Does a hand-pushed vending cart need to be registered?

No. Our carts are pushed by hand and are not road vehicles, so they need no vehicle approval or number plate. You still need a permit for the place where you sell.

Does a food trailer need registration?

A trailer used on public roads is a vehicle. It needs EU type approval or a national individual approval and, in most countries, registration and a number plate.

What does a street vending permit cost?

That depends on the city and the country. Ask your local authority; fees and conditions vary widely.

Can I cook on a vending cart?

You can use your own light appliance, such as a crêpe plate or a popcorn machine, if the worktop, heat clearances and power supply fit. For a full kitchen, a trailer or kiosk is the better choice.

Vending cart vs food trailer vs kiosk

The three options side by side

All three let you sell food or goods outside a shop. They differ in what they cost, what paperwork they need and how easily you can move them.

Vending cart

Moving: Pushed by hand
Paperwork: No registration
Kitchen: One or two light appliances
Purchase cost: €429 to €1,209 net

Food trailer

Moving: Towed by a car or van
Paperwork: Vehicle approval, usually registration
Kitchen: Full kitchen possible
Purchase cost: Medium to high

Kiosk

Moving: Stays in place
Paperwork: Building consent
Kitchen: Full kitchen possible
Purchase cost: High

A vending cart, a food trailer and a kiosk seen from the side. Schematic, not to scale.

	Vending cart	Food trailer	Kiosk
Purchase cost	Low. Ours cost €429 to €1,209 net	Medium to high, depending on the kitchen built in	High: structure, foundation and connections
On public roads	No. Pushed by hand	Yes, towed by a car or van	No. Stays in place
Vehicle approval and registration	Not needed	Needed	Not applicable; building rules instead
Space needed	About a table's footprint	A parking space plus room around it	A permanent plot
Moving between sites	In a van, or pushed short distances	Towed	Hardly; usually means rebuilding
Setup on site	Minutes: roll in, plug in your appliance	Longer: levelling, connections	None once built
Cooking capacity	One or two light appliances	Full kitchen possible	Full kitchen possible

Vending cart: low cost, quick to start

A vending cart is a counter on wheels. You push it into place by hand, set your own appliance on the worktop and start selling. It has no engine and is not built for road traffic, so it needs no vehicle registration and no number plate. To get it from one site to another you load it into a van or push it a short way.

Our carts come in four sizes, from 50 × 70 cm to 65 × 180 cm, with a fabric canopy, wheels and a worktop with a transparent screen. Your logo is printed on the front at no extra cost. Appliances are not included, so a crêpe plate, coffee machine or freezer is a separate purchase.

Carts work well in places where someone already controls the space: a hotel lobby, a shopping centre, a café terrace, a trade fair stand or a company event. They also suit markets where you rent a pitch and need power from the organiser.

Food trailer: more kitchen, more paperwork

A food trailer gives you a closed room with space for fryers, sinks, fridges and extraction. That is why caterers who cook full meals usually end up with one.

The trade-off is that a trailer is a road vehicle. Before it may be towed on public roads it needs approval, either EU type approval under Regulation (EU) 2018/858 or a national individual approval, and in most countries it also has to be registered and carry a number plate. Depending on its weight and your country, periodic technical inspections can apply as well. Check that your towing vehicle and your driving licence cover the trailer's weight.

On site, a trailer takes up a parking space plus room for queues, and setting it up takes longer than rolling a cart into place.

Kiosk: a fixed place to sell

A kiosk is a small permanent building or cabin. It usually needs planning or building consent, a long-term lease for the plot and its own connections for power and often water. In return you get a weatherproof shop that is always ready to open.

A kiosk only pays off if the location is proven. Many businesses test a spot with a cart first and decide on a kiosk later.

Permits: what applies to all three

Whichever format you choose, selling on public ground needs permission from the city or municipality. Rules, waiting times and fees differ from city to city and from country to country, so we cannot give you a figure. Ask the local authority before you buy anything.

If you sell food, you will generally have to register your food business with the local food authority and meet its hygiene rules. Some authorities require a hand-wash basin with running water at the stand. Clarify this early, because it affects which format and which size you need.

On private ground, such as a hotel, a shopping centre or an event site, you need the agreement of the owner or organiser. They will also tell you where power is available and what safety rules apply.

When a vending cart is the wrong choice

A cart from our range is probably not right for you if:

you cook full meals with fryers, several hot plates or extraction;
you want to drive from town to town with everything built in and ready to go;
your local rules demand running water or a sink at the stand and you have no other way to provide it;
your appliance needs mains power and the site has none;
you expect long queues all day and need two or three people working at once.

In those cases, look at a trailer or a kiosk. If you are unsure, send us a short description of what you sell and where. We will tell you honestly whether a cart can do the job.

Quick checklist before you decide

Where will you sell: public ground, private ground or both?
What appliances do you need, and how much power do they draw?
How often will you move, and how far?
What does the local authority require for permits and hygiene?
What budget do you have for the unit itself, before stock and equipment?

Vending cart, food trailer or kiosk: which fits your business?