Insane inflation: between 2018 and 2024, the average price of a new car increased from 26,000 to 36,700 euros in France, an increase of 40% in just 6 years. This is what emerges from the 2025 edition of the Roole automobile club’s annual study on the French automobile budget.
But how can we explain this sharp increase in prices? “The rise of models (SUV, technological equipment, security systems), the progressive electrification of the market, but also inflation and the increase in production costs,” summarizes Roole in his statement. The pandemic and the post-covid period in particular caused a shortage of new cars, which encouraged manufacturers to focus on higher-end finishes.
Added to this is the increase in leasing, the “purchase” of new cars on a rental basis, which also tends to increase the bill for buyers, with a monthly rental that is more digestible than the cash price of the vehicle.
In this context, purchasing a new vehicle may seem out of reach for most French households. The average age of a buyer has also changed significantly since the 1990s. It fluctuates around 55 years, highlights a recent study by the company C-Ways, compared to 44 years at the end of the 1990s. But, surprisingly, this age, admittedly high, has remained stable for about ten years, despite the spectacular increase in the prices of new homes. This could be explained, according to a note by Bernstein that confirms the same phenomenon in the United States, by the fact that people between 25 and 44 years old are the most likely to consider a change of car in their next purchase, and the most likely to consider the purchase of an expensive car. when, paradoxically, those over 44 years of age are increasingly frugal in this area.
An average monthly budget of 416 euros per month
Whatever the method of purchasing the vehicle, the study also analyzes the average monthly budget of French drivers, currently 416 euros per month. And of this endowment, a large part, almost two thirds, is made up of fixed costs. In other words: even if the car doesn’t work, you will have to pay an average of 257 euros per month.
“Roole Data analyzes show that 257 euros per month are spent on fixed costs alone: 167 euros for the purchase of the vehicle, 45 euros for insurance and 44 euros for parking,” the statement says.
Among the expenses directly related to the use of the car: Roole mentions fuel and electricity (100 euros), maintenance (44 euros) and tolls (16 euros).
Second-hand electric, good business still scarce
But there are several solutions to reduce this budget, such as resorting to used cars, a market that currently represents almost three out of every four purchases. “Owning a new vehicle now costs an average of 522 euros per month, compared to 384 euros for a used vehicle,” underlines Roole, a significant difference of 138 euros per month.
With a reduced cost of use, the 100% electric used vehicle allows this monthly budget to be further reduced to 331 euros per month. Roole’s study notes, in particular, a reduced bill in terms of energy, 39 euros per month (that’s 119 euros, or three times more for a gasoline vehicle), and maintenance, 32 euros per month (44 euros per month for a thermal model). The only problem: a still reduced supply compared to thermal vehicles, which continue to be the vast majority in this second-hand market.
“On the contrary, used plug-in hybrids reach 495 euros per month, often premium SUVs, that is, the most expensive engine on the second-hand market,” adds the press release summary of this study.
Source: BFM TV
