What does Ritchie Bros Q1 report tell us about used equipment trends

The world’s biggest auctioneer combines its auction data with information from its Mascus used equipment marketplace to provide an overview of the used construction equipment market in Europe.

The data for the first quarter of 2026 covers products including tracked excavators, mini excavators, wheeled loaders and telescopic handlers. What does the report tell us?

Positive story for telehandlers

There was a year-on-year increase of 12.5% in the median prices for telehandlers in the first quarter – at almost €30,000 – and machines were also a year younger on average (at 8 years) compared to Q1 2025.

Mini excavators: Ritchie Bros auction data for Q1 2025. (Source: Ritchie Bros)

Ritchie Bros said buyers “paid more and got more; a rare combination that reflects genuine quality improvement in the supply entering the market.” The UK was the top buyer in the period, with Poland second.

The volume of handlers put up for sale on Mascus was up 1%, which was the only products in the Q1 report where there was a rise.

‘Equilibrium’ for mini excavators

Ritchie Bros said the 8% fall in median prices for minis sold in the quarter – from €11,900 to €10,988 – was “less a sign of distress and more a reflection of a market normalising, with pricing adjusting modestly while underlying machine quality remained stable.”

However, a big change year-on-year was the number of mini excavator sold at auctions, which was 34% higher than Q1 2025, “reflecting robust buyer appetite in the segment”, said Ritchie Bros.

The biggest selling mini in the quarter was the Chinese-made JCP HT12, with 138 units sold at a median price of €2,375.

The biggest buying countries (highest first) were Italy, France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Listings of mini excavators on Mascus were 5% down year-on-year. Ritchie Bros said the fall in supply was “consistent with ongoing market absorption, with the 2026 line tracking below 2025 throughout the quarter.”

Buyer demand was strongest in Germany, followed by the Netherlands and the UK.

Pricing recovery for crawler excavators

The first quarter saw younger machines sold at higher prices compared to Q1 2025, with the average age falling from 9 to 7 years and median auction prices rising by 12.5% to €32,189.

Ritchie Bros sold almost 500 units in the quarter, a significant increase on the previous year, with the top three buying countries being the UK, Spain and Belgium.

On the Mascus used marketplace, supply of crawler excavators was down 9% and there was also a softening in buyer enquiries.

“A market where supply is contracting and demand is moderating, yet auction prices are rising strongly, points clearly to a quality effect — cleaner, better-specified machines commanding a premium that raw volume figures alone do not reveal”, said Ritchie Bros.

The most popular model to be auctioned was Kobelco’s SK140SRLC-5, with 40 units sold at a median price of €32,764. The top buying countries were the UK, Spain, and Belgium.

Ritchie Bros comment

Given the increase in pricing and younger age of both telehandlers and crawler excavators at auction, Ritchie Bros said it was not simply a question of inflation, but reflected a shift in the composition of supply entering the market, with “cleaner, fresher inventory finding buyers who are willing to pay for it.”

Ghislaine Duijmelings, general manager, Ritchie Bros. International, said; “The businesses that grow this year will be the ones that make smart decisions early.

“What we are seeing across Europe is a market that is becoming more nuanced – prices rising in some categories, adjusting in others, supply tightening almost everywhere. In that kind of environment, knowing where the market is heading before you make your move is everything.”

The full Ritchie Bros Q1 report can be found here.