Humanoid robots have moved from the pages of science fiction into university labs, warehouses, and research facilities across the UK. But the headlines tend to focus on the flagship machines from Figure and Boston Dynamics that cost as much as a house. What nobody talks about is the growing used market that has made humanoid robotics genuinely accessible for the first time.
This guide ranks 8 humanoid robots by their real UK entry price in 2026, from a few thousand pounds to the premium end of the market. For each model, we cover what it does, who it is for, where to source it in the UK, and what you will actually pay, new or used.
If you want a broader look at the used market specifically, see our guide to the best humanoid robots to buy used in 2026. For a comprehensive overview of the humanoid sector, see our top humanoid robots 2026 roundup.
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1. NAO v6 (Used: £2,000-3,500)
New price: ~£6,500-8,000 | Used price: ~£2,000-3,500
The NAO v6 from SoftBank Robotics is the most widely deployed humanoid robot in education and research worldwide. Standing 58cm tall with 25 degrees of freedom, it is not going to carry boxes in a warehouse, but it remains an outstanding platform for human-robot interaction research, programming courses, and demonstrations.
Its compact size makes it easy to handle and transport. The robot runs Aldebaran's NAOqi OS and has strong community support, extensive documentation, and years of third-party libraries built around it. For Python and ROS developers, NAO is one of the most accessible entry points into embodied AI.
The used market for NAO is deep. Universities and robotics labs that bought fleets for teaching have been selling surplus units since around 2022. You will regularly find NAO v6 units in the £2,000-3,500 range on Robot AutoTrader from UK sellers.
Best for: Education, research, HRI projects, hobbyist programmers.
> Quick win: Search for decommissioned university NAO units in September and January, when academic institutions typically sell surplus equipment at the start and end of academic cycles.
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2. SoftBank Pepper (Used: £2,000-5,000)
New price: ~£14,000-20,000 | Used price: ~£2,000-5,000
Pepper became the face of service robotics in retail and hospitality settings across Europe throughout the late 2010s. At 1.2 metres tall with a tablet chest display, omnidirectional wheels, and emotion-recognition software, it was designed to interact with the public in customer-facing environments.
SoftBank wound down new Pepper sales for most markets in 2021, which means the only route to ownership is the used market. That wind-down has been a gift to buyers: retail chains, airports, banks, and corporate lobbies have decommissioned hundreds of units, pushing used prices down sharply.
A well-maintained Pepper in working condition can be found for £2,000-5,000 depending on age, hours logged, and whether software licences are included. Be aware that Pepper's proprietary software stack can be a constraint for developers who want to run custom code, though open-source community workarounds exist.
Best for: Customer interaction demos, retail robotics projects, research into social robotics.
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3. Unitree G1 (Used: £8,000-10,000 / New: ~£12,800)
New price: ~£12,800 | Used price: ~£8,000-10,000
The Unitree G1 is the most significant new humanoid robot to enter the accessible price bracket in years. At roughly 127cm tall with a 35kg frame, the G1 has 43 degrees of freedom, onboard compute, and a broad sensor suite. It can walk, manipulate objects, and recover from pushes with a stability that was far beyond research-grade hardware at this price point just two years ago.
For UK buyers, the G1 is imported rather than sold through a domestic distributor, which adds some complexity to purchase and warranty support. That said, Unitree has an active UK community and several specialist importers. New units land at approximately £12,800, making the G1 the cheapest new humanoid with real manipulation capability on the market.
Early adopters who imported G1 units in 2025 are now beginning to resell, and used units are appearing in the £8,000-10,000 range. This is the used-market sweet spot for any UK buyer who wants a capable bipedal platform without the six-figure price tags further down this list.
See our full Unitree G1 price UK 2026 breakdown and Unitree G1 review 2026 for the complete picture.
Best for: Research labs, university projects, developers building manipulation pipelines, early-stage commercial pilots.
> Quick win: Import duties on robotics hardware from China can add 4-6% to the landed cost. Factor this into your budget when comparing new G1 import quotes against used UK-sourced units.
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4. Hello Robot Stretch 3 (Used: ~£10,000-13,000 / New: ~£17,000)
New price: ~£17,000 | Used price: ~£10,000-13,000
The Stretch 3 from Hello Robot takes a different design philosophy to most humanoids on this list. Rather than attempting a full bipedal form, Stretch uses a wheeled base with a single telescoping arm and a gripper, optimised for domestic and research environments. It is designed to operate in spaces built for humans, opening doors, retrieving objects from shelves, and assisting people with limited mobility.
That focused design makes it genuinely useful in care settings, domestic robotics research, and accessibility applications. ROS 2 support is strong, the community is active, and Hello Robot has consistently invested in software documentation.
At £17,000 new (imported to UK), it is one of the more accessible capable manipulation platforms. Used units occasionally appear through research groups and hospitals that have run grant-funded pilots, typically in the £10,000-13,000 range.
Best for: Domestic robotics research, assistive technology applications, ROS 2 developers.
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5. UBTECH Walker S2 (New: £13,000-18,000)
New price: ~£13,000-18,000 | Used price: Limited supply, £10,000-15,000 estimated
UBTECH's Walker S2 is a full bipedal humanoid standing roughly 170cm tall with 41 degrees of freedom. It is aimed at industrial and commercial inspection tasks rather than the research market, and UBTECH has deployed it with several manufacturing partners in Asia and Europe.
For UK buyers, the Walker S2 is available through UBTECH's European distribution network, though lead times can be long and stock is limited. The entry price sits between the Unitree G1 and more expensive industrial humanoids, making it an interesting option for businesses that want a production-grade bipedal platform at below-Agility-Robotics pricing.
The used market is thin because most Walker S2 units are under active deployment contracts, but as lease cycles mature, second-hand units are expected to appear in the UK from late 2026 onwards.
Best for: Industrial inspection pilots, commercial deployment, businesses wanting a taller, more imposing presence than the G1.
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6. Agility Robotics Digit (New: ~£100,000)
New price: ~£100,000 | Used price: Very limited, £70,000-80,000 estimated
Digit represents a step change in both capability and price. Agility Robotics designed Digit specifically for warehouse and logistics work: it can lift up to 16kg, navigate complex environments, and operate alongside human workers without specialist infrastructure changes. Amazon has been deploying Digit in fulfilment centres in the United States.
At around £100,000, Digit is beyond the reach of most research budgets and small businesses. However, it is priced meaningfully below Figure 02 and Boston Dynamics Atlas, which makes it the most accessible industrial-grade humanoid for UK enterprises with genuine logistics automation needs.
Used units are rare. Agility manages most deployments through commercial partnerships rather than outright sales, but some early customer returns and evaluation units have appeared. Expect to pay £70,000-80,000 for a used Digit in good condition when one becomes available.
Best for: Logistics operators, large distribution centres, well-funded research groups studying industrial humanoid deployment.
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7. Figure 02 (New: £150,000+)
New price: £150,000+ | Used price: Not yet established
Figure 02 is the commercial successor to Figure's initial prototype, positioned as an autonomous general-purpose humanoid for industrial work. It features full-hand dexterity, onboard AI inference, and a design aimed at tasks that have historically required human workers.
At £150,000+, Figure 02 is firmly in enterprise territory. UK buyers would need to go through Figure's enterprise sales process, and availability is restricted. A used market does not yet exist for Figure 02.
This robot earns a place on this list for completeness and to illustrate how far the lower rungs of the market have separated from the flagship tier. If Figure 02 follows the price trajectory of other advanced technology, used units may eventually appear at meaningful discounts within 18-24 months.
Best for: Large enterprises, research institutions with significant robotics budgets, technology press coverage.
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8. Boston Dynamics Atlas (New: £150,000+)
New price: £150,000+ | Used price: Very rare, enterprise agreements only
The Boston Dynamics Atlas is the benchmark against which all other humanoid robots are judged. The current electric Atlas, launched in 2024, is designed as a commercial product for automotive and industrial work, with a focus on manipulation tasks that require strength and precision. Hyundai and BMW are among the early customers.
Unlike earlier research versions of Atlas, the commercial Atlas is sold through Boston Dynamics' enterprise channel with full support contracts. UK pricing lands above £150,000, and availability is restricted to approved commercial partners.
A used market effectively does not exist for commercial Atlas units. The hydraulic research-grade Atlas units occasionally appear via university and government lab decommissions, but these are a different product with different capabilities.
See our Boston Dynamics Spot price UK 2026 article for the quadruped alternative that sits at a lower price point.
Best for: Automotive manufacturers, Tier 1 industrial adopters, research partnerships with Boston Dynamics.
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The Used Market Has Changed Everything
The most important insight from this ranked list is what happens below £15,000. Five years ago, a researcher or small business wanting a capable humanoid platform had almost no options under £50,000. Today, the used market has created a genuine entry tier: NAO v6 and Pepper for social and educational robotics, and the Unitree G1 for physical manipulation and locomotion research.
This shift has been driven by the same dynamics that created secondary markets in any technology sector: first-generation buyers upgrading, lease cycles ending, and institutional budgets shifting to newer models. The difference with humanoid robots is that the underlying hardware remains genuinely capable. A three-year-old NAO v6 runs exactly the same research code as a new one.
> Quick win: Browse current humanoid listings on Robot AutoTrader to see what is available in the UK right now. Stock changes weekly as research labs and businesses list surplus units.
For UK buyers evaluating the used market, the Robot AutoTrader Resale Index tracks actual transaction prices across categories, giving you a live benchmark rather than theoretical list prices.
Also see our companion articles on the best robot dogs 2026 and the best cobots for UK small businesses 2026 if your use case might be better served by a quadruped or a collaborative robot arm.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest humanoid robot you can buy in the UK?
The cheapest humanoid robots available in the UK are the NAO v6 and SoftBank Pepper on the used market, both starting around £2,000. These older but capable platforms are commonly sold by universities, research labs, and businesses that have upgraded to newer models.
Can you buy a humanoid robot in the UK without going through a distributor?
Yes. Used humanoid robots are regularly listed by universities, leasing companies, and private sellers directly. Robot AutoTrader lists used humanoid robots from verified UK sellers, bypassing distributor markups entirely.
How much does a Unitree G1 cost in the UK?
The Unitree G1 is priced at approximately £12,800 new (imported). On the UK used market, pre-owned units have sold for £8,000-10,000, representing a significant saving for buyers who do not need the latest firmware or accessories.
Are used humanoid robots reliable?
Reliability depends on the model, age, and condition. Well-maintained research-grade robots like the NAO v6, Pepper, and Unitree G1 hold up well. Always request a full inspection report and operational hours log. Our guide to inspecting a used robot before buying covers what to check.