Used Work-Vehicle Market Holds Its Summer Pattern
FLD Remarketing's Q2 2026 White Metal Market Report says used work-vehicle values are moving through a familiar summer slowdown, with affordability and financing still shaping fleet replacement decisions.
Summer slowdown looks familiar
Used work-vehicle pricing is moving through a mostly predictable summer pattern, according to FLD Remarketing's 2026 Q2 White Metal Market Report published by Fleet Management Weekly.
The report says the market looks close to a repeat of Q2 2025, with the usual summer slowdown setting in and values expected to move through an orderly seasonal dip. FLD said late summer and fall often bring an 8% to 12% retreat across classes, depending on segment and demand.
Affordability is still the pressure point
The bigger issue for fleet buyers is not a sudden collapse in used values. It is affordability. FLD pointed to new units that remain up double digits since tariffs first hit, high interest rates, and continued tightness in commercial financing.
Passenger-vehicle values have been relatively steady, but the report said lease returns appear to be shallowing out. That could make some vehicles harder to source and more expensive before lease-return supply normalizes, with some sources looking toward early 2028.
Pickups, SUVs, and trucks split by segment
FLD said pickup and SUV values are down year over year and also moved lower through Q2 after several stronger years. Medium-duty truck values were mixed, while heavy-duty trucks continued to soften, with a small sign of rebound in heavy-duty sleepers late in Q2.
For fleets, the practical takeaway is a planning one. Replacement timing, financing availability, and resale assumptions still need to be checked by vehicle class, not averaged across the whole market. A predictable market can still create cost surprises if a fleet assumes every segment is moving the same way.
