Industrial Equipment Rental & Leasing in European Union 2026: Industry Statistics & Trends

The industrial and construction equipment rental and leasing industry in the European Union provides businesses with access to capital goods, machinery, and commercial vehicles without the burden of direct ownership. According to official data from the European Rental Association (ERA) and KPMG, the European equipment rental market reached a total turnover of 33.5 billion EUR in 2024 (European Rental Association Market Report 2024). The market's current direction reflects a transition toward usership over ownership, showing mild resilience with an estimated growth of 1.0% and a total turnover of 33.9 billion EUR in 2025 (European Rental Association Market Report 2025). High borrowing costs,

Industry snapshot

Key public data points

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What does the Industrial Equipment Rental & Leasing in European Union industry cover?

The industry comprises the rental and operational leasing of machinery, capital equipment, and tangible goods utilized as operational assets across diverse industrial sectors. Under official European classification, these activities are strictly performed without operators, separating the sector from construction contracting or service provisioning.

• •Classified primarily under the Eurostat NACE Rev. 2 structural framework within Division 77.
• •Includes subsector NACE 77.32 for construction and civil engineering machinery and equipment.
• •Includes subsector NACE 77.39 for other machinery, equipment, and tangible goods such as engines, machine tools, and containers.

Who operates in the industry and how is it structured?

The European equipment rental structure is heavily stratified, balancing a small number of large multinational providers against a vast network of localized operations. Small-scale regional businesses continue to command a significant portion of overall market volume, providing localized fleet logistics.

• •Small-sized firms generate approximately 58% of the total European equipment rental market turnover.
• •Mid-sized enterprises account for an estimated 23% of total industry revenue across the region.
• •The three largest geographic rental markets, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, collectively command almost 60% of total European rental volume.

What drives demand in the industry?

Demand is heavily dictated by macroeconomic infrastructure initiatives, private capital financing availability, and shifting preferences toward operational flexibility. Elevated purchasing costs for new capital assets and high-interest environments incentivize industrial actors to optimize fleet utility through short- and mid-term rentals.

• •Civil engineering and public infrastructure investments represent core demand pillars, particularly in Southern and Eastern Europe.
• •Non-construction market segments, including resource extraction, manufacturing, and events, are increasingly targeted to drive rental penetration.
• •A compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.7% is projected for Europe's broader rental market between 2025 and 2027, scaling the total market to 34 billion EUR by 2027.

Who are the notable companies in the industry?

The competitive environment features large, publicly listed or corporate-backed international entities managing massive fleets alongside regional operations. These large players expand their footprints via strategic asset deployment, digital supply chains, and specialized industrial divisions.

• •Loxam SAS operates as a dominant European market participant, maintaining extensive rental operations throughout France and multiple EU territories.
• •Boels Topholding B.V. (Boels Rental) is a premier European fleet provider with a massive footprint across Benelux, Germany, and Central Europe.
• •Cramo Oyj (a subsidiary of Boels) functions as a primary equipment and modular space provider across the Nordic and Baltic regions.
• •Kiloutou SAS commands a prominent market share within France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Poland.

What are the recent trends and outlook?

The immediate outlook highlights divergent growth trajectories across European geographic corridors due to varying public funding distribution and building segment dynamics. While core Western European markets expect flat conditions, Southern and Northern Europe demonstrate higher expansion rates.

• •The French rental market faces near-term headwind pressures, with a forecast contraction of 1.5% in 2026.
• •Southern European nations lead near-term growth projections, with expected growth exceeding 4% in Italy and 5.5% in Spain during 2026.
• •Portugal represents the fastest-growing European sub-market with anticipated annual growth of 7.5% across 2026 and 2027.

How is the industry regulated?

Regulatory standards across the European Union center heavily on machine safety compliance, exhaust emissions, and standardized corporate sustainability reporting metrics. Regulatory evolution is pushing the industry to document and minimize greenhouse emissions across fleet lifecycles.

• •Compliance is strictly bound to the EU Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) Stage V emissions standards for diesel fleet engines.
• •Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) mandates push rental operators to provide formal Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions disclosures.
• •The European Rental Association established the ERA Carbon Reporting Guidance in 2024 to create a uniform carbon footprint calculation methodology.

Government, statistical and trade sources used for this Claight analysis.

• European Rental Association (ERA) Market Report 2024 ·
• European Rental Association (ERA) Market Report 2025 ·
• Eurostat NACE Rev. 2 Classification Database ·
• Voorburg Group on Service Statistics Sector Paper 2022