How Much Does Horsebox Hire Cost in the UK?
October 15, 2026 · By Horse Marketplace · 7 min read
How Much Does Horsebox Hire Cost in the UK?
The short answer: most self-drive 3.5 tonne horseboxes cost £100 to £120 for a weekday and £120 to £130 for a Saturday or Sunday. A full weekend is usually £190 to £250, and a week £450 to £570. Trailers are cheaper, from around £72 for a single-horse trailer.
Those figures come from the prices a dozen UK hire operators publish on their own websites, checked in October 2026. Below we break them down by vehicle, explain what pushes the price up, and list the extra costs that catch people out at collection.
If you only travel to a few shows a year, hiring can work out far cheaper than owning. A horsebox costs money every month in tax, insurance, servicing and MOTs, whether it leaves the yard or not.
Typical prices by vehicle
A 3.5 tonne box is by far the most common hire vehicle, because most people can drive one on a normal car licence.
Hire period | 3.5t horsebox | Larger horsebox with living (4.5t to 7.5t) | Horse trailer |
Half day (4 to 6 hours) | £65 to £85 | Rarely offered | Not usually offered |
Weekday | £100 to £120 | Often a 2-day minimum | £72 to £96 (up to 36 hours) |
Saturday or Sunday | £120 to £130 | Often a 2-day minimum | Same as weekday |
Full weekend (Fri to Mon) | £190 to £250 | From about £270 | Minimum charge, then £48 to £66 per extra day |
One week | £450 to £570 | From about £550 | Roughly £340 to £460 |
Prices checked in October 2026 and include VAT unless the operator says otherwise. Trailer figures are for Ifor Williams single- and double-horse trailers.
Budget boxes. A few operators offer basic, older 3.5t boxes from £65 to £75 a day, usually with a lower mileage allowance. They suit short trips to lessons, clinics or the vet.
Bigger lorries. Far fewer firms hire out lorries over 3.5 tonnes to drive yourself. Those that do often quote on request or ask for a 2-day minimum. One operator in the North West charges £250 for two days or £550 for a week in a 4.5 tonne box with living, toilet and beds.
Trailers. Trailer hire firms usually charge a minimum for up to 36 hours, then a lower rate per extra day. Long-term trailer hire runs from about £228 to £300 a month for a new Ifor Williams. You normally need to insure the trailer yourself, so check your car policy covers towing a hired trailer.
What changes the price
Day of the week. Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays usually cost £10 to £25 more than a weekday. Show weekends from spring to early autumn book up weeks ahead.
How long you need it. Half-day and evening slots are cheapest for a quick vet trip or lesson. Multi-day and weekly rates work out cheaper per day.
The box itself. Newer boxes, extra payload for bigger horses, day living, CCTV to the horse area and air-conditioned cabs all cost more.
Mileage. Most daily rates include 250 to 300 miles. Budget boxes may include as little as 100.
Collection times. Picking up the evening before or returning the next morning usually adds £15 to £40.
Delivery. A few operators will bring the box to your yard, charged per mile.
Extra costs to budget for
The headline day rate is rarely the whole bill. These are the extras that come up most often.
Extra | Typical cost | Notes |
Security deposit | £200 to £250 | Paid to the operator at collection, refunded when the box comes back clean, fuelled and undamaged. Some take £500 if you don't buy damage cover |
Damage excess | Up to £1,500 | What you pay towards any damage. Some operators let you reduce it for about £10 a day |
Extra miles | 30p to £1 per mile | Charged over the daily allowance |
Fuel | Your cost | Most boxes go out full and must come back full |
Cleaning | Up to £25 | Some include cleaning; all expect droppings removed |
Extra driver | About £10 a day | Each driver must meet the same age and licence rules |
Booking deposit | £50 per day to 50% of the hire | Often non-refundable if you cancel |
Ask for the full price, including deposit and excess, before you book. Get the cancellation terms in writing too.
Can you drive it?
What you can drive depends on the vehicle's maximum authorised mass (MAM), its fully loaded legal weight. It is printed on the plate, usually inside the cab door. Check your own licence on GOV.UK.
Vehicle | Licence you need |
Horsebox up to 3,500kg | Standard car licence (category B) |
Horsebox 3,500kg to 7,500kg | Category C1. Drivers who passed their car test before 1 January 1997 usually have it already |
Horsebox over 7,500kg | Category C (HGV) |
Horse trailer behind a car | Car licence: trailer up to 3,500kg MAM, car and trailer together up to 7,000kg |
Hire firms add their own rules on top. Expect:
a minimum age of 21 to 25, and a maximum of 70 to 75
your licence held for at least 2 years, sometimes 5
no more than 6 penalty points
a DVLA licence check code, proof of address and ID at collection (some firms want the code generated within the last 48 hours)
A 3.5t box has a limited payload, often around 1,000 to 1,100kg for horses, people and kit. Two big horses can take it over the legal limit, so ask for the payload before you book.
Checklist before you book
[ ] The licence on your card covers the box's MAM
[ ] You meet the operator's age, years-held and points rules
[ ] Insurance is included, and you know the excess
[ ] Breakdown and equine recovery cover are included
[ ] You know the mileage allowance and the price per extra mile
[ ] The payload suits your horse, or horses, plus tack
[ ] Partitions, ramp and stalling suit your horse
[ ] Collection and return times work for your show times
[ ] You have the deposit, cancellation and cleaning terms in writing
[ ] You have photos or a video of the box at collection, inside and out
Never pay a stranger by bank transfer to hold a box you haven't seen from a business you can't check. Book with an operator you can verify.
Thinking of buying? Hire it first
A used 3.5t horsebox can cost thousands, and every model drives differently. A day's hire costs about £100 to £120 and tells you a lot: how it handles on the motorway, whether your horse loads and travels calmly, and whether you really need living.
If you hire three or four times a year, hiring is likely to stay cheaper than owning. If you're out most weekends, buying may start to make sense.
Book horsebox hire on Horse Marketplace
On Horse Marketplace, you can see a hire operator's prices, check availability on a calendar and book by card. There are no booking fees: the price you see is the price you pay. Each listing shows the insurer, excess, mileage and cancellation terms up front. Look for the Verified partner badge, which we add once we've checked an operator's insurance and licences.
The security deposit is paid to the operator when you collect the box, not through us.
Browse horsebox hire · Browse trailer hire
Hire out horseboxes or trailers?
List them on Horse Marketplace and take bookings and card payments online. Contact us about founding member rates.
Note: Price evidence (opened or seen 14 Oct 2026)
Sources: GOV.UK driving licence categories (category B, C1, C, trailer weights); pre-1997 C1 entitlement and DVLA check code at collection from Barlow Trailers; £100 average weekday, ~£20 more at weekends and 21 to 25 minimum age from Horse & Hound (older article, used as a cross-check only).
