At the end of 2020, the highest share of the newest passenger cars (2 years and less) among the EU Member States was registered in Luxembourg (22% of all passenger cars in Luxembourg). Luxembourg was followed by France, Austria, Ireland, Belgium and Sweden (all between 16% and 17%).
Meanwhile, the highest shares of passenger cars from 2 to 5 years old were recorded in Luxembourg and Ireland (both 28%) and in Belgium (24%).
Source dataset: road_eqs_carage
On the other hand, the highest shares of the oldest passenger cars (20 years or older) were registered in Poland (40%), Estonia (33%) and Finland (28%).
When combining the two oldest age classes, the highest share of passenger cars that are over 10 years old was registered in Lithuania (81%), followed by Romania (80%) and Poland (78%). This is in stark contrast to Luxembourg (24%), Ireland (29%) and Belgium (32%), where these shares are less than one third of the fleet.
In recent years, various countries offered programmes supporting the purchase of new cars with low emissions while scrapping the owners’ old cars. The general aim of these programmes has been the renewal of the passenger car fleet with lower emission cars, while simultaneously stimulating the economy. However, the renewal of the fleet has been hampered by restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply-chain disruptions.
For more information:
- Statistics Explained article on passenger cars in the EU
- Dedicated section on transport
- Database on transport (Road transport > Road transport equipment – stock of vehicles)
Methodological notes:
- Bulgaria, Greece and Slovakia: data not available
- Luxembourg, Ireland, Czechia and Italy: the category ‘from 10 to 20 years’ also includes the category ‘over 20 years’.
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