plant hire brand
Kubota
The mini excavator most hire fleets standardise on. Reliability and the zero-tail-swing U series are the reasons - on a domestic driveway or a garden job, the ability to slew without catching a wall is worth more than extra breakout force.
Last reviewed 13 September 2026
Built in
Japan
UK availability
Widely available in the UK
Extremely common in UK hire fleets, particularly at the one to three tonne end.
What Kubota builds
Kubota model ranges
| Range | What it is |
|---|---|
| KX series | Conventional mini excavators |
| U series | Zero and reduced tail swing, for confined sites |
How Kubota compares
These are the makes buyers actually cross-shop against Kubota.
Kubota vs Takeuchi
Credited with building the first compact excavator, and still a specialist rather than a full-line manufacturer. Operators tend to rate the hydraulics, and fleets buy them where a machine will be worked hard all day.
Kubota vs JCB
The default British plant make and the one hire customers ask for by name. Fleets buy JCB because operators already know the controls, parts turn up quickly and residual values hold, which matters more to a hire business than any single spec on the sheet.
Kubota vs Bobcat
The brand that turned into the generic word for a skid-steer. Hire customers ask for "a Bobcat" when they mean the machine class, which is exactly the kind of brand recognition that drives search volume whoever ends up supplying the machine.
Kubota vs Hitachi
An excavator specialist with a long reputation for hydraulic smoothness. Operators who spend all day in the seat tend to have strong opinions about Zaxis machines, and fleets that serve civils work stock them for that reason.
UK companies hiring and selling Kubota
No listed company has told us they carry Kubota yet.
That does not mean nobody near you does - most plant hire firms carry several makes and list none of them. Start with the companies covering your area:
Browse plant hire companiesOther makes
GetBrent is an independent directory of UK hire and sales companies. We are not a Kubota dealer and have no affiliation with, or endorsement from, Kubota. The Kubota name and model names are trademarks of their owner, used here only to identify the products they refer to. Specifications vary by model year and market - always confirm weights, dimensions and towing limits with the supplier before hiring or buying.