Far below the EU average
In the Netherlands, passenger cars are older on average than in other Western European countries. However, the average age of a Dutch passenger car is just below the EU average.
The latest figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) sector organization show that the average Dutch passenger car in 2021 is 11.4 years old. This means that passenger cars in the Netherlands are older on average than in other Western European countries. In 2019, the average passenger car is in the Netherlands still 11 years old. Incidentally, it was recently revealed that the majority of cars in the Netherlands are over ten years old.
In Belgium and Germany, the average passenger car is 9.5 and 10.1 years old. In France, the average car age is 10.5 years and in the UK 10 years. Luxembourg therefore has the youngest cars in Europe, with an average age of 7.6 years. In Greece, the average age of the oldest car is 17 years. Also in Estonia (16.8 years) and the Czech Republic (15.6 years) the average fleet is no longer young. The average age of passenger cars in the European Union is 12.0 years in 2021, so the Netherlands will still be above that. According to ACEA, by 2021 the Dutch car fleet will have nearly 4.5 million cars that are ten years old or more.
In 2021, light commercial vehicles in the Netherlands are on average 9.9 years old. The average age of light commercial vehicles in the EU is 12 years in 2021. Austria has the youngest customer (average age is 6.2 years). On average, Greece has not only the oldest passenger cars in Europe, but also the oldest commercial vehicles. A light commercial vehicle aged not less than 29.8 years in 2021.
Also interesting: in the Netherlands in 2021 there will be 523 passenger cars for every 1,000 residents. That was 520 the year before and 517 in 2019. If we look at the whole European Union, there will be an average of 567 cars per 1,000 inhabitants in 2021. Poland has the most cars per 1,000 inhabitants: 684 units. Least Romanian: 396 pieces.
More than half of petrol cars
51.1 percent of all passenger cars driving around the European Union in 2021 will have petrol engines. 41.9 percent of the fleet had a diesel engine under the hood that year and only 0.8 percent will have an electric powertrain in 2021. So a small part will be EVs in 2021, but there will be even fewer plug-ins. The share of plug-in hybrids in 2021 is only 0.7 percent.
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