The French car continues to age. In 2022, the average age of the French car fleet will reach 9.8 years, according to a Kantar Insights study carried out at the beginning of the year*.
older diesel
This is 2 years more than in 2006 and 3 years more than the average age recorded in 1997. At the same time, the average length of detention is also increasing: it was 6.2 years last year, compared to 5 years in 2010 and 4 years in 1993.
This average age varies by engine: diesels averaged 10.7 years last year, gasoline models 9.3 years. For the latter, the average age also increases for the second consecutive year: it decreased in the period 2014-2020, from 10.3 years to 8.5 years.
86% of households motorized
While new vehicle sales have fallen sharply in recent years, the household motorization rate remains fairly stable, at 85.9% in 2022. It has even increased slightly over a long period, with figures close to 80 % in the early 2000s.
The total fleet (including large utility vehicles) is just over 36 million cars according to this study, slightly less than in 2020. A break in a steady progression from the earliest year cited by the study, there were 27.5 million of vehicles in 1999 and the 36 million mark had been passed in 2019.
More than 100,000 kilometers on the odometer…
Another interesting fact: the average mileage is 101,360 kilometers, a fairly stable figure for the last 20 years.
There are more variations by engine: with diesels lasting longer, the average mileage was 135,700 kilometers last year, compared to just under 110,000 kilometers in 2011. By contrast, this average meter dropped sharply for models powered by gasoline: 72,440 in 2022, compared to just over 97,000 kilometers in 2007.
A decrease that is explained, in particular, by the importance of gasoline models in the sales of new vehicles, which will represent 70% of the French market in 2023 (including hybrids), while diesel vehicles only represent 10 % about the sales. Diesels still represent 47% of the fleet, in constant decline since 2012. At that time, 62% of French cars ran on diesel.
…but lower average annual mileage
The French keep their car longer, but, nevertheless, they drive less and less. A long-term trend. In 1995 we traveled an average of 14,000 kilometers a year, compared to 12,000 kilometers in the pre-Covid period.
The pandemic marked a sharp break, with average annual mileage falling to 9,730 kilometers in 2020. The increase in 2021 was confirmed last year, but it is still a notch lower than the pre-Covid period, with 10,830 kilometers traveled on average per year. French. last year.
Several possible explanations: long journeys are made more often by train, plane or coach, but also less frequency of use. In 2004, 50% of the French claimed to use the car on a daily basis, compared to only 35% last year.
What purchase intentions?
Doubts about which engine to choose, new and second-hand prices skyrocketing… less than 2 out of 10 French people plan to change their car before 2025. 26% plan to buy it after 2025 and 56%… don’t . know. A hesitation that suggests that the average age of the fleet should increase even more in the coming years.
Not surprisingly, given the importance that the second-hand market has acquired in recent years, 63% of those who intend to change their vehicle in the near future are considering buying a second-hand vehicle, with an average budget ranging between 18,719 and €24,700.
In fact, the price of new cars has skyrocketed in recent years. According to the latest figures compiled by AAA Data, in the first half of 2023, the average price of a new car reached an average of 35,118 euros (list price), a difference of more than 10,000 euros compared to the average price of a car in occasions.
*Survey carried out on 10,0000 households from the Kantar Metaskope Panel, representative of the French population according to the criteria: age, sex and occupation of the head of the household, number of people in the household, region of residence and size of the agglomeration. Postal survey conducted from February 16 to April 5, 2023 with a return rate of 60%.
Source: BFM TV
