Average Passenger Car Age Keeps Increasing in Hungary

The average age of passenger cars in Hungary has set a new record, reaching 15 years in 2021 – a record not seen since 2000, according to data by the Central Statistical Office (KSH): the Hungarian car fleet closed the first half of this year at 15.2 years of average age.

This result is partly due to the fact that the number of new cars registered fell by 11% year-on-year to under 30,000, while the number of used cars rose by 4.9% to 32,000 in the same period. True, compared to the same period in 2019, this represents a decrease of 28 and 15% respectively.

A compilation published this week by the Hungarian car website Totalcar shows the average age of the different brands. Several volume brands – including Ford, Skoda and Toyota – have cars with an average age of under 15 years on the road. On the other hand, only Kia, Hyundai and Dacia fit into the under-10-year-old category, although their share is only 1-2%. In contrast, Volkswagen and Opel, for example, and even Suzuki, have older-than-average car stocks. Among the popular premium brands, Lexus is well ahead of the national total, Volvo a few years ahead, but Mercedes and BMW also fall below the average. Audis, on the other hand, average nearly 16 years of age.