Pizza van start-up budget calculator
A UK pizza van costs roughly £18,000 to £60,000 to start, and the two numbers that move the total are the vehicle and the oven — everything else is comparatively fixed. The line most plans forget is working capital: the months of running costs you need before the trade settles.
Vehicle and equipment
Upright, prep counter.
Worktop, electrics, gas, extraction, sinks.
Gas safety, electrical, Level 2 Food Safety.
Opening and financing
Fuel, pitches, insurance, waste.
Before the trade settles.
Total investment
£45,900
Cash you need
£13,770
30% of the total
Monthly loan payment
£666.97
over 60 months
- Vehicle and equipment
- £37,000
- Certification, training and stock
- £1,700
- Working capital3 months at £2,400
- £7,200
- Amount borrowed
- £32,130
- Total interest over the term
- £7,887.96
Where the money actually goes
| Item | Used / modest | New / high spec |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle or trailer | £4,000 – 12,000 | £25,000 – 45,000 |
| Oven | £2,000 – 5,000 | £6,000 – 15,000 |
| Mixer, fridges, prep | £1,500 – 3,500 | £4,000 – 8,000 |
| Fit-out | £1,000 – 4,000 | £5,000 – 12,000 |
| Gas and electrical certification | £200 – 500 | £200 – 500 |
| Training and registration | £20 – 150 | £20 – 150 |
Ranges gathered from UK suppliers and trade sources, September 2026. Registering the food business itself is free.
What this does not include
Your own wages. The tool budgets the business's running costs, not your household — and a founder taking nothing for six months is a plan with a hidden cost in it. Add what you need to live to the monthly running cost if you want the honest number.
It also assumes a straightforward amortising loan. Asset finance on the vehicle, which is common in this trade, behaves differently and often has a balloon payment at the end.
Before you spend any of it
Secure the pitch first. A beautiful unit with nowhere legal to stand is the most expensive mistake available here, and street trading consent varies enormously between councils.
The registration, gas and street trading requirements, in full