If you only need a trailer now and again, buying one can feel like a big commitment. There is the purchase price, somewhere to keep it and the ongoing responsibility of looking after it. On the other hand, hiring a trailer every time you need one can become surprisingly expensive if those occasional jobs start cropping up more often.
So, which makes more sense?
There is no magic number of uses that makes buying automatically worthwhile. The better question is how often you are likely to use a trailer, what sort of work you need it for and whether owning one would genuinely make life easier.
Trailer hire vs buying: what should you consider?
Start with your actual usage rather than the price of a trailer you happen to like.
Think about how many times you have needed a trailer over the past year, then consider whether that figure is likely to increase. Someone who needs one for a house move and the occasional garden clearance has a very different case for ownership than someone who regularly visits the tip, carries building materials or transports equipment.
There are a few other questions worth asking:
- What type and size of trailer do you need?
- How much would hiring one cost each time?
- How much would a suitable trailer cost to buy?
- Where would you store it?
- Are you happy to take care of servicing and maintenance?
- Do you need access to a trailer at short notice?
The answer becomes clearer once you look at the whole picture rather than comparing one day’s hire with the purchase price.
When does hiring a trailer make more sense?
For genuinely occasional users, hiring can be the simpler option. You pay for the trailer when you need it, then hand it back when the job is finished.
You only need a trailer occasionally
Perhaps you are clearing a garden, moving house or tackling a large DIY project. If the trailer is going to sit unused for months afterwards, ownership may not offer much value.
Hiring lets you choose a trailer for the particular job without committing money to something you rarely use.
It can also make sense when your trailer requirements change. You might need a general-purpose trailer for one job but something larger or more specialised for another.
You don’t have suitable storage
A trailer needs somewhere to live when it is not being used. That sounds straightforward until you try fitting one into a small drive or finding somewhere secure to keep it.
If storage is awkward or simply not available, hiring removes that problem altogether. You collect the trailer when you need it and return it when you are finished.
For some occasional users, that convenience alone can make hiring the more sensible choice.
You need a specialist trailer for one particular job
Not every trailer is suited to every load. If you have a one-off job that requires a particular size or setup, hiring can give you access to the right equipment without buying something that may rarely leave your driveway.
This is particularly worth considering if the trailer you need for one job is very different from what you would normally use.
When does buying a trailer make more sense?
The calculation starts to change when a trailer becomes part of your regular routine.
You use a trailer regularly
Hire charges might look reasonable when viewed one job at a time. Add up several hires over a year, however, and the total can start to look rather different.
If you regularly carry tools, materials, garden waste, equipment or other loads, owning a trailer can make more financial sense. You also avoid having to arrange a hire every time you have a job to do.
For tradespeople and other regular users, that ready access can be particularly valuable.
You need a trailer at short notice
There is something to be said for knowing that your trailer is sitting there ready to go.
A last-minute trip to collect materials or a job that needs doing at short notice does not require a search for an available hire trailer. You can hitch up and get on with it, provided your vehicle, trailer and load are suitable for the job.
That flexibility is difficult to put into a simple cost calculation, but it can make a real difference if you use a trailer regularly.
You need a specific trailer setup
Buying also means choosing a trailer around the work you actually do.
If you repeatedly carry the same sort of load, you can choose a trailer with the dimensions, payload and features that suit it. Rather than making do with whatever happens to be available for hire, you have a setup that is familiar and ready whenever you need it.
What does a trailer really cost to own?
The purchase price is only the first part of the calculation.
A trailer needs looking after. Depending on the trailer and how it is used, you will need to consider servicing, maintenance, tyres, replacement parts and repairs. You will also need somewhere suitable to store it and may want to think about additional security.
None of these costs necessarily make buying a bad decision. They simply need to be included when comparing ownership with hiring.
A well-maintained trailer can remain useful for years, but it is still an asset that needs regular attention. The more you use it, the more important that ongoing maintenance becomes.
What does trailer hire really cost?
Hiring has its own set of costs, starting with the hire charge itself.
If you only need a trailer once or twice a year, that may be all you really need to worry about. If you are hiring repeatedly, though, look at the total you are spending over a typical year rather than focusing on an individual day.
It is also worth considering the practical side. You need to arrange the hire, collect and return the trailer, and make sure the right type is available when you need it.
For a one-off job, that is usually a minor inconvenience. When hiring becomes a regular part of your routine, it can become much more noticeable.
A simple way to compare hiring with buying
You do not need a complicated spreadsheet to get a useful answer.
Start by estimating how many times you expect to need a trailer over the next 12 months. Look at the likely hire cost for those jobs and add them together.
Then compare that figure with the cost of buying a suitable trailer. For ownership, remember to allow for servicing, maintenance, storage, tyres and other likely running costs.
There is no universal break-even point because hire prices, trailer prices and usage vary. Someone hiring a small trailer for two days a year will reach a very different conclusion from someone hiring a larger trailer every few weeks.
The important thing is to use your own likely pattern of use rather than someone else’s calculation.
Don’t forget the convenience factor
Money is only half the decision.
Owning a trailer means it is available when you need it. There is no need to book one, check availability or arrange collection and return for every job. If you use a trailer regularly, that can be a considerable advantage.
Hiring has its own convenience. You are not responsible for storing the trailer between jobs and you do not have to maintain an asset that spends most of its time sitting unused.
Think about which inconvenience you would rather have: arranging a hire when you need a trailer, or owning and looking after one throughout the year.
What type of trailer do you actually need?
Before deciding whether to hire or buy, work out what the trailer actually needs to do.
For general household, gardening and DIY jobs, a general-purpose trailer may cover most of your requirements. If you only need a larger or specialist trailer for an occasional project, hiring may be the better route.
Regular users have more reason to buy something that matches their usual work. Consider the loads you carry, the dimensions you need and the trailer’s payload, as well as whether your towing vehicle is suitable.
There is little value in buying a trailer that is either too small for the jobs you do or far more capable than you ever need.
If you are considering ownership, take a look at our trailers for sale to see what is available.
Hire or buy: which option is right for you?
There is a fairly simple way to think about it.
Hiring may suit you if:
- You only need a trailer a few times a year.
- You have nowhere suitable to store one.
- Your trailer requirements change from job to job.
- You would rather avoid the maintenance and upkeep involved in ownership.
Buying may suit you if:
- You use a trailer regularly.
- You often need one at short notice.
- You have suitable storage.
- You know what type of trailer consistently suits your work.
- The convenience of having your own trailer is valuable to you.
Neither option is automatically the better deal. A trailer that is used twice a year may be difficult to justify buying, while a trailer being hired repeatedly could be a sign that ownership deserves a closer look.
Takeaways
- Trailer hire can be a sensible choice for genuinely occasional users.
- Buying can become more attractive when trailer use is frequent or unpredictable.
- Ownership costs include more than the initial purchase price.
- Hiring avoids storage and maintenance responsibilities but comes with repeated hire costs and availability considerations.
- The right trailer depends on what you actually intend to carry and how often you will use it.
- Work out your likely annual usage before making the decision.