Overview

• A review by the RAC Foundation shows the average age of the UK’s nearly 34 million-strong car fleet reached 9 years and 10 months at the end of 2024.
• Petrol and diesel vehicles top the age charts at over 10 years on average, while plug-in hybrids average 3 years 4 months and battery electrics just 2 years 6 months.
• Vehicles aged ten years or more account for 40.7 percent of the fleet, up from 32.7 percent in 2015, as higher new-car prices and robust build quality delay renewals.
• To achieve the Climate Change Committee’s 2030 emissions goals without cutting mileage, battery electric cars must grow from about 1.3 million today to over 13 million by decade’s end.
• Government plans to ban new petrol and diesel sales by 2030 and stepped-up policy measures will be essential to accelerate fleet turnover and reduce transport emissions.