Autonomous forklifts · Hire
Autonomous forklift hire UK
Autonomous forklift hire UK means running driverless forklift trucks on your own site for an agreed period without buying them: the robot, charging, fleet software, commissioning, maintenance and UK-based support are supplied under one agreement for one recurring charge. FlyWei arranges hire on the same 18 autonomous forklift models it leases and sells, from pallet trucks and stackers to counterbalanced and reach trucks, deployed and supported by UK-based engineers from our London office.
In the UK, hire fills the gap between a fixed lease and an outright purchase. Third-party logistics contracts rarely line up with a multi-year lease, retail and grocery volumes swing around the fourth quarter, cold stores run seasonal peaks, and many operators want to prove a driverless forklift on one live task before committing a whole site. Hire gives you a defined start, a defined finish and a defined exit, and the same M4 fleet manager, maintenance and support as a lease.
Free UK site survey · no obligation · 8 to 14 weeks from survey to running
UK-based engineers · reply within one business day
Who autonomous forklift hire suits
Hire is the right route when the need has an end date, or when you want proof before a longer commitment. Four situations come up again and again on UK sites.
Seasonal peaks
Retail, grocery and parcel operations that need extra pallet movement for the fourth quarter or a promotional window, then want the trucks collected when the peak ends.
Pilots and proofs of concept
Sites that want to run a driverless forklift on one live task, measure it against their own numbers, and then decide between lease, purchase or scaling the hire.
Contract-length projects
Third-party logistics providers whose customer contract runs for a defined period and who want the robot fleet to run to the same end date.
Cold store seasons
Temperature-controlled sites with a harvest, festive or summer peak, where recruiting drivers for freezer work is hardest and the work runs around the clock.
What is included in the hire
One agreement covers everything the fleet needs to run. There is no separate software licence, service contract or support plan to sign.
The robot
A CE-certified autonomous forklift from the range we deploy with our manufacturing partners, in the class the survey recommends: pallet truck, stacker, counterbalanced or reach truck.
Charging
The charging equipment the fleet needs and a charging plan sized to your shift pattern, agreed at the survey and set up during commissioning.
Fleet software
The M4 fleet manager licence for the hire term. M4 runs mixed fleets over VDA 5050 and connects to your WMS, WCS or ERP through REST API.
Commissioning
Site mapping, navigation calibration, WMS integration, safety validation and operator training, following the four-phase Discover, Simulate, Deploy, Audit method.
UK support
UK-based engineers, remote monitoring through M4 and on-site support for the life of the hire, with PUWER and LOLER referenced in the deployment.
Maintenance
Scheduled and reactive maintenance with wear parts and software updates, so the fleet stays production-ready for the whole term.
Lead time: 8 to 14 weeks from survey to running
A standard FlyWei deployment takes 8 to 14 weeks from the site survey to production go-live, and a hire follows the same four phases as a lease or a purchase: Discover, Simulate, Deploy, Audit. Plan a peak-season hire back from the date the fleet must be running.
| Deployment | Survey to running | What the time covers |
|---|---|---|
| Standard single-site hire | 8 to 14 weeks | Site mapping, navigation calibration, WMS integration, safety validation and operator training |
| Larger multi-zone sites, fleets above 20 robots | 14 to 20 weeks | The same phases across more zones, with fleet-level simulation before go-live |
| Free site survey | The clock starts here | In person or from your drawings; no obligation |
Adding trucks to a site that is already mapped, or extending a hire, is quoted separately; ask us for the timing on your site. A European demonstration site is available if you want to see the trucks running before a hire starts, and a UK demonstration facility is planned for 2027.
What you can hire
All 18 models in the FlyWei autonomous forklift range are available on hire, in four classes. The survey recommends the class from your aisle width, lift height, load and floor, not from a catalogue.
| Class | Capacity | Typical hire task |
|---|---|---|
| Pallet trucks | 300 to 3,000 kg | Ground-level pallet transport, cross-dock, goods in |
| Stacker forklifts | 1,000 to 2,000 kg | Very narrow aisle racking and ground-level stacking |
| Counterbalanced | 1,400 to 3,000 kg | Wide-aisle pallet operations |
| Reach trucks | 1,400 kg, 3 m standard lift | Narrow-aisle and high-bay racking |
See every model, with specifications, on the autonomous forklifts page.
Regions covered: UK-wide from London
FlyWei hires and supports autonomous forklifts across the United Kingdom from Office One, 1 Coldbath Square, London EC1R 5HL. Engineers travel to sites in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; the survey and commissioning happen on your premises, and support runs remotely through M4 with on-site visits when they are needed.
Distribution hubs, food and drink sites, third-party logistics warehouses and cold stores are the usual hire locations, and the site survey is free wherever in the UK you are.
Talk to the hire team
- Phone020 3576 6910
- Emailsales@flywei.co.uk
- OfficeOffice One, 1 Coldbath Square, London EC1R 5HL
The hire process: survey, layout, quote, install, handover
Five steps from first contact to a running fleet. The first is free and carries no obligation.
1. Survey
A UK-based FlyWei engineer visits, maps your flows, checks floor, racking and aisle conditions, and recommends the robot classes, fleet size and integration. Free, with no obligation.
2. Layout
We produce the layout and simulation for your site: routes, charging positions, pick and drop points and safety zones, so you see the fleet on your own drawing before anything is shipped.
3. Quote
A hire quote for the agreed term, unit count and robot mix, with the software, commissioning, maintenance and support written in. Hire is arranged subject to approval, with the terms confirmed in the quote.
4. Install
Delivery, site mapping, navigation calibration, WMS integration and safety validation by UK-based engineers, inside the 8 to 14 week window.
5. Handover
Operator and supervisor training, M4 live, and support in place for the term. At the end you extend, return, convert or scale.
Hire, lease or buy an autonomous forklift?
The same robots, M4 software, maintenance and UK support are available on all three routes. The difference is the term, who owns the trucks, how you upgrade and how the cost sits in your cash flow.
| Hire | Lease | Buy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Agreed per site around your project, season or contract | Fixed multi-year term, chosen to suit the site | None: the asset is yours |
| Ownership | Stays with FlyWei; your team operates the fleet | Stays with the lessor; ownership by agreement at the end of longer terms | Yours from delivery |
| Upgrade path | Swap or add trucks at agreed review points; move to a lease when the site settles | Refresh to the latest generation at the end of the term | A new purchase each time |
| Cash flow | Recurring charge, no capital outlay, the shortest commitment | Predictable monthly rate over the term | Capital up front, then separate service and software contracts |
| Best for | Peaks, pilots, contract-length projects, cold store seasons | Settled sites wanting the lowest recurring rate | Long-horizon owners with capital available |
Accounting treatment differs by route and by operator; speak to your own finance team. Fixed lease terms are set out on the leasing page, purchase is covered in the UK cost guide, and the ROI calculator works payback from your own operating figures with no FlyWei price built in.
Ending or extending a hire
A hire is designed to have an exit. The notice period, the return condition and the review points are written into the agreement, so both sides know what happens at the end before the trucks arrive.
Extend
Tell us before the end date and the hire rolls on for a further agreed period, with the same software, maintenance and support in place.
Scale
Add trucks of the same class to a mapped site, or add a class, under the same agreement, sized from the volumes you are now seeing.
Convert
Move the running fleet on to a lease when the site is settled, or ask about purchase, so your team keeps the trucks it already knows.
Return
At the end of the term we collect the trucks and charging equipment. The return condition and the notice period are set in the agreement.
Autonomous forklift hire FAQs
What is the minimum hire term for an autonomous forklift?
The minimum term is agreed per site rather than fixed in a price list. It is built around the reason for the hire: a peak, a pilot, a customer contract or a cold store season. Ask us and we will set the term with the quote, after the free site survey.
How many autonomous forklifts can I hire?
From a small fleet up to a multi-zone deployment, in one class or a mix of pallet trucks, stackers, counterbalanced and reach trucks, all run by one M4 fleet manager. The survey sizes the fleet from your volumes, shift pattern and layout rather than from a catalogue, and trucks can be added to a mapped site during the hire.
What happens if a hired robot is damaged?
Fair wear and tear is covered by the maintenance included in the hire. Damage caused by misuse, by collisions with other site traffic or by changes to the site that were not agreed is dealt with under the damage terms of the hire agreement, which we set out before you sign. Ask us to walk through them with the quote.
Who insures the robots during the hire?
Insurance responsibilities are written into the hire agreement rather than assumed. In UK equipment hire the hirer usually covers the equipment while it is on their premises, and we confirm exactly who insures what, and for how much, with the quote.
Is the fleet software included in the hire?
Yes. The M4 fleet manager licence runs for the whole hire term. M4 dispatches tasks to the trucks, runs mixed fleets over VDA 5050 and connects to your WMS, WCS or ERP through REST API, so orders flow to the robots without re-keying. There is no separate software contract to sign.
What support do we get during the hire?
UK-based engineers, remote monitoring through M4, scheduled and reactive maintenance with wear parts, software updates and on-site visits when they are needed, for the whole term. Operator and supervisor training is part of commissioning, so your own team can run the fleet day to day.
Can we buy the autonomous forklifts at the end of the hire?
Ask us. A hire can move on to a lease by agreement when the term ends, and a purchase route is agreed case by case, so the fleet your team already knows can stay on site. See the leasing page for the fixed-term options and the cost guide for how purchase compares.
Can we start with one autonomous forklift?
A single-truck pilot can be agreed where one live task justifies it; ask us. Most hires start with a small fleet sized from your volumes, and the survey scopes the pilot so that it can scale without repeating the layout work. Adding trucks to a site that is already mapped is quoted separately.
Get a hire quote for your site
Book the free survey and FlyWei will size the fleet from your real volumes, then set out hire, lease and purchase side by side, with no obligation.
UK-based engineers · reply within one business day
UK-based engineers · 020 3576 6910 · sales@flywei.co.uk