trailer hire - buyer's guide
Best trailers to buy in 2026
Trailers are the easiest thing in this market to buy well, because a galvanised trailer from a known make barely depreciates and the used market is deep and active. That also means the mistakes are expensive in a different way: buy the wrong size or the wrong type and you will be living with it for a decade, because it will not wear out and giving up on it means selling at a loss you chose rather than one the market imposed. Get the payload and the towing limits right first, then pick the make.
Last reviewed 13 September 2026. Written for buyers planning a purchase in 2026.
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Which make, by what you need
The right make depends on the job rather than on a ranking. These are the ones worth shortlisting for each.
General work, garden waste and tip runs
The everyday working trailer. Ifor Williams is the default for resale and parts availability; Nugent competes head-on with shorter lead times; Blue Line is the British-built value option. Buy galvanised, and buy braked if you are near the weight limit.
Moving a car, a classic or a race vehicle
Loading angle and bed height matter more than headline price, because a low car that grounds on the ramps is a trailer you cannot use. Brian James is the benchmark; Woodford sits just below on price with a wide-body option for modern cars.
Plant, a mini digger or site machinery
Check the payload against the machine plus its attachments, not the machine alone - this is where most plant trailer purchases go wrong. Bateson is the specialist if you want a hydraulic tilt bed rather than ramps.
Horses
A two-make market in Britain with a credible continental alternative. Cheval Liberte offers aluminium construction and herringbone layouts that give more space per kilo; Bockmann is the premium option but check local servicing before buying.
A lockable box for tools, a bike or a kart
Tickners build to order in the colour and internal layout you ask for, which is why karting teams and driving schools use them. Debon and Anssems are the continental alternatives, with Anssems giving unusually high payload for the gross weight.
New or used?
- •Used is unusually safe in trailers. Galvanising does not rot, and a 15-year-old trailer from a known make can be perfectly sound.
- •What you are buying second hand is the chassis and the running gear. Bearings, brakes, the coupling and the floor are what to inspect; paint and looks tell you almost nothing.
- •Ask for the chassis number and the original paperwork. Trailer theft is common enough that provenance matters, and an unrecorded trailer is harder to insure and to sell on.
- •New buys you a warranty, a known history and the exact specification. On a trailer you intend to keep for twenty years, that is often worth the difference.
Before you buy
- Check your vehicle plate for its maximum towing weight, and your licence for what you are entitled to tow. Do this before you shortlist anything.
- Weigh what you actually carry. Payload decides the trailer, not the deck size.
- Decide braked or unbraked honestly - if you will regularly load near the limit, braked is not optional.
- Check the coupling height against your towing vehicle, particularly with a 4x4.
- Confirm what is included: spare wheel, jockey wheel, cover, straps, lighting board. These add up.
- If buying used, inspect bearings, brakes, the floor and the coupling. Take the chassis number.
What is changing
- •The used market stays strong, which keeps residuals high and makes buying less risky than in most equipment categories.
- •Continental makes continue to widen their UK dealer coverage, so servicing an Anssems or a Debon is easier than it was.
- •Security expectations keep rising. Wheel clamps, hitch locks and trackers are increasingly what insurers ask about rather than suggest.
Should you buy at all?
Worth settling before you shortlist anything. Our hire-or-buy guide works the break-even out using your own quotes.
Hire or buy trailers?Common questions
What should I look for when buying trailers in 2026?
Trailers are the easiest thing in this market to buy well, because a galvanised trailer from a known make barely depreciates and the used market is deep and active. That also means the mistakes are expensive in a different way: buy the wrong size or the wrong type and you will be living with it for a decade, because it will not wear out and giving up on it means selling at a loss you chose rather than one the market imposed. Get the payload and the towing limits right first, then pick the make.
Is it better to buy new or used?
Used is unusually safe in trailers. Galvanising does not rot, and a 15-year-old trailer from a known make can be perfectly sound. What you are buying second hand is the chassis and the running gear. Bearings, brakes, the coupling and the floor are what to inspect; paint and looks tell you almost nothing. Ask for the chassis number and the original paperwork. Trailer theft is common enough that provenance matters, and an unrecorded trailer is harder to insure and to sell on. New buys you a warranty, a known history and the exact specification. On a trailer you intend to keep for twenty years, that is often worth the difference.
Should I buy at all, or hire?
Depends entirely on how often you will use it. We have a separate guide that works the break-even out with your own quotes rather than our guesses.