Mini digger hire in Peterborough
Our Peterborough depot covers the city, the fens and the Stamford and Huntingdon corridors. Two machines, both modern JCB: the 4.8-tonne 48Z-1 zero tail swing mini excavator at £200 per day, and the 1-tonne 8008 CTS micro digger at £75 per day for jobs where access is the limiting factor. Delivered from PE1 at £1 per road mile, all prices including VAT.
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 Peterborough depot (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.
- Peterborough
- Whittlesey
- March
- Stamford
- Oundle
- Yaxley
- Ramsey
- Wisbech
- Bourne
- Huntingdon
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 Peterborough — FAQs
Which digger suits fenland ground conditions?
Fen peat and silt are soft and hold water, which is a genuine consideration. The lighter 1-tonne micro digger imposes far less ground pressure and is less likely to sink, but it also struggles to reach depth in wet trenching where the sides slump. The 4.8-tonne 48Z-1 has the reach and power to get down to 3.71 m, but on very soft ground you will want boards or mats under it. Tell Caiden on 07387 967 698 what the ground is like and he will steer you to the right machine rather than the dearer one.
How much is mini digger hire in Peterborough?
£200 per day including VAT for the 5-tonne JCB 48Z-1, or £75 per day for the 1-tonne JCB 8008 CTS micro digger. Delivery is £1 per road mile from our PE1 depot, so within Peterborough itself that is typically under £10. Single-day hire is available across the city and the surrounding villages — our two-day minimum applies only to sites 40 road miles or further out, which from PE1 means places like Cambridge.
Do you cover Stamford, March and Wisbech?
Yes, all three, along with Whittlesey, Oundle, Ramsey, Yaxley, Bourne and Huntingdon. Stamford is around 14 road miles from the depot, March about 16 and Wisbech about 23, so delivery on those runs is roughly £14, £16 and £23 respectively each way as calculated by the booking page from your exact postcode. All of them sit comfortably inside 40 miles, so single-day hire is available.
Can I hire a digger with a driver in Peterborough?
Yes. Operated hire is available for the JCB 8008 CTS micro digger at £200 per day on top of the machine rate, which suits customers who want the job done rather than a machine to learn on. For operated hire of the 5-tonne machine, or for a full groundworks quote, call Caiden on 07387 967 698 and he will price the work.
How much is delivery?
Delivery is £1 per road mile from our Peterborough depot (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.
Do I need a licence or ticket to use it?
There is no legal requirement for a licence on private domestic work, and our machines go out on a self-drive basis to competent operators. On commercial and CDM-regulated sites your principal contractor will normally expect a CPCS or NPORS card for excavator operation. If you would rather not operate it yourself, we can supply a trained operator with the JCB 8008 CTS for £200 per day — just ask when you book.
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.