An old car not only goes to the workshop less compared to a pre-owned car, but also the bill it generates for the mechanic is much lower. According to the report Recycling after-sales, presented by Solera at the congress held by the Faconauto dealer association in Madrid, a car that is more than 15 years old leaves up to three times less turnover than one that is up to 5 years old (307 euros versus 903 euros).
With this work, the company wants to put an end to the false belief that the older the vehicle fleet is, the more profitable it is for after-sales services. And, according to their data, the older they get, the drivers only try to repair what is essential, the insurance policy coverage is only for third parties and, in addition, they travel many fewer kilometers, with what this implies in preventive maintenance and correctives. Specifically, a car from 15 years old barely travels 12,000 kilometers on average per year, when a new one travels more than 18,000 kilometers.
Regarding the presence of these vehicles on Spanish roads, the report indicates that there are 5.22 million copies up to five years old, while the figure rises to 14.61 million for those older than fifteen years. In fact, this is one of the problems that plagues our country and that worsens as the years go by.
Just a few days ago, the manufacturers' association (Anfac) reported that, in 2023, the average age of passenger cars increased to 14.2 years, which represents an increase of 0.31 years compared to 2022. In In the case of light commercial vehicles, it increased by 0.36 years, reaching 14.4 years; and industrialists, for their part, aged 0.22 to 14.9 years.
According to the data collected in the report that the aforementioned association commissioned from Ideauto and which has been prepared based on data from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), 25% of the vehicle fleet is more than 20 years old. Specifically, 7.78 million copies exceed two decades since their first registration.
Regardless of whether this situation is better or worse for the after-sales sector, we must assess the double problem it represents in terms of road and environmental safety. According to the DGT, the risk of dying in an accident with an old vehicle (15 years or more) doubles compared to a new one (less than 5 years), since the safety equipment is - as a general rule - noticeably inferior.
In 2022, Línea Directa made public the study Obsolete cars, real risk. Influence of the age of the vehicle fleet on accident rates (2011-2020). In this work he calculated the number of lives that could be saved if the age of Spain's aging automobile fleet could be reduced. Based on their estimates, an average age below ten years would prevent the death of up to 260 people in traffic accidents annually.
On the other hand, in general terms, older cars are also the ones that pollute the most. European emissions regulations are becoming stricter and force manufacturers to sell cars that emit fewer emissions that are harmful to people's health and the environment.
