When is it cheaper to rent a Generator by the week than by the day?

From day 3. 3 days at the $18 day rate would be $54, but the weekly rate caps it at $36.

When is it cheaper to rent a Generator on the 28-day rate?

From day 15. At that point the week-and-day composition reaches the $90 28-day rate, and the price stops climbing for the rest of the cycle.

Break-even duration

Equipment rents on three rates — a day rate, a week rate and a 28-day rate — and the cheapest one changes as the job runs long. This finds the two days where it changes, on a real listing’s real published rates.

Generator

See the listing →

Mark Williams · Generators - Hybrid

Day: $18
Week: $36
28 days: $90

Daily stops winning on

day 3

3 days at the day rate would be $54. On the week rate it is $36.

Weekly stops winning on

day 15

15 days at the day rate would be $270. On the 28-day rate it is $90.

The working

Whole weeks bill at the week rate; the leftover days bill at the day rate but never add up to more than one extra week; and a whole 28-day cycle never costs more than the 28-day rate. That is the rule, applied one day at a time.

Rental price by duration for Generator, days 1 to 35
Days	At the day rate	On the ladder	Difference	Rate in play
1	$18	$18	—	day
2	$36	$36	—	day
3	$54	$36	you save $18	week
4	$72	$36	you save $36	week
5	$90	$36	you save $54	week
6	$108	$36	you save $72	week
7	$126	$36	you save $90	week
8	$144	$54	you save $90	week
9	$162	$72	you save $90	week
10	$180	$72	you save $108	week
11	$198	$72	you save $126	week
12	$216	$72	you save $144	week
13	$234	$72	you save $162	week
14	$252	$72	you save $180	week
15	$270	$90	you save $180	28-day
16	$288	$90	you save $198	28-day
17	$306	$90	you save $216	28-day
18	$324	$90	you save $234	28-day
19	$342	$90	you save $252	28-day
20	$360	$90	you save $270	28-day
21	$378	$90	you save $288	28-day
22	$396	$90	you save $306	28-day
23	$414	$90	you save $324	28-day
24	$432	$90	you save $342	28-day
25	$450	$90	you save $360	28-day
26	$468	$90	you save $378	28-day
27	$486	$90	you save $396	28-day
28	$504	$90	you save $414	28-day
29	$522	$108	you save $414	day
30	$540	$126	you save $414	day
31	$558	$126	you save $432	week
32	$576	$126	you save $450	week
33	$594	$126	you save $468	week
34	$612	$126	you save $486	week
35	$630	$126	you save $504	week

Rental rates only. Protection and the marketplace service fee are added on top — see the checkout figure below.

What checkout will quote you

Rental · 15 days: $90
Rental protection (RPP): $13.50
Service fee: $9
Estimated total: $112.50

Pick a listing

The numbers come from one operator’s published rates, so the tool needs to know whose.

Where these numbers come from

The rates are the operator’s own, read live from their listing. The arithmetic is the same best-price billing engine that produces 2Quip invoices — not a second copy written for this page — run on the industry-standard terms: a 28-day cycle, whole weeks at the week rate, leftover days at the day rate capped at one more week.

An operator can agree different terms on an individual rental, and a long rental bills per 28-day cycle rather than in one lump. So treat this as what the rate card says, and the operator’s quote as what you are agreeing to.