2026 edition · Data through October 31, 2026
2026 USED EMERGENCY VEHICLEMARKETPLACE REPORT
What used fire trucks, ambulances and rescue apparatus cost, how asking prices are moving, how value falls with age, and which vehicles are coming to market. Built from the used emergency vehicles listed on Fenton Fire since 2022, and updated every year.
Key findings
+24%
Like-for-like asking prices since 2022
$60,000
Typical asking price, 2025 and 2026
+51%
More vehicles coming to market than in 2022
18 yrs
Median age of vehicles listed in 2026
Key findings
- Asking prices for used fire apparatus were 24% higher in 2026 than in 2022 for vehicles of the same type and age, and 12.7% higher than in 2025.
- The typical (median) used fire apparatus listed in 2025 and 2026 was offered at $60,000; half were listed between $31,500 and $140,000.
- 51% more used emergency vehicles came to market from January to October 2026 than in the same months of 2022, and 10% more than in 2025.
- The median vehicle coming to market in 2026 was 18 years old, against 20 to 22 years in 2022 to 2025.
- Engines & pumpers remain the largest group, at 35.2% of the vehicles coming to market in 2026.
- Pierce built 33.1% of the used apparatus with a known builder, more than any other manufacturer.
HOW MUCH DOES A USEDFIRE TRUCK COST?
In 2025–2026 the typical (median) asking price for a used fire apparatus was $60,000, and half were listed between $31,500 and $140,000. Type matters most: aerials and tankers cost the most; ambulances, command vehicles and antiques the least.
| Type | Typical price | Half listed between |
|---|---|---|
| Engines & pumpers | $59,900 | $34,200–149,000 |
| Tankers & tenders | $99,900 | $55,000–173,700 |
| Aerials, ladders & quints | $99,000 | $49,000–295,000 |
| Rescue trucks | $59,500 | $35,000–98,800 |
| Wildland & brush trucks | $55,500 | $36,500–118,200 |
| Ambulances | $28,500 | $16,300–45,000 |
| Command & chief vehicles | $29,000 | $17,300–39,000 |
| Antique fire trucks | $12,500 | $10,000–22,200 |
Asking prices of vehicles listed in 2025–2026. The average sits above the typical price because a few late-model units list for several hundred thousand dollars. *Like-for-like change: vehicles of the same type and age, 2022–2023 against 2025–2026.
ARE USED FIRE TRUCKPRICES GOING UP?
Yes. For vehicles of the same type and age, asking prices in 2026 were 24% higher than in 2022, with the biggest step in the last year (+12.7%). Comparing like with like matters: a year with more young tankers on the market would otherwise look like inflation.
Asking price index, same type and age (2022 = 100)
*2026: January to October.
WHAT IS COMINGTO MARKET?
From January to October 2026, 51% more used emergency vehicles came to market than in the same months of 2022, and 10% more than in 2025. Engines and pumpers are the largest group by far.
Share of vehicles coming to market, 2026
- Engines & pumpers35.2%
- Tankers & tenders13.1%
| Type | vs 2025 | vs 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Aerials, ladders & quints | +49% | +24% |
| Command & chief vehicles | +42% | +8% |
| Engines & pumpers | +30% | +45% |
| Rescue trucks | +14% | +73% |
| Wildland & brush trucks | −9% | +40% |
| Antique fire trucks | −17% | −17% |
| Tankers & tenders | −21% | +62% |
| All types | +10% | +51% |
HOW FAST DO FIRE TRUCKSLOSE VALUE?
Asking prices fall steeply in the first two decades and then level off. A typical engine 16 to 20 years old lists for $85,000, about half of one 11 to 15 years old. The median vehicle coming to market in 2026 was 18 years old.
| Age (years) | Engines & pumpers | Tankers & tenders | Aerials, ladders & quints | Rescue trucks | Wildland & brush trucks | Ambulances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | – | $343,000 | – | $122,000 | $149,800 | – |
| 6–10 | $350,000 | $199,900 | – | $155,000 | – | $38,800 |
| 11–15 | $149,900 | $167,500 | $465,000 | $149,000 | $109,000 | $33,500 |
| 16–20 | $85,000 | $149,900 | $142,500 | $80,000 | $45,000 | $20,000 |
| 21–25 | $49,900 | $89,900 | $94,900 | $39,900 | $46,000 | – |
| 26–30 | $35,000 | $60,000 | $62,500 | $33,500 | $28,000 | – |
| 31–45 | $19,800 | $33,000 | $22,500 | $29,000 | $22,500 | – |
Typical (median) asking price, 2022 to 2026. Age is the model year against the year listed. A dash means too few vehicles to give a reliable figure. Condition, mileage and equipment move a single truck well away from these figures: see what affects your fire truck's value, or get an instant appraisal for a specific unit.
20 yrs
Median age, engines & pumpers
23 yrs
Median age, tankers & tenders
19 yrs
Median age, aerials, ladders & quints
19 yrs
Median age, rescue trucks
19 yrs
Median age, wildland & brush trucks
14 yrs
Median age, ambulances
18 yrs
Median age, arff & airport crash trucks
10 yrs
Median age, command & chief vehicles
WHO BUILT THEUSED APPARATUS?
Share of used apparatus with a known builder that came to market from 2022 to 2026, with the typical asking price of each builder's engines where there are enough to say.
- Pierce33.1%
- E-One13.7%
- Spartan9.4%
- Ferrara6.8%
- Rosenbauer5.2%
- Sutphen5%
- American LaFrance4.7%
- HME4.4%
- KME4.1%
| Pierce | $67,000 |
|---|---|
| E-One | $49,900 |
| Spartan | $64,900 |
| Ferrara | $60,000 |
| Rosenbauer | $175,000 |
| HME | $54,900 |
WHERE DO USED FIRETRUCKS COME FROM?
Where the vehicles coming to market were located, by US Census region and Canada, 2025 to 2026. Apparatus is routinely shipped across both countries, so buyers can search nationwide: see what shipping costs.
- South32.6%
- Northeast21.6%
- Midwest21.5%
- West15.6%
- Canada8.6%
WHEN DO DEPARTMENTSSELL?
Each month's share of a year's listings (2022 to 2025). Listings pick up in late spring, summer and October and thin out in November and December. Typical specifications: engines 1,250 GPM with a 750 gallon tank, tankers 2,000 gallons, wildland units 345 gallons.
- January8.4%
- February8.4%
- March8.1%
- April7.4%
- May9.5%
- June8.4%
- July10.1%
- August9.1%
- September7.9%
- October9.7%
- November6.6%
- December6.3%
An average month is 8.3% of the year.
USED FIRE TRUCKMARKET FAQ
How much does a used fire truck cost?
In 2025 and 2026 the typical (median) asking price for a used fire engine or pumper was $59,900, and half were listed between $34,200 and $149,000. Typical asking prices for other types: tankers & tenders $99,900, aerials, ladders & quints $99,000, rescue trucks $59,500, wildland & brush trucks $55,500, ambulances $28,500, command & chief vehicles $29,000. Price depends most on type, age, condition and pump and tank size. Figures are from Fenton Fire's marketplace through October 31, 2026.
Are used fire truck prices going up?
Yes. Comparing vehicles of the same type and age, asking prices were 24% higher in 2026 than in 2022 and 12.7% higher than in 2025. Engines & pumpers rose 25%, Tankers & tenders rose 21%, Aerials, ladders & quints rose 23% between 2022 to 2023 and 2025 and 2026.
How much is a 20-year-old fire engine worth?
Engines 16 to 20 years old had a typical asking price of $85,000, against $149,900 at 11 to 15 years and $49,900 at 21 to 25 years. Condition, mileage, pump size and maintenance records move a single truck well above or below these figures; an appraisal gives a figure for a specific unit.
How old are used fire trucks when they are sold?
The median vehicle coming to market in 2026 was 18 years old. By type: engines & pumpers 20 years, tankers & tenders 23 years, aerials, ladders & quints 19 years, rescue trucks 19 years, wildland & brush trucks 19 years, ambulances 14 years, aRFF & airport crash trucks 18 years, command & chief vehicles 10 years (2025 and 2026).
What kinds of used fire apparatus are for sale?
In 2026, engines & pumpers made up 35.2%, tankers & tenders made up 13.1%, wildland & brush trucks made up 12.1%, rescue trucks made up 11%, aerials, ladders & quints made up 10% of the used emergency vehicles coming to market.
Which fire truck manufacturers are most common on the used market?
Among used apparatus with a known builder, Pierce accounted for 33.1%, E-One accounted for 13.7%, Spartan accounted for 9.4%, Ferrara accounted for 6.8%, Rosenbauer accounted for 5.2% of vehicles coming to market from 2022 to 2026.
Where do used fire trucks come from?
In 2025 and 2026, 32.6% came from the South, 21.6% came from the Northeast, 21.5% came from the Midwest, 15.6% came from the West, 8.6% came from Canada. Used apparatus is routinely shipped across the US and Canada, so a buyer's search area can be nationwide.
When is the best time to buy a used fire truck?
The most vehicles come to market in July, October, May (10.1%, 9.7%, 9.5% of a typical year's listings), and the fewest in November and December. Many departments sell after new apparatus arrives or when a budget year turns over.
How is this report made?
From the asking prices, types, model years, builders, locations and specifications of the used emergency vehicles listed on Fenton Fire from January 2022 through October 31, 2026. Price trends compare vehicles of the same type and age, and figures based on too few vehicles are left out.
METHOD AND DEFINITIONS
- Source: the used emergency vehicles listed for sale on Fenton Fire from January 1, 2022 through October 31, 2026, from fire departments, municipalities, airports, EMS agencies and companies across the United States and Canada. 2026 figures cover January to October.
- Prices are asking prices in US dollars. "Typical" is the median: half of vehicles list above it and half below. Loose equipment is not included, and antiques, a collector market, are kept out of the all-apparatus figures.
- Price trend compares like with like: each vehicle's asking price against the typical price of vehicles of the same type and age, so changes in the mix of vehicles do not show up as price changes.
- Coming to market means newly listed. Year-on-year changes compare January to October of each year.
- Small samples: any figure based on too few vehicles is left out rather than estimated.
- Updates: published every year. Questions or a different cut of the data: contact us.
Cite this report
You are welcome to quote and reuse these figures with credit to Fenton Fire and a link to this page (CC BY 4.0).
Fenton Fire Equipment. "2026 Used Emergency Vehicle Marketplace Report." Fenton Fire, October 31, 2026. https://www.fentonfire.com/used-emergency-vehicle-market-report/
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