Finance Assets arranges pay and display machine finance for UK car park operators, landowners, hotels, retail parks and private estates buying pay and display machines, parking meters and car park pay stations.
Pay and display machine finance spreads the cost of parking payment equipment over 2 to 5 years, so you can equip a new car park, replace coin-only machines with card and app payment, or add ANPR, without a large cash outlay. We arrange hire purchase, finance leases and operating leases for new and refurbished machines, including installation.
Written by Marcus Wright, founder of Bolton Business Finance Ltd, in financial services since 2008 and a commercial finance broker since 2019. Last reviewed October 2026.
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The short version
- Pay and display machine finance spreads the cost of pay and display machines, parking meters and pay stations over 2 to 5 years.
- Machines that take card, contactless and app payments are the easiest to fund.
- ANPR cameras, barriers and installation can usually go on the same agreement.
- Operators should match the finance term to the remaining length of their site agreements.
- Finance Assets arranges pay and display machine finance for limited companies and LLPs, and for sole traders and partnerships on agreements over £25,000.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Equipment covered | Pay and display machines, parking meters, pay on foot stations, barriers and ANPR camera systems |
| Deal sizes | From a single car park to a rollout across an operator’s whole estate |
| Terms | Usually 2 to 5 years, and no longer than the site agreement |
| Paid upfront | Hire purchase: often a 10% deposit plus VAT. Leases: usually 1 to 3 rentals in advance |
| New or refurbished | Both, from established parking equipment suppliers |
| Who we help | Limited companies and LLPs, plus sole traders and partnerships on business agreements over £25,000 |
Pay and display machines and parking meters we finance
Lenders will fund most parking payment equipment, provided it comes from an established supplier on a clear, itemised quote.
| Equipment | Examples |
|---|---|
| Pay and display machines | Solar or mains powered machines taking coins, cards, contactless and app payments, with ticket or ticketless operation |
| Parking meters | Single and multi-bay meters, including refurbished units |
| Pay on foot | Pay stations, entry and exit terminals and barriers for multi-storey and gated car parks |
| ANPR | Number plate recognition cameras, servers and the software that links them to payment |
| Installation | Bases, ducting, power supplies, signage and commissioning |
Site agreements and parking income
A few points about parking equipment change how lenders look at it.
- Management contracts. Operators often run car parks for landowners. Lenders look at how long each agreement has left, and the finance term usually ends before it does.
- Payment options. Machines that take cards, contactless and app payments as well as coins stay useful for longer and resell more easily, so lenders prefer them to coin-only machines.
- Parking income. Lenders look at income per site, and for operators, how much comes from any one landowner or client.
- Landowners running their own sites. Hotels, retail parks, leisure sites and private estates can fund machines for their own car parks, with the parking income shown in their accounts.
Finance options for pay and display machines
Which option suits depends on whether you want to own the machines and how long your site agreements run. Our types of asset finance guide covers each option in more depth.
| Type | How it works | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Hire purchase | A deposit, then fixed monthly payments. You own the machines after the last one | Landowners and operators on long site agreements |
| Finance lease | Rentals with VAT added to each one. The lender owns the machines | Equipping several car parks at once |
| Operating lease | Lower rentals set around the machines’ expected resale value. Hand back or upgrade at the end | Shorter site agreements, or keeping technology current |
| Type | VAT | Tax treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Hire purchase | VAT on the full price is paid at the start, and a VAT-registered business usually reclaims it on its next return | The business is treated as the owner, so it may be able to claim capital allowances, such as the annual investment allowance, or full expensing for companies buying new equipment |
| Finance lease | VAT is added to each rental and reclaimed as normal | Rentals are usually deductible as a business expense |
| Operating lease | VAT is added to each rental | Rentals are usually deductible, and the lender claims the capital allowances |
Your accountant can confirm how each option works for your tax position.
Hire purchase for pay and display machines
Hire purchase for pay and display machines suits a landowner or operator that will run the machines for many years. You pay a deposit, often around 10% plus the VAT, then fixed monthly payments, and the machines become yours after the final payment and a small option fee.
Finance lease for pay and display machines
A finance lease for pay and display machines spreads the VAT across the rentals, which helps when an operator equips several car parks at once. The lender owns the machines, and at the end you can usually carry on at a small secondary rental, or sell them for the lender and keep most of the proceeds.
Operating lease for pay and display machines
An operating lease for pay and display machines suits an operator on a shorter site agreement, or one that wants to keep up with payment technology. The rentals are set around what the machines should be worth at the end, so they are lower than a finance lease, and you hand them back or upgrade when the lease ends.
Hire purchase and leasing for parking meters
Parking meters are funded in the same three ways. Hire purchase for parking meters leads to ownership, a finance lease for parking meters spreads the VAT, and an operating lease for parking meters lets you hand them back at the end. Refurbished meters from an established supplier can be funded too, usually over a shorter term.
Pay and display machine finance costs: a worked example
A car park package of pay and display machines with card and app payment, an ANPR camera system and installation at £48,000 costs about £1,374 a month on a 3-year hire purchase, or about £1,075 a month over 4 years.
| Item | 3 years | 4 years |
|---|---|---|
| Price (excl. VAT) | £48,000 | £48,000 |
| Deposit (10%) | £4,800 | £4,800 |
| VAT paid upfront | £9,600 | £9,600 |
| Monthly payment | £1,373.75 | £1,075.03 |
| Total interest | £6,255 | £8,402 |
The longer term lowers the monthly payment by about £299 but adds around £2,147 of interest.
Illustration calculated in October 2026, assuming an interest rate of 9% a year. It is not a quote. Your rate depends on your trading history, credit profile and the equipment.
What lenders look for in pay and display machine finance applications
Lenders look at the usual financial documents, plus the sites and agreements the machines will serve.
- Accounts and bank statements. The last two years of accounts, recent management accounts and three to six months of business bank statements.
- Supplier quote. An itemised quote showing machines, ANPR, installation and any software separately.
- Site agreements. For operators, the management contracts or leases for each site and how long they have left.
- Owner or director history. Lenders check the credit records of the directors, partners or owner, and may ask for personal guarantees on newer businesses or larger rollouts.
Related guides
- Point of sale finance, for EPOS, card terminals and barcoding
- Wheelie bin finance, for commercial waste containers and recycling banks
- Transport and haulage finance
- Types of asset finance
- All sectors we finance
Who we can help
We arrange pay and display machine finance for UK limited companies and LLPs, and for sole traders and partnerships on agreements over £25,000 that are for business purposes. We are not authorised by the FCA, so we cannot arrange agreements of £25,000 or less for sole traders or partnerships of two or three partners, or finance for personal use.
Pay and display machine finance FAQs
How much does it cost to lease or finance a pay and display machine?
It depends on the number of machines, the payment options and the term. As an illustration, a £48,000 package of pay and display machines, ANPR cameras and installation costs about £1,374 a month over 3 years on hire purchase at 9%, after a 10% deposit and the VAT paid upfront, or about £1,075 a month over 4 years.
Can I finance refurbished parking meters?
Yes. Refurbished parking meters and pay and display machines from an established supplier can be funded, usually over a shorter term than new machines. Lenders look at the age of the machine, the refurbishment carried out and whether it takes card and app payments.
Can a car park operator finance machines on a management contract?
Yes. Lenders fund pay and display machines and parking meters for operators running sites under management contracts. They look at how long the contracts run and how much income comes from each landowner, and the finance term usually ends before the contract does.
Can ANPR cameras go on the same agreement?
Usually, yes. ANPR cameras, barriers, pay stations and the installation work can go on the same agreement as the pay and display machines, as long as equipment makes up most of the cost. Ongoing software or monitoring fees are normally paid to the supplier separately.
Should I buy or lease pay and display machines?
If you own the land or have a long site agreement, hire purchase usually works out cheapest over the life of the machines. If your agreement is short, or you want to upgrade as payment technology changes, an operating lease lets you hand the machines back at the end.
Get a pay and display machine finance quote
Tell us about the machines
Send us the supplier quote and a few details about your sites. We will come back with the options that are realistic and what they are likely to cost.
About the author
Marcus Wright is the owner and founder of Bolton Business Finance Ltd, which trades as Finance Assets. He has worked in financial services since 2008, beginning his career at Santander, and has been a commercial finance broker since March 2019.
He founded Bolton Business Finance in 2020 to give businesses access to the whole lending market rather than one bank’s own product range. The firm is a member of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers and works with a panel of 135+ lenders. Call 0161 546 9128.
Finance Assets is a trading name of Bolton Business Finance Ltd, an independent commercial finance brokerage, not a lender. We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and can only complete non-regulated introductions. All lending is for business purposes only. Registered address: Westgate House, 1 Westgate Avenue, Bolton, Greater Manchester, BL1 4RF. Company number 12495909.