Generator finance
Generators are bought by contractors who cannot wait for a grid connection and by hire fleets who know a genset earns every day it is out.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance a generator?
Yes. Site generators are funded as plant on hire purchase, whether that is a single silenced set for a contractor or a batch for a hire fleet. New and used both fund, and recognised makes such as Atlas Copco, JCB, Stephill and Himoinsa have an established second-hand market. The thing worth getting right is the distinction between a mobile site genset and a fixed standby installation. A skid or trailer-mounted machine is portable plant a funder can recover; a set installed into a building with switchgear and ducting is closer to a fixture, and that changes which funders will take it.
Used kit: Yes for portable sets, typically up to around eight years. Rarely straightforward on used fixed installations, which are hard to recover and resell.
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What would a generator cost per month?
Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 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 may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
How lenders treat it
Generators split neatly for a funder. Trailer and skid-mounted sets are proper portable plant — serial numbered, identifiable, resaleable to contractors, hire companies, events suppliers and farms — and they fund straightforwardly, often on a small-ticket basis for single units and as a block for fleets. Fixed standby installations are a different matter: once a set is bolted into a plant room with associated switchgear it is difficult to remove and sell, so it behaves more like a soft or fixture asset and belongs with funders who write installed equipment. Hire fleets are assessed on utilisation and fleet age. The emerging factor is emissions specification: older sets that cannot meet the standards main contractors now require are losing hire demand, and funders have started to price that into residuals.
Makes and models we fund
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Atlas Copco QAS 25 | Small towable diesel generator |
| Atlas Copco QAS 60 | Mid size silenced diesel generator |
| Atlas Copco QAS 150 | Large site diesel generator |
| JCB G60QS | Silenced towable diesel generator |
| JCB G115QS | Larger silenced site generator |
| Stephill SSDP10000 | Portable diesel generator set |
| Stephill SSDK25 | Silenced skid mounted generator |
| Himoinsa HFW-60 | Canopied diesel generator set |
| Generac Mobile MGG 100 | Towable diesel generator set |
| Prolectric ProPower | Solar and battery power unit |
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Who buys one
Groundworks and civils contractors on sites without a temporary supply, event and festival power suppliers, rail and highways contractors working away from the grid, and plant hire companies where generators sit among the most consistently utilised items on the fleet. The trigger for a contractor is usually a site with no connection and a programme that will not wait for one; for hire fleets it is replacing older, noisier and dirtier sets that main contractors no longer accept.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
We publish the deals we arrange, with no client named and no rate quoted. See what we have funded in plant and construction.
How it is treated for tax
Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Generator finance questions
Is a fixed standby generator funded the same way as a site set?
No. A portable set is plant a funder can recover and resell; a standby set installed into a building with switchgear is effectively a fixture and much harder to remove. Installed equipment goes to funders who write that specifically, often with a landlord waiver if the premises are leased.
Can I finance a battery hybrid power unit?
Yes, and funders are increasingly comfortable with them. Battery energy storage units paired with a small genset are now standard on carbon-conscious sites and hire demand is strong. The technology is newer, so residual evidence is thinner, but the hire rates and contractor demand support the case well.
Do emissions standards affect generator finance?
Increasingly yes, on the residual side. Main contractors and city authorities now specify cleaner sets, so older units are losing hire demand faster than they once did. A funder taking a view on what a set will be worth part way through an agreement has to allow for that, which affects older stock more than new.
Can a hire company fund a batch of generators?
Yes, and it is the normal route. Multiple units on one invoice with each serial itemised makes a properly sized agreement. Many funders will provide a facility allowing drawdowns as sets are delivered, based on utilisation figures and the age profile of the existing fleet rather than unit-by-unit applications.
Are generators covered by standard plant insurance?
Portable sets normally sit under a plant all risks policy with the funder’s interest noted, the same as any other plant. Installed sets may need to be covered under the buildings or business interruption policy instead. Check which applies before delivery, because cover has to be in place before the funder releases payment.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
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