Hire vs buy calculator
Enter your own hire quote, purchase price, fitting cost and resale estimate to see which works out cheaper for the way you camp.
A guide, not advice. Check your maker's figures.
Worked example
Made-up figures to show the maths. They aren't real prices: use your own quotes.
- Hire: £50.00 a night, 10 nights a year, for 3 years
- Buy: £2,000.00 plus £100.00 fitting, sold for £900.00 at the end
Hiring costs £1,500.00. Buying costs £2,000.00 + £100.00 − £900.00 = £1,200.00. Break-even: 8 nights a year.
Over 3 years, buying is cheaper on these figures: hiring costs £1,500.00 and buying costs £1,200.00 after resale. Buying breaks even at 8 nights a year.
How it works
Hiring = cost per night × nights per year × years. Buying = purchase price + fitting − resale value. Break-even nights a year = buying cost ÷ (cost per night × years). If hire costs nothing, buying never breaks even. If break-even is over 365 nights a year, hiring is cheaper at any realistic use.
There are no default prices: every figure is yours.
Frequently asked questions
Does it include storage or insurance?
No. Add anything else you'd pay into the fitting cost or the hire cost so the comparison stays fair.