Electric hearse finance
Silence suits a funeral, and the electric hearse has moved from curiosity to a genuine specification choice for firms in low emission cities.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance an electric hearse?
Electric hearse finance funds coachbuilt funeral vehicles built on an electric base, such as an EV saloon or platform extended and rebodied by a specialist. They appeal to funeral businesses working in clean air zones and to firms whose families value a quieter, lower emission cortege. Funding them combines two unusual factors: a coachbuilt body that mainstream motor funders will not assess, and a battery whose long-term value is harder to predict than a diesel drivetrain. Specialist funders active in the funeral sector will consider them on both counts.
Used kit: Rarely — the used market for electric hearses barely exists yet because so few have been built, which makes funders more cautious on them than on an equivalent diesel vehicle.
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What would an electric hearse 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
Underwriters face a double question here. The coachbuilt body carries the familiar problem of a narrow buyer pool and no mainstream valuation source, and on top of that sits a battery whose residual behaviour over a fifteen to twenty year life is largely untested in this application. Because hearses last so much longer than ordinary cars, a funder is being asked to take a view on a battery well beyond the period anyone has real data for. Some respond by structuring more conservatively, others by concentrating on the covenant instead, and funeral businesses generally present well: long established, steady, low failure rates. Working in the vehicle’s favour is usage. A hearse covers very few miles at low speed, which is the gentlest possible duty cycle for a battery, and funders who understand the sector recognise that.
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 |
|---|---|
| Coleman Milne electric hearse | Battery hearse from a British builder |
| Eagle Specialist Vehicles electric hearse | Electric hearse conversion for funeral fleets |
| Wilcox Limousines electric hearse | Battery hearse built in Britain |
| Superior UK electric hearse | Electric hearse for independent firms |
| Tesla Model S hearse conversion | Electric saloon converted to a hearse |
| Mercedes-Benz EQE hearse conversion | Electric executive base for a hearse |
| Mercedes-Benz eVito mourners car | Electric people carrier for family transport |
| Volkswagen ID. Buzz mourners car | Electric van for mourners and removals |
| Zaptec depot chargers | Charging points for a funeral home yard |
| Rolec commercial charging units | British-built chargers for fleet sites |
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Who buys one
Commonly an urban funeral director operating inside a clean air or low emission zone where daily charges have become a running cost, or a firm whose marketing rests on an environmental commitment alongside woodland burials and sustainable coffins. Short, slow, local journeys suit the technology unusually well.
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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.
Electric hearse finance questions
Does the battery worry funders more than the coachbuild?
Both matter, but the battery introduces genuine uncertainty because hearses stay in service for decades and nobody has a twenty-year data set. Underwriters who know the sector balance that against the very low mileage these vehicles cover.
Is range a practical problem for funeral work?
Less than most people expect. A typical day involves short, slow local journeys with long stationary periods, which suits an electric vehicle well. Longer distance work, such as repatriation or out-of-county services, needs more planning.
Can charging equipment be included in the funding?
Often yes. Chargers installed at the funeral home are a conventional fixed asset and can usually be funded, either on the same arrangement or separately, depending on the supplier and the invoice structure.
Do clean air zone charges make the case on their own?
For firms operating daily inside a charging zone they can form a substantial part of it, alongside fuel and servicing. Put the actual figures in front of the funder rather than describing the saving in general terms.
Would an electric limousine be funded the same way?
Broadly, yes. A matching electric mourners car raises the same combination of coachbuild and battery questions, and firms usually approach both vehicles as one decision rather than funding them years apart.
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Also in hearse and funeral vehicle finance
- Hearse finance
- Funeral limousine finance
- Funeral fleet finance
- Private ambulance finance
- Removal vehicle finance
- Horse drawn hearse finance
- Motorcycle hearse finance
- Used hearse finance
- Funeral home equipment finance
- Mortuary equipment finance
- Coffin trolley finance
See everything we fund in hearse and funeral vehicle finance →
Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
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