Alex Trelinski
CARS on Spain’s roads are getting older with an average age of 14.5 years reported in 2024 and almost 60% being polluting diesel models.
Industrial vehicles have a 15.1 year average while buses are the ‘youngest’ with an 11.5 year average.
The figures have been compiled for Spain’s Motor Manufacturers Association(Anfac) based on data from the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT).
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The number of vehicles over 20 years old is swelling to 8.7 million- 27.7% of all vehicles- up 11.2% on 2023 numbers.
The fact that the new vehicle market has not recovered after the Covid pandemic is reflected in that fact that vehicles under five years only represent 16.4% of the total, especially in passenger cars, which come in at 16.2%.
Diesel vehicles are in the overwhelming majority accounting for nearly three out of five vehicles on the road, though 0.5% down on 2023- coming in at 18.2 million.
Petrol vehicles account for 33.8% and despite all the publicity and talk of clean energy, electric and plug-in hybrid cars only represent 1.6% of vehicles on Spanish roads.
Anfac general manager, Jose Lopez-Tafall, said: “The number of cars over 20 years old is especially worrying as we are not talking about reducing emissions, but also because they have fewer safety systems than new vehicles.”
According to the DGT figures, more than 25% of passenger cars do not have an environmental sticker allowing them to go into low emission zones in cities, though the number has fallen by 6.9% in a year.
Lopez-Tafall says people should be aware of the advantages of a new car which can improve their quality of life and make motoring easier.
“A new vehicle, whatever its technology, will always be better than a vehicle that is more than 10 years old, not only because of lower emissions, but there are benefits to having safer and more technologically advanced vehicles on our roads in and our cities,” he stated.
