Horse drawn hearse finance
The glass carriage behind a pair of black Friesians is the oldest thing in the funeral trade and still one of the most requested.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance a horse drawn hearse?
Horse drawn hearse finance funds the traditional glass-sided funeral carriage, together with the horsebox and support vehicles needed to move it. A carriage is not a motor vehicle, so it has no registration document, no mileage and no entry in any valuation guide, which means it sits with funders who handle specialist and craft-built assets rather than with motor lenders. Carriages are built or restored by a very small number of makers and last for generations. The supporting horsebox is usually easier to fund and is often arranged alongside the carriage itself.
Used kit: Yes — carriages are frequently bought used or restored, and a well-kept Victorian glass hearse is still entirely serviceable, with condition of the woodwork, glass and running gear mattering far more than its age.
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What would a horse drawn hearse cost per month?
Asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what the buttons show, with the equivalent APR beside it. Your exact rate depends on the asset, the term, the deposit and the lender.
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 may 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.
How lenders treat it
This is the most unusual asset in the funeral category and it needs careful placement. There is no V5, no odometer and no standard valuation source, so a funder is relying on an invoice, photographs and, ideally, the reputation of the builder or restorer. The used market is genuinely tiny — there are only so many operators in the country who would want one — and underwriters know that, so advances are conservative and some funders decline the carriage element altogether while happily funding the horsebox. What makes the deal work is the operator. Carriage providers are usually long-established, often family businesses, with predictable bookings through funeral directors who have used them for years. That covenant, plus a properly evidenced purchase, is generally what carries an application.
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 |
|---|---|
| Fenix Carriages funeral hearse | Glass sided carriage for horse-drawn funerals |
| Bennington carriages | British-built carriages for funeral and driving |
| Fenix Carriages mourners carriage | Enclosed carriage for family mourners |
| Equi-Trek horseboxes | Horsebox for transporting the funeral team |
| Ifor Williams horsebox trailers | Towed trailers for horses and carriages |
| Bloomfields horseboxes | British-built horsebox for a carriage pair |
| Brian James Trailers carriage transporter | Enclosed trailer for carriage transport |
| Zilco carriage harness | Harness sets for funeral carriage horses |
| Ifor Williams livestock and equine trailers | Towed transport for stabling moves |
| KPH horseboxes | Horsebox built for professional carriage teams |
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Who buys one
Typically a funeral director adding a traditional option that families increasingly request, or a specialist carriage operator who provides horse drawn funerals to several firms across a region. The horses, harness and box are a business in their own right, and the carriage is the centrepiece of it.
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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.
Horse drawn hearse finance questions
Can the carriage and the horsebox be funded together?
Often yes, though they may be assessed quite differently. The horsebox is a registered vehicle with a known market and funds easily. The carriage is the specialist element, and some funders will only take it as part of a package with the box.
How is a carriage valued with no registration document?
From the invoice, the builder or restorer’s reputation, photographs and sometimes an independent opinion. Because there is no guide price, funders lean harder on the strength of the business buying it than on the asset itself.
Are the horses financeable?
Livestock is generally outside asset finance, and most funders will not fund animals. The carriage, the box, the trailer and the harness equipment are the fundable elements, with the horses usually bought separately from working capital.
Do many funders understand this kind of asset?
Very few, which is precisely why the enquiry should go to the right ones first. An application sent to a mainstream funder will be declined almost immediately, and repeated declines do nothing for your credit profile.
Is demand for horse drawn funerals actually growing?
Many operators report steady and sometimes rising demand, particularly within communities where a traditional turnout carries real cultural weight. Booking records showing consistent use are worth putting in front of a funder with the application.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
Also in hearse and funeral vehicle finance
- Hearse finance
- Funeral limousine finance
- Funeral fleet finance
- Private ambulance finance
- Removal vehicle finance
- Motorcycle hearse finance
- Electric 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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Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 0333 772 4864 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.