---
title: "Procurement of Construction Equipment: Should I Buy, Lease, or Rent?"
description: "Rent, lease, or buy construction equipment? We clarify the advantages and disadvantages and explain which option is best for your construction project"
url: "/en/blog/buy-lease-or-rent-construction-equipment"
lang: en
---

# Procurement of Construction Equipment: Should I Buy, Lease, or Rent?

If you are tasked with procuring construction equipment for your building projects, you face an important decision: should these be purchased, rented, or leased? And when should machines be rented instead of purchased? Learn here about the advantages and disadvantages of renting construction equipment.

## Buy, Lease, or Rent Construction Equipment?

Without the right construction equipment, timely completion of a project can quickly be jeopardized. That's why most companies have a pool of machines such as excavators or wheel loaders that can be rented at any time. Companies want to deliver reliable work even during periods of growth or when executing extraordinary contracts.

How can the equipment fleet help increase the reliability and cost-effectiveness of your company?

### Advantages of Renting Construction Equipment

[The trend of renting machines](/en/rent) has now become established in various industries. The concept has also gained significant interest in the construction industry. In addition to financial savings and increased flexibility, the saved resources for machine maintenance also speak in favor of renting.

[**Renting construction equipment**](/en/mieten) offers many advantages – we have listed the most important ones here:

- guaranteed availability of construction equipment
- extensive range of offerings
- find machines nationwide for projects – including specialized machines
- costs only incurred for days of use
- no expenses for maintenance or repairs – full service provided by the lessor
- usually 100% tax deductibility of rental costs possible
- simplified budget planning, as costs typically only arise once a contract has been awarded
- short-term machine failures have no impact on customer satisfaction
- spare parts can easily be rented and returned free of charge when not in use
- rental machines are always up-to-date with the latest technology
- tax consideration of rental costs often possible
- no loss or theft risk, as rented machines are adequately insured

### Advantages of Purchasing Construction Equipment

What advantages does [purchasing construction equipment](/en/buy) offer? Owning your own small fleet can certainly make sense and offers the following advantages:

- own equipment in your machine pool that your employees are familiar with
- guaranteed availability of construction equipment
- **tax advantages** (depreciation, investment allowances)

### The Advantages of Leasing Construction Equipment

The third option besides renting or purchasing construction equipment is leasing, which offers the following advantages:

- own equipment for a certain period of time
- guaranteed availability
- distribution of investment sum across several months
- usually 100% tax deductibility of lease payments possible

[Discover klarx rental models](/en/rent)

## When Is Purchasing a Machine Worth It?

For frequently used machines such as [**mini excavators**](/en/mieten/erdbewegungsmaschinen/bagger/minibagger/s), [**wheel loaders**](/en/mieten/erdbewegungsmaschinen/lader/radlader/s), or [**vibrating plates**](/en/mieten/tools/verdichtungstechnik/ruettelplatten/s), a purchase of the machines will likely prove worthwhile in the long run. These are almost always needed, and employees have equipment they know and can rely on. However, for order peaks or special applications, additional machines are often needed. In such cases, the company faces the question of whether purchasing additional machines makes economic sense.

### What Should Be Considered When Deciding to Purchase Construction Equipment?

When you purchase a machine, you must also take care of repairs and maintenance and cover the associated costs. If it is truly only about order peaks or, for example, seasonal applications such as winter services, purchasing is not an economical option due to the high upfront investment costs. Leasing construction equipment becomes a more attractive option here.

## When Is Leasing Construction Equipment Worth It?

You have a new machine for the leasing period, which is returned to the lessor after the contract expires. This allows you to always access relatively current equipment that is up-to-date with current technology. Through longer lease terms, the investments for a new wheel loader or mini excavator are also spread over a longer period and do not burden the company with a high payment in the short term. This preserves equity and looks good on the balance sheet. Over the lease term, companies can deduct lease payments as expenses at 100%, which is an attractive option compared to purchasing, which must be depreciated over several years. However, these lease terms are usually at least 12 months and bind the company relatively long to one machine.

_However:_ Leasing is not truly a task-appropriate and flexible solution for construction equipment.

## Gain Flexibility Through Renting Construction Equipment

**If you want to flexibly adjust your fleet and manage construction equipment logistics transparently online,** then [**digital renting of construction equipment**](/en/mieten) is the right way for you. Because renting not only enables you to search for the right construction equipment for the corresponding project, but as a company you can also work across regions and rent construction equipment on-site. This saves you the transport of your own machines. Of course, as a tenant you also always get current machines that are in technically perfect condition. As a renter, you don't have to worry about maintenance and repairs and receive comprehensive service from the lessor. The greatest savings, however, comes from renting through the fact that rental and insurance costs only need to be paid for days of actual use.

## Renting Construction Equipment – the Best Solution

**Ownership means responsibility**. So if you want to own a **construction machine**, you must also cover repair and maintenance costs as well as spare parts expenses. Therefore: If machines or vehicles are only needed temporarily (for example, for seasonal use), purchasing is not a recommended option due to relatively high acquisition costs. In this case, you will certainly do better with an on-demand rental of needed machines. The same applies if you as a contractor are dependent on expensive specialized equipment for the execution of a construction project in the short term or frequently work at different work sites or construction sites.