Mini digger hire
A mini digger is the workhorse for driveways, foundations, site clearance and any job that needs real depth and power. Our JCB 48Z-1 is a 4.8-tonne zero tail swing excavator — the counterweight stays inside the track width when it slews, so it works right up to a wall or fence. At £200 per day including VAT, with £1 per mile delivery from your nearest depot.
JCB 48Z-1 5t mini excavator
Including VAT. Delivery £1 per road mile.
Weekly hire: £800 for 7 days — pay four days, keep it for seven. Weekend hire (Friday afternoon to Monday morning) is charged as a single day.
- Machine
- JCB 48Z-1
- Operating weight
- 4,795 kg
- Width
- 1,960 mm
- Dig depth
- 3.71 m
- Tail swing
- Zero — works flush to walls
- Engine
- JCB diesel, Stage V
What it is good for
- Driveway excavation and full site strip
- House extension footings and deeper foundations
- Bulk muck-away and site clearance
- Drainage and utility trenching at depth
- Car park and hardstanding preparation
- Farm tracks, ditching and yard work
Where we deliver
Delivered and collected by us from the Norwich & Peterborough depot (NR3 / PE1) at £1 per road mile, worked out on real driving distance to your postcode. Sites 40 road miles or further from the nearest depot carry a two-day minimum hire.
- Norwich
- Peterborough
- Great Yarmouth
- Cambridge
- Wymondham
- Dereham
- Wisbech
- Stamford
- March
- Ely
- Huntingdon
- Lowestoft
Who covers what.
No surprises after you book. This is exactly where our responsibility ends and yours begins on insurance, deposits and damage — the same wording as our hire agreement.
You cover the machine while it's on your site
Plant is not automatically insured by us once it leaves the depot. You need hired-in plant cover for the full replacement value (theft and accidental damage included), or you accept liability for loss and damage yourself. We may ask to see evidence of cover before we deliver.
No separate security deposit
We don't hold a damage deposit or take a card pre-authorisation. You pay the hire and delivery total up front — by card at checkout or bank transfer — and nothing further unless damage, loss, missing fuel or extra days are chargeable after collection.
Misuse and accidents are yours, breakdowns are ours
From delivery until collection the machine and attachments are your responsibility. Damage from misuse, neglect or an accident is charged at the reasonable cost of repair, and full replacement value if it's lost, stolen or written off. Fair wear and tear or a genuine mechanical breakdown is on us — stop work, ring the depot, and we'll repair or swap the machine as fast as we can.
Back clean and refuelled
Machines arrive serviced, clean and full of fuel. Return them the same way. If a machine comes back excessively dirty or short of fuel we charge the reasonable cost of cleaning or refuelling — no arbitrary penalty fees.
Access, services and competent operators
You confirm safe, legal access for our transport, mark or trace underground services before digging, and make sure only competent, trained operators use the machine. If we can't deliver or collect because access is blocked or nobody's on site, a wasted-journey charge equal to the delivery cost may apply.
Free to cancel up to 48 hours before delivery
Full refund outside 48 hours. Inside 48 hours we may keep one day's hire for the lost slot and transport. Date changes are free subject to availability.
Read the full hire terms →Mini digger hire — FAQs
What is a mini digger used for?
Mini diggers — sometimes called mini excavators — cover the ground between micro machines and full-size excavators. Our 4.8-tonne JCB 48Z-1 is used for driveway excavation, extension footings, drainage trenches, site strip, muck-away, car park preparation and farm tracks. It digs to 3.71 m and shifts spoil far faster than a 1-tonne machine, so it is usually the cheaper choice once you count the days saved.
How much does it cost to hire a mini digger?
Our 5-tonne JCB 48Z-1 is £200 per day including VAT, plus £1 per road mile delivery from the nearest depot. The 1-tonne JCB 8008 CTS micro digger is £75 per day for jobs where access is the limiting factor. The booking page shows the exact total, including delivery, before you pay.
Will a mini digger fit in my driveway?
The JCB 48Z-1 is 1,960 mm wide, so it needs a clear opening of about 2 m. Most driveways, double gates and open plots are fine. If your access is narrower than a metre, you will need the JCB 8008 CTS micro digger instead. If you are unsure, send a photo of the access and we will tell you which machine fits.
Do I need a licence to drive a mini digger?
On private domestic work there is no legal licence requirement, and our machines go out on a self-drive basis to competent operators. On commercial or CDM-regulated sites the principal contractor usually expects a CPCS or NPORS card. If you would rather not operate it yourself, we can supply an experienced operator with the JCB 8008 CTS for £200 per day.
How much is delivery?
Delivery is £1 per road mile from our nearest depot (NR3 or PE1), charged on genuine driving distance to your postcode rather than a flat zone rate — so a job five minutes away costs a fraction of one an hour away. The booking page works the cost out live from your postcode before you pay, and all prices include VAT. Sites 40 road miles or further from the nearest depot carry a two-day minimum hire.
What happens if something goes wrong on site?
Every machine leaves us serviced, fuelled and checked, and we walk you through the controls at handover. If a machine develops a genuine fault during your hire, call the depot and we will repair or swap it — you are not charged for downtime that is our fault. You are responsible for the machine while it is on your site, so it should be immobilised and secured overnight, and any accidental damage or loss is chargeable.