Ritchie Bros. Reports: European Used Equipment Demand Surges in Q2, Supply-Demand Gap Continues to Widen

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Q2 2026 European used equipment market trend report released by Ritchie Bros. shows that buyer demand across multiple categories continues to climb, while inventory supply continues to shrink, with the market supply-demand gap expanding to levels rarely seen in recent years. Among these, demand for used tractors surged 72% year-over-year, listings fell 26%, and demand for scissor lifts grew 24%.

The report covers four major sectors: construction machinery, aerial work platforms, agricultural machinery, and transport equipment. The supply-demand imbalance is most pronounced in the tractor market: tractor listings on the Mascus platform fell 26% year-over-year, while buyer inquiries surged 72% and auction transaction volumes dropped 31%. Despite high-mileage vehicles entering the market, the median auction price remained stable at just under €27,000. Ghislaine Duijmelings, International Managing Director at Ritchie Bros., stated that Europe is witnessing a market landscape where buyer demand consistently outpaces the supply of quality used equipment.

In the aerial work platform segment, buyer demand for scissor lifts grew 24% year-over-year, the largest increase across all categories in the report. The median auction price rose 13%, and the equipment sold was older and had higher operating hours than a year ago. The median auction price for boom lifts increased 10%, with sold units averaging one year newer in age compared to a year earlier.

The crawler excavator market remained stable. Auction transaction volumes grew 14% year-over-year, with prices generally steady at a median of approximately €29,000. Sold units had lower operating hours than the same period last year, allowing buyers to acquire fresher inventory at similar prices. Crawler excavator listings on the Mascus platform fell 14%, while buyer inquiries declined 6%.

By region, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and Spain are the primary hubs for used equipment demand. The Netherlands leads in buyer inquiries on Mascus, with Spain ranking in the top three. Romania ranked among the top five in the tractor auction market. By brand, Caterpillar ranked first on Mascus in both search volume and auction transaction volume, with Volvo and Hitachi in second and third place, respectively.