Refrigerated truck finance
A fridge truck is three assets at once, chassis, insulated body and refrigeration unit, and funders look hard at the middle two.
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Yes. A refrigerated truck funds as a commercial vehicle, but unlike a curtainsider the body and the fridge unit carry real weight in the assessment. Used fridge trucks fund, though the age band is tighter than for dry freight. The detail that catches buyers is the refrigeration unit: it has its own running hours, its own service history and its own life, and a Thermo King or Carrier unit with a documented service record will fund far more easily than the same truck with an unrecorded or unbranded unit. Ask for the fridge hours before you buy.
Who finances this
Food wholesalers, butchers and fish merchants, catering distributors, pharmaceutical and floristry couriers, and hauliers taking on chilled or frozen contracts. The trigger is usually a customer requiring temperature-controlled delivery with data logging, which a non-refrigerated vehicle cannot satisfy at any price. Many are independents supplying restaurants and farm shops where the customer expects chilled produce first thing in the morning. Others are butchers and bakers who have grown beyond one van and now need two temperature zones on a single round.
How lenders see it
Specialist funders treat refrigerated vehicles as a category of their own. Resale is decent but narrower than dry freight, the buyer has to want a fridge truck, so funders check that the insulation is sound and the unit is a recognised brand with UK parts and service coverage. Running hours on the fridge matter as much as chassis mileage, and an old unit on a young chassis is a common trap. Food-sector operators are generally viewed as stable because the income is repeat and non-discretionary, which helps. Funders will ask about temperature monitoring and whether the work is chilled or frozen, since frozen is harder on equipment. Bodies with failed insulation, water ingress or a scrapped unit are declined regardless of chassis condition.
Buying used
Yes, used refrigerated trucks fund, though typically to a younger age than dry freight, with fridge unit hours often deciding the answer.
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Machines we have funded
| DAF LF 230 fridge | Twelve tonne chilled rigid for food delivery |
|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz Atego 1323 fridge | Refrigerated rigid with side door |
| Isuzu Forward N75 fridge | Small fridge truck for city rounds |
| Volvo FL 280 refrigerated | Chilled rigid with tail lift |
| Scania P280 fridge | Eighteen tonne chilled rigid for multi-drop |
| Iveco Eurocargo 180E fridge | Value chilled rigid for wholesalers |
| Thermo King T-Series | Truck fridge unit for chilled loads |
| Carrier Supra | Refrigeration unit for rigid bodies |
| Gray & Adams rigid fridge body | British-built insulated truck body |
| Solomon insulated body | Multi-temperature body with partitions |
What a refrigerated truck actually costs to buy
Prices for a refrigerated truck advertised by UK suppliers run from £5,500 to £17,950 (checked 28 October 2026).
Payload, not age, prices a 7.5-tonner: insulation, fridge unit and tail lift eat the plated weight until barely a tonne is left, so lightweight Isuzu and Fuso chassis command a premium. Dual-evaporator multi-temp and electric standby add more than a model year.
| Machine | Asking price | Seen at |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 (18) Iveco Eurocargo 75E16, 7.5t, 14ft fridge body, Euro 6 160hp, auto, rear air suspension, meat loading rails | £17,950 | truckpages.co.uk |
| 2018 (67) Iveco Eurocargo 75E190, 7.5t 4x2 multi-temp, Carrier unit, split + 2 side loading doors, Transcan printer | £6,995 | truckpages.co.uk |
| 2017 Mitsubishi Fuso Canter 7C18, 7.5t day cab fridge box, Carrier unit, side and rear barn doors, 6-sp Powershift | £6,950 | truckpages.co.uk |
| 2013 DAF LF, 24ft Thermo King T1000 Spectrum, Solomon body, 1,500kg Dhollandia tail lift, electric standby, moving partition | £5,500 plus VAT | commercialmotor.com |
Prices checked 28 October 2026 on truckpages.co.uk, commercialmotor.com, macstrucks.co.uk. These are asking prices observed on dealer and marketplace listings, shown as examples. They are not a quote or an offer of finance, and they move with the market. Check the current advert before budgeting.
How finance works on a refrigerated truck
The prices above are what a seller is asking. What a funder will actually do with the purchase is a separate question, and it is the one that decides whether the deal happens.
| Question | Typical answer |
|---|---|
| Term available | 12 to 72 months. Most agreements sit between 24 and 60 months; anything shorter or longer needs a funder check before you rely on it. |
| Age of the asset | There is no single cut-off. It depends on the asset class, and condition, hours and resale value are underwritten rather than the year alone. Tell us the age and we will say before you commit. |
| Buying from a private seller | Often possible, but case by case. It needs a funder who will write it, an inspection and proof of ownership, so say whether the seller is a dealer or a private seller when you enquire. |
| Deposit | Frequently nil where the credit profile is standard. Where it is not, typically 10–20%, nearer 20% if a default is recent. |
| VAT on the purchase | Both approaches exist, depending on the funder. The agreement is commonly written on the ex-VAT price with the VAT paid upfront and reclaimed, though some funders will include the VAT in the agreement. |
General guidance from our own funder panel as at 31 October 2026, not a quote and not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status and to the funder's own criteria.
Is the fridge unit funded separately from the truck?
Usually it is part of the same facility when the vehicle is bought complete. Where a unit is retrofitted to an existing body, it can be funded as its own asset. Either way funders assess it separately in underwriting terms. They want the make, the running hours and the service record, because the unit has its own life independent of the chassis.
How many hours is too many on a fridge unit?
There is no single cutoff, but running hours are to a fridge what mileage is to an engine, and funders read them the same way. A high-hour unit on a low-mileage chassis is a common and expensive trap. Ask for the hours and the last major service before committing, not after the deal is agreed.
Can I finance a truck for frozen as well as chilled?
Yes. Frozen work needs a more capable unit and better insulation, so the vehicle costs more and funders assess the equipment more closely because deep freeze is harder on it. Multi-temperature bodies with movable bulkheads also fund. Be clear about the temperature range you need when specifying, because it drives the whole build.
Does a failed fridge unit stop the truck being funded?
On a used purchase, generally yes. The refrigeration is the point of the vehicle and a scrapped unit means the body is a heavy insulated box with no function. Funders will not lend full value against that. If the unit needs replacing, price the replacement into the purchase and structure the facility around the working vehicle.
Do I need temperature monitoring for food contracts?
Most food and pharmaceutical customers require data logging, and it is expected practice under food safety rules for chilled distribution. It is a customer requirement rather than a finance one, but funders do ask about it, because a vehicle that cannot satisfy the customer’s audit cannot hold the contract that repays the agreement.
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