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.
The machine puts itself up, not the rest of the business.
What separates asset finance from a general business loan is that the asset itself usually acts as the security. You put the kit to work straight away and pay in regular, predictable instalments, which lines the cost up with the value the equipment earns you over time.
Spreading the cost while the equipment earnsThe kit is what carries the deal
Because the equipment can be recovered if repayments stop, lenders often take a more flexible view than they would on unsecured borrowing.
It is tied to one identifiable asset
The financing sits against a specific piece of equipment rather than against your wider balance sheet, which is what makes it a different conversation from a general business loan.
Newer businesses are not shut out
A shorter trading history is often balanced with a larger deposit or a personal guarantee rather than closing the route off. Every decision still sits with the lender and is subject to approval.
Own it at the end, or just use it.
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.
Hire purchase
Suits equipment you expect to run 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.
Leasing
A finance lease or operating lease usually means a lower upfront cost and the option to upgrade, return or sometimes buy at the end. It tends to fit kit that dates quickly, where refreshing it is worth more than holding it.
Both sit under the same umbrella
Loans, hire purchase and leasing are all shapes of asset finance, so one request can bring back offers structured in more than one way for you to weigh against each other.
One request can bring back hire purchase and lease offers side by side, and comparing them is a soft search.
Anything with a working life and a resale value.
The split below is worth knowing because it usually points at the structure. Things you will run for years lean toward ownership, things you will replace lean toward a lease.
- Machinery and heavy plant
- Commercial vans and HGVs
- Commercial kitchen equipment
- Gym and fitness gear
- Medical and dental kit
- Full premises fit-outs
- IT hardware and laptops
- Point-of-sale systems
- Specialist technology
Standard equipment with a ready second-hand market is usually the most straightforward to finance. Highly specialist kit is still financed, it simply gets looked at more closely.
The cost tracks the asset, not a product tier.
Funding amounts usually follow the value of the equipment, 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, new or used, and used equipment is common ground rather than an exception, 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 for things that age fast, longer for heavy plant, vehicles and industrial machinery. Repayments are usually fixed and regular, which makes the cost easy to budget around and easy to weigh against the income the asset will generate.
Pricing depends on 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. Comparing competing offers is how you see the real number instead of guessing at a typical one.
Put the price of the kit in and see how the offers are shaped around it.
Look past the monthly figure.
One request can return several offers, and the differences that matter are rarely in the headline instalment. Comparing runs on a soft search throughout, so weighing them up properly costs you nothing.
The total cost over the full term
Two agreements with near-identical monthly figures can land in very different places once the whole term is added up.
The end-of-term position
Whether you own the kit outright, hand it back, upgrade, or face a balloon payment or an option-to-purchase fee before it becomes yours.
The deposit required
What you put in at the start changes the instalments, and lenders differ on how much they want to see.
How flexible early repayment is
If the asset pays for itself sooner than expected, it matters whether you can clear the agreement early and what that costs.
Who covers maintenance and insurance
On equipment you depend on daily, this often matters as much as the rate itself.
Equipment & asset finance is at its best when you are buying a defined, revenue-generating asset and want to keep your cash where it is. It is a weaker fit when the need is not really asset-specific: general overheads, stock, payroll or a short-term cash gap usually belong with working capital or a business line of credit. Very low-cost or short-lived items are often cheaper to buy outright than to finance at all. Where the purchase is large enough to sit against property or a debenture rather than the kit alone, a secured business loan is the closer comparison.
One request, and nothing hidden in it.
Looking is a soft search
Comparing what asset finance would cost you leaves no mark on your credit file. A full credit check only happens if you decide to accept an offer.
NO CREDIT-SCORE IMPACTOne request, competing offers
Your request goes out once across a network of funding partners instead of you filling in the same form repeatedly. Offers typically come back within hours.
ONE FORMCapvant is not the lender
We do not lend, price the agreement or make the credit decision. That sits with the funding partner you choose to proceed with.
THE CHOICE STAYS YOURSThe full path, from the first question to funds in the account, is set out on how Capvant works.
Frequently asked 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.
See what equipment & asset finance offers look like for you.
One request, competing offers side by side, and a soft check that leaves your credit score exactly where it is.
No obligation. Checking your offers won’t affect your credit score.
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 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 request 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.
The Business Credit Score by Capvant is an independent statistical assessment based on public register data. It is not provided by a credit reference agency and may differ from scores used by individual lenders.
By submitting an application or funding request, you authorise Capvant to share relevant business, owner, request 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.