The average age of cars in Spain has reached a record high, worsening the double problem that this entails.

The average age of passenger cars in Spain has reached a record 14.5 years, according to the 2024 Annual Report of the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (ANFAC). This figure, which places Spain among the countries with the oldest vehicle fleet in Europe , worsens the dual problem of having older cars on the roads. The older a vehicle is, the more unsafe and polluting it is. José López-Tafall, Director General of ANFAC, points out: “This is not good news for two reasons. Firstly, for the environment, and secondly, for road safety.”

The aging trend is widespread across the country. Only four autonomous communities (Madrid, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, and the Balearic Islands) have an average fleet age below the national average. Specifically, Madrid leads the ranking with the newest vehicles, with an average of 11.5 years, followed by Catalonia (14.1), the Valencian Community (14.2), and the Balearic Islands (14.2).

At the other end of the spectrum, Ceuta and Melilla top the list of regions with the oldest vehicles, with an average age of 17.7 years. They are followed by Castile and León (16.6 years) and Extremadura and Galicia, both with an average age of 16.3 years.

The ANFAC report reveals that, in 2024, 62.8% of passenger cars in circulation in Spain were over 10 years old. This represents more than 16.6 million of the 26.47 million registered passenger cars. Even more worrying is that 48.8% of the total fleet (12.9 million vehicles) is even older than the national average, at over 15 years old.

In eight autonomous communities (including Castile and León, Extremadura, Galicia, Asturias, La Rioja, Castile-La Mancha, and Navarra), seven out of ten passenger cars are over 10 years old. In Ceuta and Melilla, the percentage reaches 76.3%.

Madrid, for its part, once again stands out positively: only 48.3% of its passenger cars in circulation are over 10 years old, making it the region with the most modern fleet.

Aging also affects other types of vehicles. Among light commercial vehicles, 49.3% (2.05 million out of a total of 4.15 million) exceed the national average. In the case of commercial vehicles, 50.3% (309,996 units out of a total of 616,878) also exceed the age of 14.5 years.

Despite a 35% increase in the number of electrified vehicles compared to the previous year, they represent only 1.6% of the total Spanish vehicle fleet (494,967 units out of more than 31 million vehicles). This percentage is still far from the decarbonization targets set at the European level.

Only Madrid, with 4.1% of electrified vehicles, is above the national average. It is followed by Catalonia (1.7%) and the Balearic Islands (1.5%). In contrast, Ceuta and Melilla (0.4%) and Extremadura (0.5%) have the lowest rates in the country.

For López-Tafall, these figures demonstrate the need to "continue purchasing incentives, preferably through a new, simpler, and more direct model based on taxation, and ensure both their efficiency and continuity over time." He also emphasizes the importance of extending these aid measures to the business sector and freight transport, which have traditionally been neglected.

The ANFAC official emphasizes that new vehicles, regardless of their technology—be it gasoline, diesel, hybrid, or electric—will always be safer, more efficient, and more sustainable than a car that's more than 10 years old.

This is what DGT director Pere Navarro said in an interview with Arval Mobility Observatory last year: "The risk of death or serious injury doubles when comparing accidents involving vehicles 10 to 15 years old compared to vehicles less than 5 years old." He also referred to the significant difference in terms of environmental pollution. "A recent Euro 6 gasoline vehicle (C label) emits 60 mg/km of NOx, while one manufactured before 2001 (Euro 3, B label) emits 2.5 times more," he explained.

A 2022 report by Línea Directa calculated the number of lives that could be saved if the age of Spain's aging vehicle fleet were reduced. Based on their estimates, considering the lethality of vehicles according to their age, they suggest that an average age of under ten years would prevent up to 260 deaths in traffic accidents each year.