3 million aged cars on Hungarian roads

Hungarians may have to replace their cars en masse within a couple of years as more than three million aged cars roam the roads of Hungary. The latest Ernst & Young regional car industry report also suggests that the number of cars per capita in Hungary is well behind those in the Czech Republic and Poland.

Ernst & Young tax partner Róbert Heiczinger commented on the report that “no question about it, there is burning need for rejuvenating the fleet of cars used by Hungarians. However, it is questionable whether Hungarian consumers buy new cars or somewhat younger used cars imported from Western Europe. Possible government measures may play an important role in this process.” The Ernst & Young report covers the automotive industry of the East and East Central European region of ten countries: Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Turkey, the Ukraine and Russia.

Furthermore, the regional report states that the average age of cars used in Hungary is over 11 years, which is still favorable compared to other countries of the region. This figure is 13 years in neighboring Slovakia and 14 years in the Czech Republic and Poland. The study also says that in Romania, for instance, half of the vehicles do not comply with the harmful substance emission requirements of the European Union.

According to the survey, Hungary is in the second half of the EU ranking as far as the number of cars per capita is concerned with an average of 360 cars for every 1,000 inhabitants. This puts Hungary in front of Slovakia (more than 350) and Romania (less than 250) but the figure is lower than the ones in the Czech Republic and Poland. In the latter two countries, the average figure is over 500 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, leaving a room for improvement in Hungary in this respect.