Forklift prices in the UK: what each type costs, from £3,370 ex VAT

What does a forklift cost in the UK right now?

The honest answer is that a forklift is not one product with one price. A counterbalance truck that spends its life on a smooth warehouse floor, a yard truck that works outside in November rain and a man up machine that picks at 10 m are three different machines, and the gap between them is tens of thousands of pounds.

Across the forklift range the entry point is a lithium battery electric counterbalance truck of 1 to 3.5 t, from £3,370 ex VAT. An LPG truck on pneumatic tyres of 3 to 5 t starts from £3,980 ex VAT, and a 2 to 4.5 t diesel with a cabin from £4,460 ex VAT. From there the figure climbs with capacity, lift height, steering and anything that has to work in a narrow aisle.

Two things are worth saying before the table. All figures are guide prices in GBP ex VAT, and they are for new trucks built to order at our partner factories, inspected with photos and video before dispatch. Freight, duty, VAT and timing are confirmed on your written quote, which holds for 30 days.

Forklift prices by type: the comparison

The table below uses real from prices in the range, so you can see which band your job falls into before you ask for a quote.

Read the bands rather than the individual figures. Most cash and carry, wholesale and small factory buyers land in the first three rows. The jump to the last two rows is not a trim level, it is a different kind of truck bought to save aisle width, and it only pays when the racking layout genuinely demands it.

Why two 3.5 t trucks can be thousands apart

Capacity is the headline, but it is rarely what moves the price most. These are the things that do.

• Power source. A lithium electric truck starts from £3,370 ex VAT while a 2 t lead acid electric starts from £4,520 ex VAT. Lithium packs charge in breaks without a battery change area, which is often what decides it on a single shift site.
• Mast. A two stage mast lifts to a standard height for a lower figure. A three stage mast with free lift costs more and is what lets you work inside a container or under a low door head.
• Cabin and heater. On a yard truck a closed cabin is the difference between a driver who works through a wet January and one who does not. It is a real line on the quote.
• Tyres. Cushion tyres suit smooth concrete. Pneumatic tyres cost more and are the sensible choice on broken yard surfaces, as on the 3 to 5 t LPG truck from £3,980 ex VAT.
• Fork length and attachments. Forks of 1070 mm are standard, 1220 mm suits deeper loads. A side shifter, a fork positioner or a clamp adds to the price and takes capacity away, so the rating must be checked with the attachment fitted.

If your loads are under 2 t and your aisles are the problem rather than the weight, a three wheel electric counterbalance from £4,910 ex VAT is often better value than a bigger four wheel truck at a similar figure, because the turning circle is what you are buying.

What the guide price includes, and what the quote adds

The figure on a product page is a guide price in GBP ex VAT, converted from the factory list at a buffered exchange rate. It is the starting point for a specification, not a delivered total.

Your written quote by email sets out the specification, the price for the quantity you want, freight to your UK address, duty, VAT and the timing. It is valid for 30 days. Nothing is payable through the website: a basket is an order request, and the quote comes back to you by email. Any quantity is welcome, from one truck upward, and the quote confirms the price for that quantity.

Ask for the quote to name the mast type and closed height, the fork length, the tyres, the battery and charger where it is an electric truck, and the attachment if one is fitted. Those five lines are what make two quotes comparable. The price guide explains how the guide figures are built.

The costs that come after the purchase price

Buyers who only compare purchase figures get caught out in year two. Budget for these.

• Energy. Electricity for charging, or gas bottles and diesel for an engine truck. An electric truck also needs a charging point in a sensible place, with room to park the truck off the traffic route.
• Thorough examination. A forklift is lifting equipment, so it falls under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Plan for a thorough examination at the interval that applies to the truck and how it is used, and keep the reports.
• Maintenance. Hydraulic oil, filters, chains, brakes and tyres are consumables on any truck that works daily. Replacement wheels, forks and small parts are in the spare parts range.
• Operator training. Drivers need training under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, and HSE guidance L117 sets out what good training looks like for rider operated lift trucks. Refresher training is a recurring cost.

None of this changes which truck you should buy, but it does change the band you should shop in. A cheaper truck that cannot do the shift is the expensive option.

What to check before you buy a forklift

1. The heaviest load, not the average one. Rate the truck for your worst pallet, and check the load centre: a long load rated at 600 mm behaves very differently at 900 mm.
2. Lift height and the lowest doorway. Measure the top beam you must reach and the lowest opening the mast has to pass under, closed.
3. Where it works. Indoors only, outdoors only or both. That decides tyres, cabin and power source faster than any other question.
4. Aisle width. Measure the working aisle with pallets in place. If it is tight, price a three wheel or narrow aisle truck rather than squeezing a standard counterbalance in.
5. Floor and access. Check the floor loading, the ramp gradient on site and how the truck will be unloaded when it arrives.
6. Who drives it. Count trained operators and plan training for the rest before the truck lands.
7. What the quote covers. Specification, quantity, freight, duty, VAT and warranty terms in writing, on the quote.

Work through that list, then send it to us and ask for the written quote. It is faster than a phone call because every figure comes back in a form you can put in front of whoever signs it off.