18 tonne truck finance
The 18 tonne rigid is the workhorse of UK regional distribution, and its wide resale market makes it one of the more straightforward HGVs to place.
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Yes. An 18 tonne rigid funds comfortably on hire purchase or lease, whether it is a factory-bodied curtainside, a box with a tail lift, or a bare chassis going to a bodybuilder. Used examples fund across a wide age band because demand for them never really softens. The detail that trips buyers up is axle configuration and body length against the work: a 4x2 18 tonner with a long body can run out of payload before it runs out of floor space, and funders who know the sector will question a spec that does not match the described contract.
Who finances this
Regional hauliers, builders’ merchants, plant hire firms and food distributors. The typical trigger is a contract that specifies a delivery window and a tail lift, or an operator replacing a vehicle that has failed an annual test expensively. Plenty of buyers are stepping up from 7.5 tonnes because payload, not volume, has become the constraint on what they can carry.
How lenders see it
Eighteen tonners sit in the sweet spot of funder appetite. Resale is genuinely national, auction, dealer and export demand all overlap, so a funder can recover value without a specialist disposal route, and that widens the panel considerably. Underwriting therefore concentrates on the operator: O-licence held with spare margin on the disc, maintenance arrangements in place, and whether the business has run vehicles at this weight before. A fleet adding its fourth 18 tonner is a very different proposition to a merchant buying its first. Bodywork is checked for standardness; a curtainside or dry box is neutral, a heavily bespoke build reduces the number of funders willing to lend against it at full value.
Buying used
Yes, used 18 tonne rigids fund easily, commonly up to ten or twelve years old where the chassis is sound and the test history is clean.
Also in HGV and truck finance
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Fuel and wages before the invoice clears
Flowzo funds operating costs against 30 to 60 day customer terms, including the financial standing requirement on an operator licence.
Buying a truck or trailer at auction? We can give you an indicative decision before you bid, and we list every UK machinery auctioneer and livestock mart.
Machines we have funded
Typically £18,950–£47,950 + VAT to buy. Box-bodied 18 tonne rigids on 2020 to 2023 plates; one 2024 DAF LF 310 on the same page is listed far higher.Checked 2026-10-18.
| DAF LF 260 18t | The default eighteen tonne rigid |
|---|---|
| Volvo FL 250 18t | Four-wheel rigid with sleeper option |
| Mercedes-Benz Atego 1824 | Proven eighteen tonner for mixed haulage |
| MAN TGM 18.250 | Torquey rigid for heavier bodies |
| Scania P250 18t | Day cab rigid built to last |
| Iveco Eurocargo 180E28 | Value eighteen tonner with roomy cab |
| Renault Trucks D Wide 18t | Wide cab, good for crane work |
| Volvo FE 320 18t | Stronger driveline for heavy bodywork |
| DAF LF Electric 19t | Battery rigid for clean air zones |
| Cartwright 18t curtainside body | Rigid curtain body for pallet work |
How much payload will an 18 tonne curtainsider carry?
It depends heavily on body length, tail lift and axle layout. A long curtainside body with a heavy column lift can eat well into the available payload before you load anything. If the contract needs a specific weight carried, work back from the payload and choose the body to suit rather than the other way round.
Can I finance an 18 tonner with a bodybuilder conversion?
Yes. The usual structure funds the chassis against the dealer invoice and the body against the bodybuilder invoice, either on one agreement or two linked ones. Because lead times on bodies can be long, it is worth telling us the build schedule early so the facility is arranged to match rather than rushed at the end.
Is an 18 tonne rigid harder to fund than a tractor unit?
Not generally. Both have strong resale. The difference is that a rigid carries a body, and how specialised that body is affects how many funders will lend at full value. A standard curtainside or box is easy. A one-off build for a single customer narrows appetite, and we would look at a different part of the panel for it.
Do I need a transport manager for an 18 tonne truck?
For a standard operator licence covering goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, yes. You need a qualified transport manager with a Certificate of Professional Competence, either in-house or external. This matters to a funder because it is a condition of holding the licence that lets the vehicle work at all.
Can I part exchange my old 18 tonner into the deal?
Yes. A part exchange is normally treated as a contribution towards the new vehicle and shown on the dealer invoice. If the outgoing truck is still on an existing agreement, the settlement has to be dealt with first. We will sort out the settlement figure and net position so the new facility is arranged on accurate numbers.
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