Funding

Fund the kit. Keep your cash.

Spread the cost of vehicles, machinery and tools across the years they earn for you. One request lines up competing asset finance offers, hire purchase and leasing included, with a soft search that leaves your credit score exactly where it is.

Soft check · no impact on your credit score.²

£5k-£500k+⁴commonly accessed range
Soft check²no credit-score impact
New or usedboth commonly financed
Life-of-asset termsrepay while the equipment earns

How it works

Tell us what you need

Answer a few questions about your business and how much funding you’re after. It takes about 60 seconds.

Compare your matched offers

We match you with funding partners and bring back competing offers, a soft search with no impact on your credit score.

Get funded

Pick the offer that fits and get the funds in your account, often within a few working days.

Other ways to fund your business

Working capital

Cover payroll, stock and day-to-day running costs with flexible working capital.

Business line of credit

A revolving credit facility you draw on as you need it, paying only for what you use.

Invoice finance

Unlock cash tied up in unpaid invoices instead of waiting 30-90 days to get paid.

Revenue advance

Take a lump sum today and repay as a small share of your daily card and bank takings.

Business term loan

Borrow a fixed amount and repay over a set term with predictable instalments.

Unsecured business loans

Raise business finance without securing it against your property or equipment, approved on how your business actually trades and compared across a panel of UK funding partners in one place.

Written by Sarah Eltaweel, Head of MarketplaceCapvant funding marketplace · Reviewed July 2026

What it is, how it works

Equipment financing is a way to spread the cost of the kit your business runs on, rather than paying the whole price up front. Whether you need machinery, vehicles, commercial kitchen equipment, gym and fitness gear, medical or dental tools, IT hardware or heavy plant, an equipment loan or lease lets you put the asset to work straight away while you pay in regular, predictable instalments. It is one of the most widely used forms of business equipment financing precisely because it lines the cost up with the value the equipment earns you over time.

What sets equipment finance apart from a general business loan is that the asset itself usually acts as the security. Because the equipment can be recovered if repayments stop, lenders often take a more flexible view than they would on unsecured borrowing, which is part of why this route can be open to newer businesses or owners who do not have other assets to pledge. The financing is tied to a specific, identifiable asset rather than to your wider balance sheet.

Capvant is a borrower-first funding marketplace, not a lender. You make one request, a soft search is run that has no impact on your credit score, and we match you with a network of vetted third-party lenders who compete for your business with real offers. You only move to a hard credit check if you accept an offer, so you can see what equipment financing realistically looks like for your situation before you commit to anything.

Loan, lease or hire purchase

Equipment finance comes in a few shapes, and they all sit under the wider umbrella of asset finance. The first is an equipment loan or hire purchase, where you borrow to buy the asset, pay it off over an agreed term and own it outright at the end. This suits equipment you expect to use for years, such as heavy machinery, vehicles or a full fit-out, where ownership and the long working life of the asset matter more to you than flexibility.

The alternative is equipment leasing. With a finance lease or operating lease you pay to use the equipment over a term rather than to own it, which usually means a lower upfront cost and the option to upgrade, return or sometimes buy the asset when the agreement ends. Leasing tends to fit equipment that dates quickly, like IT or specialist technology, where being able to refresh the kit is worth more than holding it on your books.

Neither route is automatically better; the right one depends on how long you will use the equipment, whether you want to own it, and how you want the cost to sit in your accounts. A good question to keep in front of you is simple: do you want the asset at the end, or do you mainly want the use of it? That single answer points most owners toward either an equipment loan or a lease.

Amounts, terms & pricing

Funding amounts for equipment financing usually track the value of the asset, and they range widely, from a few thousand for a single piece of kit up to several hundred thousand for heavy or commercial equipment and larger fit-outs. Many lenders will finance most or close to the full price of the equipment, whether it is new or used, and putting down a deposit can lower your ongoing instalments. Used equipment financing is common, though the amount and term may reflect the age and condition of the asset.

Terms are typically matched to the useful life of the equipment. Shorter agreements tend to apply to things that age fast, such as computers or point-of-sale systems, while heavy plant, vehicles and industrial machinery are often spread over longer periods. Repayments are usually fixed and regular, which makes equipment finance straightforward to budget around and easy to weigh against the income the asset will generate.

Pricing varies by your business profile, the type and age of the equipment, the term and any deposit, so it is best understood as a range rather than a single figure. An equipment finance calculator can help you estimate monthly costs before you enquire, and because Capvant surfaces competing offers from several lenders, you can compare what each one would actually charge rather than guessing at a typical rate.

Amounts often scale with the equipment's value, from a few thousand up to several hundred thousand
New and used equipment can usually both be financed; a deposit can reduce instalments
Terms are commonly aligned to the asset's useful life, so repayments stay predictable

What lenders look at

Because the equipment usually doubles as the security, eligibility for equipment financing is often more accessible than for unsecured borrowing. Lenders tend to weigh the asset first, including its resale value and whether it is standard kit with a ready second-hand market or something highly specialist. Alongside that, they look at how long you have been trading, your revenue and cash flow, your credit history and whether you are putting down a deposit.

Newer businesses are not shut out. Equipment financing for startups is a well-trodden path, sometimes supported by a larger deposit or a personal guarantee to balance the shorter track record. Heavy equipment loans and used equipment finance follow the same logic, with the asset's value and condition shaping how much a lender is comfortable advancing and over what term.

It is worth being clear that every funding decision, and every term attached to it, is made by the lender and is subject to approval. Capvant's role is to package your request well and put it in front of the lenders most likely to say yes, so you spend less time chasing and more time comparing genuine offers.

Comparing your offers

The advantage of a marketplace is that one request can return several offers, and the smart way to read them is to look past the headline instalment. Compare the total cost over the full term, not just the monthly figure, and check the end-of-term position carefully: whether you own the equipment outright, hand it back, upgrade, or face a balloon or residual payment to take ownership. Two offers with similar monthly costs can work out very differently once the final stage is included.

Also weigh the practical terms around the agreement, including the deposit required, how flexible early repayment is, and who is responsible for maintenance and insurance during the term. These details often matter as much as the rate, especially on equipment you depend on day to day. Lining offers up side by side makes those differences obvious in a way a single quote never will.

Throughout this stage you are still on a soft search, so comparing options leaves your credit score untouched. A hard check only happens once you choose an offer and decide to proceed, which means you can shop and compare equipment financing with no downside to weighing it up properly.

When it's the right fit

Equipment financing is at its best when you are buying a defined, revenue-generating asset and want to preserve cash and working capital rather than sinking a lump sum into one purchase. It tends to suit machinery, vehicles, kitchen and fit-out equipment, fitness and medical kit, and any hard asset with a clear resale value, because the financing structure and the asset are a natural match. Spreading the cost while the equipment earns is the core appeal.

It is a weaker fit when the need is not really asset-specific, for example covering general overheads, stock, payroll or a short-term cash gap. In those cases a working capital facility or a business line of credit is usually the better tool, and very low-cost or short-lived items are often cheaper to simply buy outright than to finance. The same is true of equipment so cheap that financing fees outweigh the benefit of spreading the cost.

If you are unsure which way to lean, a single Capvant request lets you test the market without commitment. You will see what equipment finance, hire purchase and leasing would each look like for your business, compare them against other funding options, and only proceed if an offer genuinely works, with no impact on your credit score until you do.

Equipment & asset finance in the real world

£650k · 3 offers in 24h

“One request put our project finance in front of several lenders, three credible offers came back inside a day.”

Tomás VegaVega Construction Group · Construction

£85k equipment line

“We kitted out two new vans and a full workshop without touching day-to-day cash, sorted that week.”

Wes OkaforHalewood Heating & Plumbing · Trades

£640k expansion

“We opened a second taproom on an expansion line we’d never have found alone, comparing the offers cost us nothing.”

Dylan ParkRidgeline Brewing Co. · Brewery

Equipment & asset finance, your questions

What is equipment & asset finance?

Spread the cost of vehicles, machinery and tools over their working life. Through Capvant you compare equipment & asset finance offers from multiple funding partners in one place, then choose what works for your business.

How much can I borrow?

Amounts depend on your trading history, turnover and the offers our partners make. Many businesses access £5,000 to £500,000 and beyond.

Will checking my options affect my credit score?

No. Seeing your options through Capvant is a soft search, so it leaves no mark on your credit file. A lender only runs a full credit check if you decide to accept an offer.

Is Capvant a lender?

No. Capvant is a funding marketplace, we match you with funding partners and you choose the offer that suits you. Funding decisions, rates and terms are set by the lender, subject to approval.

How fast can I get funded?

Once you accept an offer, many businesses receive funds within a few working days, some products fund same day.

Ready to compare equipment & asset finance offers?

See what funding partners can offer your business in minutes, with no obligation and no credit-score impact.

Soft check · no impact on your credit score.²

Disclaimers & footnotes

1Capvant is a funding marketplace, not a lender. We match business owners with third-party funding partners; we do not make credit decisions, lend money, or set rates or terms. All funding decisions, rates, terms and approvals are made solely by the lenders in our network, subject to their criteria.
2Checking your options through Capvant does not affect your credit score. A lender may carry out a soft or hard credit search depending on the product, stage and your consent. A full hard credit check is only carried out where required by a lender before you proceed.
3Funding speed, including any reference to funding in as little as 24 hours, is typical for some products and lenders and is not guaranteed. Actual timescales depend on the lender, the product, and how quickly requested information and documents are provided.
4Funding amounts and ranges are indicative only and vary with your business profile, trading history, the lender and the market. Figures shown are not an offer of finance and do not guarantee any particular amount, rate or approval.
5Any offers, rates or repayment figures shown in illustrations or examples are for demonstration only and are not real quotes. Your actual offers, if any, are provided by lenders and are subject to approval.
6Product availability varies by market. Some products are only available in certain countries. Capvant currently serves businesses in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Capvant is a trading name of Granton Hale Capital LLC. Capvant is not a lender and does not make credit decisions, we introduce businesses to third-party funding providers. Capvant is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Capvant does not compare every lender, broker, funding product or offer available in the market. We only show options from funding partners in our network that may be relevant based on the information you provide.

Capvant may receive compensation from lenders, brokers, funding partners or referral partners when a customer is introduced, approved, funded or takes another qualifying action. This compensation does not guarantee that any lender will approve an application or offer specific terms. Capvant does not charge business owners a fee to compare funding options unless clearly stated otherwise.

If you access Capvant through a partner, introducer or embedded funding page, that partner may receive a referral fee or commission if your application results in funding. This does not increase your cost unless expressly disclosed.

Capvant is intended for business-purpose funding only. Eligibility may depend on entity type, location, trading history, revenue, industry and lender criteria. In the UK, Capvant currently focuses on limited companies, LLPs and plcs, and does not currently support sole traders or ordinary partnerships.

Information on Capvant is general information only and is not financial, legal, tax or accounting advice. You should consider whether funding is suitable for your business and seek professional advice where appropriate.

Calculators, eligibility checkers and funding-readiness tools are estimates only. They are based on limited information and assumptions, and do not represent a credit decision, quote, approval or recommendation.

Company information may be sourced from public registers such as Companies House, or from information you provide. Public register data may be incomplete, delayed or inaccurate and should not be treated as a full credit assessment.

By submitting an application or funding request, you authorise Capvant to share relevant business, owner, application and document information with funding partners, service providers and introducers where necessary to process your request, subject to our Privacy Policy.

Some US commercial financing offers may be subject to state-specific disclosure requirements. Where required, additional disclosures will be provided and must be accepted before a transaction is finalised.