Saying that the Spanish automobile fleet is one of the oldest in Europe is not new. However, despite the fact that this issue goes back a long way and the authorities are aware of the environmental and safety risks involved in having old vehicles circulating on the roads, the situation has not been reversed. In fact, it has not even been possible to stop the problem, which is getting worse.
Proof of this is the data shared by the manufacturers' association (Anfac): in 2023, the average age of passenger cars in Spain reached 14.2 years, which represents an increase of 0.31 years compared to the previous year, In the case of light commercial vehicles it increased 0.36 years, reaching 14.4 years; and industrialists, for their part, aged 0.22 to 14.9 years.
These are some of the figures revealed in the report that the aforementioned association commissioned from Ideauto and that has been prepared based on data from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT). Another piece of information that under no circumstances should be overlooked is that 25% of the vehicle fleet is more than 20 years old. Specifically, 7.78 million copies exceed two decades since their first registration.
And, as we have said, this is a problem both for the environment (the older a car is, the higher the level of polluting emissions it has) and for road safety (the most modern cars are those that are equipped with driving assistants that help reduce accidents and their harm).
The only way to reverse the situation is to remove the oldest examples from circulation, but this implies a renewal that is not taking place because, among other things, the price of cars has increased significantly in recent times and represents a great disbursement for families. Likewise, in the midst of the transition towards sustainable mobility, there are consumers who are also postponing their purchasing decision to see if they stick with a gasoline or diesel vehicle, opt for a hybrid one or make the leap to a 100% electric one.
Despite the brands' efforts to contribute to the expansion of zero-emission models, the pace of growth of their market share is slower than expected. High prices (although they are already starting to go down), autonomy even lower than that of internal combustion and a limited charging infrastructure in Spain are the brakes that continue to prevent its deployment. And the Moves III plan has not been enough to encourage its acquisition either. The general director of Anfac, José López-Tafall, points out that it is necessary to provide direct aid for the purchase and improve the taxation of these vehicles.
Other relevant data from the aforementioned Ideauto report indicate that, in the total number of vehicles, only 5.7% have the Eco or Zero badge from the DGT, while 29.8% have the B label and 29.4% have the B label. % lacks the environmental sticker, which means that there are some 9.03 million vehicles that cannot circulate in the low emissions zones that municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants must implement.
The positive point, according to Anfac, is that unmarked vehicles have fallen by 2% compared to 2022, while those labeled B fell by 0.9%, while Eco and Zero labeled vehicles have increased. its presence 1.4 percentage points more.
