If you are pricing out a dig in the GTA, the first question is almost always how much does it cost to rent a mini excavator per day, and the honest answer is that most compact machines in Toronto book between $250 and $450 for a single day, before delivery, fuel and attachments. That spread is wide because a 1 ton walk behind and a 3.5 ton cab machine with a thumb are not the same tool, and the yard rate only tells you part of what leaves your pocket. Here is the full picture, priced the way a contractor actually experiences it.
Fuel and float fees catch people out. mini excavator rates by weight class sets out where the money goes.
How much does it cost to rent a mini excavator per day in Toronto
A one day mini excavator rental in Toronto and the surrounding GTA typically runs $250 to $450 for the machine itself, with delivery adding $100 to $200 round trip depending on how far the float has to travel. When people ask how much does it cost to rent a mini excavator per day, they usually have a number in their head from a big box yard that quoted the smallest machine on the lot. Size drives price more than any other factor, so start there.
| Machine class | Operating weight | Typical dig depth | Day rate range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro / walk behind | Under 1 tonne | 4 to 5 ft | $200 to $275 |
| Compact 1.5 to 2 tonne | 1,500 to 2,200 kg | 7 to 8 ft | $250 to $325 |
| Mid 2.5 to 3.5 tonne | 2,500 to 3,600 kg | 9 to 11 ft | $325 to $425 |
| Large mini 4 to 5 tonne | 4,000 to 5,000 kg | 12 to 13 ft | $425 to $550 |
How much does it cost to rent a mini excavator per day once delivery and fuel are added
Budget roughly 40 to 60 percent on top of the bare machine rate for a single day job. A $300 machine with a $150 round trip float and $45 of diesel lands at $495 before tax, which is the number that matters when you are writing a quote. Contractors who only price the sticker rate are the ones who lose margin on small jobs, because the delivery charge is fixed whether you keep the machine four hours or ten. That is why the real answer to how much does it cost to rent a mini excavator per day depends heavily on whether you can get the whole dig done in one visit.
- Float delivery and pickup: $100 to $200 round trip inside the GTA, more for Durham, Halton or north of Highway 9.
- Fuel: a 2 to 3 tonne machine burns 1.5 to 2.5 litres per hour under real load, so a full day is $30 to $60. Return it full or pay a premium refuel rate.
- Damage waiver: usually 10 to 15 percent of the rental, waived if you carry your own equipment floater with proof.
- Attachments: augers, breakers and grading buckets are priced separately, generally $75 to $250 per day.
What you get for the day rate
A standard day rate covers 8 hours of metered run time on the machine, one digging bucket and blade, and the machine arriving serviced and fuelled. That 8 hour meter limit is the detail buried inside how much does it cost to rent a mini excavator per day, and it catches people out on long summer days. Go past 8 hours on the hour meter and most yards bill the overage pro rata, so a 12 hour push on a tight schedule can quietly become 1.5 days of rental. Track your hour meter reading at start and finish. It is the same number the yard reads when the machine comes back, and it settles arguments before they start.
Half day rates and why they rarely help
Half day pricing is normally 65 to 70 percent of the full day, which means it only pays off when your dig is genuinely short and you are picking the machine up yourself. Once a float is involved, the delivery charge swallows the savings. For a single trench, a footing repair or a small pool excavation, book the full day and work without watching the clock.
Machine size, and picking the one that fits your access
Pick the largest machine that can physically reach your work area, because reach and breakout force save far more hours than a slightly cheaper rate saves dollars. Access is the real constraint on most Toronto residential lots, where side yards run 30 to 36 inches between the house and the fence line.
1 to 2 tonne machines
These fit through a standard gate, weigh little enough to cross a finished lawn with mats, and dig 7 to 8 feet. They are the right call for irrigation lines, window wells, small footings and backyard work behind a semi. The trade off is honest: short reach, light breakout force, and they will struggle in Ontario clay once you are past 5 feet or into old fill full of brick and concrete.
2.5 to 3.5 tonne machines
This is the workhorse class and the most requested size in our yard. You get 9 to 11 feet of dig depth, enough weight to break hardpan, a cab with heat for shoulder season work, and usually an angle blade. It will not fit through a 36 inch gate, so confirm you have a driveway or a removable fence panel. Manufacturer spec sheets from Kubota's compact excavator lineup and Bobcat's mini excavator specifications are worth reading before you book, since dig depth and tail swing vary by several inches between models in the same weight class.
4 to 5 tonne machines
Once you need 12 feet of depth for a foundation, a deep service line or a septic bed, you are in this class. The day rate climbs but so does production. A machine that moves 40 cubic yards a day at $500 is cheaper than one that moves 20 at $300. That production math is the part most people miss when they compare quotes on price alone.
Attachments change the day rate more than most people expect
Attachments are billed on top of the machine and typically add $75 to $250 per day each. A hydraulic breaker for concrete or frozen ground sits at the top of that range, augers for deck footings and fence posts in the middle, and a hydraulic thumb near the bottom. The thumb is the one to add almost every time. It turns the machine into something that can pick, sort and load debris instead of only digging, and it usually pays for itself in avoided labour hours. Browse the full range of Attachments for rent and confirm your machine has the auxiliary hydraulic circuit and coupler to run what you want.
Day rate compared with week and month rates
A weekly rate is normally about 3 to 3.5 times the day rate, and a monthly is roughly 3 times the weekly. That means anything past three working days is cheaper booked as a week, and you get the machine for the weekend as a bonus. Contractors ask how much does it cost to rent a mini excavator per day when the better question, on a job with any weather risk, is what a week costs. One rained out day in an Ontario spring will wipe out the savings of a tight day booking, and you will pay a second float charge to get the machine back.
If the gate is the constraint, read the Bobcat E10 and E20 side by side.
When the day rate genuinely is the right call
Single purpose digs win on a day rate: one trench, one stump, one footing, one drainage repair. If your scope has a clear finish line and you have materials on site ready to go, book the day, start at 7 am and be done. This is also where knowing how much does it cost to rent a mini excavator per day matters for quoting, because you can hand a client a fixed equipment line instead of an estimate.
What can blow up a one day booking
Three things kill single day jobs in the GTA: locates, access and soil. Any one of them turns a clean answer to how much does it cost to rent a mini excavator per day into two days of billing, so handle all three before the float arrives.
- Locates: Ontario law requires you to request underground utility locates before you dig. Submit through Ontario One Call well ahead of your booking, since the statutory response window is 5 business days and it is not something you can rush on the morning of the dig.
- Access and ground protection: measure your narrowest gate, check for overhead lines, and plan where the spoil pile goes. On finished lawns, mats are cheaper than sod repair.
- Soil: Toronto clay holds water and gets heavy. Trench walls in clay can look stable and still fail, so follow Ontario Regulation 213/91 soil type and trench support requirements published by the Ontario Ministry of Labour. No trench is worth a cave in.
Mini excavator or another machine
Choose the mini excavator when the work is vertical, meaning digging down, and choose a loader when the work is horizontal, meaning moving material across a site. If your day is mostly hauling soil, grading a pad or loading a bin, a skid steer or track loader will outproduce a mini excavator and often costs less per day. Many crews book both for a two day job and finish faster than either machine alone. Compare our Skid Steer rentals and Track Loader rentals against the excavator fleet before you commit, and if the job includes work at height, add Scaffolding rentals to the same delivery to save a second float charge.
Getting a straight number for your job
The fastest way to answer how much does it cost to rent a mini excavator per day for your specific site is to give a yard three details: dig depth, gate width and soil type. From those we can name the machine, the attachment and the total delivered cost in one call, with no surprises on the invoice. Our full Tools for Rental catalogue lists current availability, and you can see live pricing and specs for every size class on the Excavator rentals page.
Rates in this article reflect typical GTA market pricing at the time of writing and are a planning guide, not a quote. Seasonal demand matters. Spring and early fall are the busiest windows in Ontario, so a machine booked two weeks out is easier to get and easier to price than one you need tomorrow morning.
Book your machine
Tell us the depth you need to reach, how wide your access is, and the date, and we will confirm the machine, the attachment and the delivered day rate. If you are still weighing how much does it cost to rent a mini excavator per day against a week booking, we will run both numbers so you can quote the job with confidence. Contact Expert Tools Rental to reserve your mini excavator or check same week availability across the GTA.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to rent a mini excavator per day in the GTA?
Rates scale with machine size rather than a flat number, so how much it costs to rent a mini excavator per day depends on whether you take a 1 to 2 tonne unit or a 3 to 5 tonne machine. Delivery, fuel and damage waiver are quoted on top. Ask Expert Tools Rental for the current day rate on the size you need.
What size mini excavator do I need for a backyard job?
For fence posts, small trenches and tight side yards, a 1 to 2 tonne machine passes through a standard 36 inch gate and digs roughly 5 to 7 feet deep. For footings, pool excavation or heavier grading, move up to a 3 to 5 tonne unit with more reach, more breakout force and a cab you can sit in all day.
Is a one day rental cheaper than a weekly rate if the job runs long?
Not proportionally. Weekly and monthly rates are priced well below seven or thirty times the daily rate, so three or four consecutive days can cost close to a full week. Delivery is also charged once per rental instead of per day. If the job might run past two days, ask for the weekly rate before you book.
What is not included in the daily mini excavator rate?
Delivery and pickup, fuel, the damage waiver, and attachments such as augers, breakers and wider or narrower buckets are billed separately. Bare rental means no operator. Return the machine fuelled and washed or expect a cleaning and refuelling charge. When comparing quotes, add the float charge, because a low headline day rate with a long haul can finish higher.
Do I need utility locates before I start digging?
Yes, and it affects your rental date. Ontario One Call locates are free and legally required before you dig, but they take several business days to come back. Book the machine for after the locates clear, not before, and hand dig within one metre of any marked line. A day rate burned waiting on markings is money gone.
