Buying & Costs
Electric Tug Hire vs Buy: Which Makes Sense for Your Site?
Hire suits projects, trials and peaks; buying or leasing suits daily, long-term use. Here is how to decide for a MasterMover tug.
5 min read · Last updated 13 October 2026
Hire an electric tug when the need is temporary or uncertain — a factory move, a construction or commissioning phase, a seasonal peak, or a trial before committing. Buy or lease when the tug will be used every week for years, when you need a specific or stainless model, or when it becomes part of a production process. AWE offers MasterMover tugs to hire, buy or lease, and a free on-site demo is the best first step either way.
When hiring makes sense
- ›One-off or short projects: relocations, shutdowns, installation or commissioning.
- ›Trials: proving a tug works with your loads before a capital request.
- ›Peaks: extra capacity for a busy period.
- ›Uncertain future layouts, where the right model may change.
When buying or leasing makes sense
- ›Daily use as part of a production or logistics process.
- ›Specialist builds — stainless steel, ATEX or customised couplings.
- ›Long-term manual handling controls in your risk assessment.
- ›Leasing spreads the cost if you prefer not to buy outright — see finance options.
Questions to answer first
| Question | Points towards |
|---|---|
| Will we use it every week for 2+ years? | Buy or lease |
| Is the job a fixed-length project? | Hire |
| Do we need stainless steel or a custom coupling? | Buy or lease |
| Are we unsure which model fits? | Demo, then hire or buy |
Exact costs
Hire, lease and purchase costs depend on model, duration and options. Contact AWE for an exact quote.
Equipment we'd recommend
Models from the AWE range that suit the scenarios above. Specs are pulled straight from the product pages.
Frequently asked questions
Written by
The AWE Forklifts Team
Materials handling engineers, trainers and account managers, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin
AWE has supplied, hired, serviced and inspected materials handling equipment for Irish industry since 1985. Our guides are written by the same engineers who service the trucks, the instructors who deliver operator training, and the account managers who quote the hire rates — not by outside copywriters.
- Trading in Ireland since 1985
- Authorised Xilin forklift dealer for Ireland
- Official MasterMover electric tug distributor for Ireland
- Dublin workshop, parts store and training facility
- Nationwide mobile engineers, priority contract response
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