How much does a digger cost in the UK?
Rough price bands from live UK dealer stock — plus four of the same JCB model at different ages, which shows what actually sets the price.
A used mini digger of 1.3 to 2 tonnes runs roughly £7,450 to £14,000. A 7 to 9 tonne midi runs roughly £23,000 to £52,000. A 20 tonne crawler can be anything from £12,500 to £95,000. All excluding VAT.
That last spread is the real lesson: on a big machine, hours set the price far more than the year does. The table below shows the same JCB model four times over to prove it.
The same digger, four times, at four prices
Most cost guides compare different machines and call the difference depreciation. These are four JCB JS220 LC excavators — one model — listed by UK dealers at the same time.
| Year | Hours | Asking price (ex VAT) | Listed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9,000 hrs | £36,500 | Agri Sales Ltd |
| 2016 | 11,920 hrs | £32,500 | SJH-All Plant |
| 2010 | 12,003 hrs | £16,750 | SJH-All Plant |
| 2007 | — | £12,500 | UK dealer listing |
Look at the two highlighted rows. Same model. Same year. The only meaningful difference is 2,920 hours — and that is worth £4,000.
Then compare the 2016 machine at 11,920 hours (£32,500) with the 2010 one at 12,003 hours (£16,750). Almost identical hours, six years apart, and half the money. So age is not irrelevant — but on a working machine the hour meter is the first number to look at, not the registration year.
When you are comparing two machines, put the hours side by side before the prices. A cheaper digger with 4,000 more hours on it is not cheaper — you are buying the gap between them in future repair bills and in what it will be worth when you sell it.
Rough price bands by machine size
From live UK dealer stock and UK marketplace listings in October 2026. All excluding VAT. The listing count is shown for each band deliberately — a range built from 27 machines and one built from 4 are not the same claim.
| Size | Rough range (ex VAT) | Listings | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini, 1.3 – 2.0 tonne | £7,450 – £14,000 | 27 | The volume end of the market. Groundworks, landscaping, drainage. |
| Mini, 2.5 – 3.0 tonne | £12,850 – £22,250 | 4 | Thinly sampled — treat as a rough span, not a firm range. |
| Midi, 5 – 6 tonne | £26,500 – £42,000 | 9 | Near-new examples reach about £51,000. |
| Midi, 7 – 9 tonne | £23,000 – £52,000 | 23 | Well sampled. Hours and spec drive the spread more than year. |
| Crawler, 13 – 22 tonne | £12,500 – £95,000 | 9 | Huge spread: a high-hour 2007 machine against a 2024 one. |
Sources: Budd Plant, Machinery Trader UK, Digger Dumper, P.V. Dobson, SJH-All Plant, Agri Sales Ltd, Equipment Sales and Autotrader Plant, retrieved 10 October 2026. These are asking prices, not sold prices. Listings from sellers outside the UK were excluded even where the site displayed a pound figure, because that figure is a currency conversion rather than a UK price.
Asking price is not sold price
Worth being straight about, because it affects finance directly. Everything above is what a dealer is asking. We were not able to obtain auction hammer prices for comparable machines, so we are not going to pretend to know the gap.
It matters because a lender advances against what a machine is worth, not what it is advertised at. If a valuation comes back below the asking price, the shortfall usually lands on your deposit. That is not a reason to avoid a dealer machine — dealer stock typically comes with some warranty and somewhere to go back to — but it is a reason to have the conversation early rather than at the point of drawdown.
If you are considering auction, remember the buyer’s premium on top of the hammer price. Cheffins charges 6% plus VAT on the first £2,500 and 3.5% plus VAT above that, and transport is on you.
What else you end up paying for
- A trailer, if you are moving it yourself. One dealer lists a JCB 15C at £8,750 and the same machine with an Ifor Williams trailer at £13,450 — about £4,700 for the trailer. Across the stock we looked at, plant trailers add roughly £3,000 to £4,700. It can usually go on the same finance agreement.
- Attachments — usually bundled, so check. Listings advertise "3 buckets", "hydraulic quick hitch" and "hammer pipework" as part of the sale. We found no reliable UK price list for individual buckets or breakers, so we are not going to invent one. Just confirm exactly what is included before comparing two machines.
- Delivery. Quoted separately by every dealer we looked at, never published.
- VAT, and it genuinely varies. Plant is one of the few markets where "NO VAT" stock is common. See below.
The VAT position on plant is not uniform
On most asset classes you can assume a dealer price excludes VAT. With diggers you have to look, because dealers mark stock "+ VAT" or "NO VAT" and both are common — the latter usually meaning a machine sold under a margin scheme or coming from a seller who is not VAT registered. Some marketplace listings show a bare figure with no marker at all.
At 20%, a £30,000 machine carries £6,000 of VAT. A funder normally advances the ex-VAT price, with the VAT falling due separately and up front — so it sits alongside your deposit rather than spreading across the term. A VAT-registered business reclaims it on the next return, but the cash has to be found first. On a "NO VAT" machine that problem disappears, which is worth knowing when you are comparing two otherwise similar diggers.
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 £25,000 over 48 months at a 5.15% flat rate (equivalent to 9.9% APR representative), you would repay around £628 a month; total amount repayable approximately £30,150, of which £5,150 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 digger cost in the UK?
Roughly, from live UK dealer stock in October 2026 and excluding VAT: a used 1.3 to 2.0 tonne mini digger runs about £7,450 to £14,000, a 5 to 6 tonne midi about £26,500 to £42,000, and a 7 to 9 tonne midi about £23,000 to £52,000. Larger 13 to 22 tonne crawlers span £12,500 for a high-hour 2007 machine up to around £95,000 for a 2024 one. Those are asking prices rather than sold prices, and the mini and 7 to 9 tonne bands are the best evidenced — 27 and 23 real listings respectively.
What makes one digger cost more than another the same size?
Hours, more than anything. Two JCB JS220 LC machines of the same 2016 model year were listed at £36,500 with 9,000 hours and £32,500 with 11,920 hours — £4,000 of difference explained almost entirely by 2,920 extra hours. Drop back to a 2010 JS220 with 12,003 hours and the price falls to £16,750. Age matters, but an older machine with low hours and a clean service history can be worth more than a newer one that has been worked hard. After hours, it is attachments included, undercarriage condition and whether the machine has a verifiable history.
Are buckets and attachments included in the price?
Usually bundled, and often used as a selling point — UK listings routinely advertise "3 buckets", "hydraulic quick hitch" or "hammer pipework" as part of the deal. That means the standalone value of attachments is effectively a negotiating item rather than a published price. We could not find a reliable UK price list for individual buckets, breakers or augers; the ones that exist are either quote-only or in dollars, so we are not going to put a figure on them. Do check exactly which attachments are included before comparing two machines, because "with buckets" and "machine only" are not the same purchase.
Do I need a trailer as well, and what does that add?
If you are moving the machine yourself, yes, and it is a real cost. One UK dealer lists a JCB 15C mini digger at £8,750 and the same machine with an Ifor Williams trailer at £13,450 — so the trailer is adding roughly £4,700 on that example. Plant trailers broadly add something in the £3,000 to £4,700 range on the stock we looked at. It can usually be financed on the same agreement as the machine, which is worth asking about rather than buying it separately afterwards.
Is it cheaper to buy a digger at auction?
Often, but the headline figure is not what you pay. Auction houses charge a buyer’s premium on top of the hammer price — Cheffins, for example, charges 6% plus VAT on the first £2,500 of the hammer price and 3.5% plus VAT above that. Add transport, and the fact that you are buying with limited recourse if something is wrong. Auction suits buyers who can assess a machine themselves; a dealer price usually carries some warranty and the option to go back. Every price on this page is a dealer asking price, not an auction result, so treat auction as a separate market rather than a discount on these numbers.
Do digger prices include VAT?
Normally not, but check each listing, because UK plant is one of the few markets where it genuinely varies. Dealers commonly mark stock "+ VAT" or "NO VAT" — the latter usually meaning a machine bought under a margin scheme or from a non-registered seller. Some marketplace listings show a bare price with no VAT marker at all. At 20%, the difference on a £30,000 machine is £6,000, and on a finance deal the funder normally advances the ex-VAT price while the VAT falls due separately and up front. Confirm the VAT position before you budget a deposit.
Where to next
- Mini excavator finance — the 1 to 3 tonne end, and what lenders look for.
- Midi excavator finance — 5 to 10 tonne machines.
- 13 tonne excavator finance — the larger crawler end.
- Construction plant and machinery finance — the main page, with the lender panel.
- Auction finance — if you are buying under the hammer rather than from a dealer.
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, attributed to their sources and correct at the date of retrieval; they are indicative, are not sold prices, exclude VAT unless stated, 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.