A rental purchase option lets you rent a forklift with some or all of the rental payments crediting toward buying it. It suits buyers who are uncertain, cash-constrained or credit-limited, and it costs more than financing if you were always going to buy.
Get Free Quotes 👑A rental purchase option, often shortened to RPO, is a rental agreement that includes the right to buy the machine, with a defined share of the rent already paid applied against the purchase price. You are renting until you exercise the option, which means the equipment belongs to the dealer and you are not committed to buying. The attraction is optionality: you get the machine working now and decide later.
This is the number that matters and it varies widely. Some agreements credit the full rental amount, some a percentage, and many apply a declining credit where early months count more than later ones. There is often a cap on how many months of rent can be applied. Two RPO offers with identical monthly rates can differ substantially in what you end up paying for the machine, so get the credit structure in writing and calculate the total purchase cost under each.
It fits a few situations well. When you genuinely do not know whether you need the machine long term, such as a new contract that may or may not renew. When capital is constrained and you cannot fund a down payment. When your credit does not yet support a conventional finance approval, since rental underwriting is often easier. And when you want to evaluate a specific truck or brand in your actual operation before committing.
If you know you are buying, RPO is usually the most expensive route to ownership. Conventional financing or a capital lease almost always produces a lower total cost, because the rental rate carries the dealer risk of you walking away and that risk is priced in. Buyers who use RPO as a default rather than for a specific reason generally overpay.
During the rental period, maintenance responsibility follows the rental agreement, which usually means the dealer handles routine service and genuine breakdowns while you cover damage and misuse. That is a real benefit while it lasts. Confirm exactly when it ends, because the moment you exercise the option, maintenance becomes yours, and the handover point should be documented along with the service history.
You are buying a machine you have been running, so it has accumulated hours and wear during the rental. Check whether the purchase price was set at the start or is determined at exercise, and whether hours accumulated during the rental affect it. A fixed price agreed up front protects you if you work the machine hard. A price determined later can move against you.
Get the credit percentage and whether it declines over time. Get the cap on applicable months. Get the purchase price and whether it is fixed or determined at exercise. Get the deadline for exercising the option. Confirm who covers maintenance and when that shifts. Confirm what happens if you return the machine instead, including any return condition standards. And calculate the total cost of ownership under the RPO against a straight finance quote on the same machine, because that comparison is the whole decision.
Take the monthly rental, multiply by the months you expect to rent, subtract the credit that will apply, add the remaining purchase price. Compare that total against the purchase price plus finance charges on a conventional loan for the same machine over a similar period. If the RPO total is meaningfully higher, you are paying for the option to walk away, which is only worth it if you might actually use it.
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You rent the machine under an agreement that gives you the right to buy it, with a defined share of the rent paid applied against the purchase price. The equipment stays the dealer property until you exercise the option, so you are not committed to buying.
Not usually. Some agreements credit the full amount, many credit a percentage, and many apply a declining credit where early months count more. There is often a cap on applicable months. Get the structure in writing before comparing offers.
Generally no. If you know you are buying, conventional financing or a capital lease almost always costs less overall, because the rental rate prices in the dealer risk of you walking away. RPO buys optionality, and optionality is not free.
When you genuinely do not know if you need the machine long term, when capital is constrained, when your credit does not yet support conventional financing, or when you want to evaluate a specific truck in your operation before committing.
Normally the dealer handles routine service and genuine breakdowns during the rental period while you cover damage and misuse. Confirm exactly when that shifts, because maintenance becomes yours the moment you exercise the option.
The credit percentage and whether it declines, the cap on applicable months, whether the purchase price is fixed or set at exercise, the deadline to exercise, when maintenance responsibility shifts, and return conditions if you walk away.