when you come to change it — not the headline number.
The VAT catch on a financed combine
Every price on this page excludes VAT. At 20%, a combine advertised at £55,000 costs £66,000 to buy — and on a finance deal those two numbers behave differently.
A funder normally advances the ex-VAT price. The VAT usually falls due separately and up front, so on that £55,000 machine you are finding £11,000 of VAT alongside your deposit, not spreading it across the term. A VAT-registered farm reclaims it on the next return, but it is a real cash-flow event in the meantime — and on a combine bought just before harvest, timing is everything.
What would it cost a month?
Put the ex-VAT price in, since that is what a funder normally advances. The calculator quotes a flat rate with the equivalent APR beside it.
Prime is an established, profitable business with clean credit. Specialist covers newer businesses and credit that needs explaining — the asset itself carries part of the risk, which is why finance is often available where an unsecured loan is not.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £60,000 over 48 months at a 5.15% flat rate (equivalent to 9.9% APR representative), you would repay around £1,508 a month; total amount repayable approximately £72,360, of which £12,360 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and will receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Rates shown are indicative flat rates with the equivalent APR alongside — the two are not the same number. Indicative only and does not constitute a quote or an offer of finance. Subject to status and lender approval.
Common questions
How much does a combine harvester cost in the UK?
It spans a very wide range. From one UK dealer’s used stock in October 2026: a usable 1980s straw walker machine starts around £6,950, 1990s and early 2000s machines run roughly £16,000 to £39,000, a mid-2000s machine with moderate hours sits around £50,000 to £57,000, and recent high-capacity machines run £119,000 to £184,500. All of those exclude VAT. At auction in Q2 2026 a 2022 Claas Trion 720 Terra Trac made £187,000 and a 2018 New Holland CR9.90 made £160,000. Manufacturers do not publish UK list prices for new machines, so a new combine is quoted by the dealer against your specification.
Does a newer combine always cost more?
No, and the gap can be large. In the same stock list on the same day, a 2021 Claas Tucano 420 with only 329 hours was £119,250 while a 2017 New Holland CR9.80 with 1,830 hours was £184,500 — four years older and 55% dearer. The reason is class: the CR9.80 is a big twin-rotor machine and the Tucano is mid-range. The same thing happens further down the list, where a 1996 Claas Mega 204 at £29,950 outprices a 2002 Massey Ferguson 7274 at £21,450. Capacity, hours and condition move the price far more than the year on the plate.
Is the header included in a combine price?
Often not, and it is the single most expensive thing people leave out of a budget. Headers are routinely listed and sold as separate items: on the same UK stock list a 2013 Claas 1050 Vario header with trolley was £19,950, a 6m Shelbourne Reynolds stripper header £22,950, and a Vario conversion kit £2,850 — all ex VAT. Before comparing two machines, check whether each price includes a header, what width it is, and whether a trolley comes with it. A combine without a header is not a working machine.
What does a new combine harvester cost?
There is no published UK list price to quote, which is itself worth knowing. Combine manufacturers price through dealers against a specification — drum or rotor configuration, header width and type, tracks or tyres, grain tank size, guidance and yield mapping — so two machines of the same model can differ substantially. The practical reference points are what recent machines actually change hands for: £184,500 asked for a 2017 high-capacity twin-rotor machine, and £187,000 paid at auction for a 2022 Claas Trion 720 Terra Trac. Be wary of figures quoted in dollars; they do not translate to a UK dealer invoice.
Do combine prices include VAT?
Almost never in a dealer advert or an auction result. Every figure on this page excludes VAT, which is the UK convention. At the current 20% rate a combine advertised at £55,000 costs £66,000 to buy. On a finance agreement that matters, because the funder normally advances the ex-VAT price and the VAT falls due separately and up front — so you are finding £11,000 of VAT alongside your deposit rather than spreading it. A VAT-registered farm reclaims it on the next return, but it is a real cash-flow event in the meantime.
Can you finance a combine harvester, and over how long?
Yes, and the seasonal use pattern is exactly why finance suits it. A combine earns its keep in a few intense weeks and then stands still, so paying for it out of one harvest’s cash is hard even on a profitable farm. Agreements commonly run from two to seven years, usually on hire purchase so the machine is owned at the end. The sensible term is the number of harvests you expect it to do well, not the longest one offered. For a farming business it is normally unregulated business lending. Remember the VAT sits alongside the deposit rather than inside the finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Where to next
- Combine harvester finance — how these agreements are structured and what lenders ask for.
- What a tractor costs — the same treatment for the other machine on the yard.
- Agricultural and rural finance — the main page, with the lender panel.
- Capital allowances — what a farming business can claim on a financed machine.
CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and will receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. Prices on this page are third-party published asking prices and auction results, attributed to their sources and correct at the date of retrieval; they are indicative, exclude VAT, and are not a quote or an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. Tax and VAT treatment depends on your circumstances and is a matter for your accountant.