The average age of U.S. light vehicles rose to 12.8 years in 2024, an increase of two months. This marks the second consecutive year of a two-month increase, according to S&P Global Mobility. Vehicle registrations reached over 16 million in 2024, the first time since 2019. That growth did not offset the rising number of older vehicles.
Vehicle registrations surpassed 16 million in 2024 for the first time since 2019. This was not enough to offset the growing volume of aged vehicles as vehicles in operation grew to 289 million with a steady 4.5% scrappage rate. Passenger cars dropped below 100 million for the first time since the 1970s, according to S&P Global Mobility’s research.
“Passenger cars are continuing a steady decline toward equilibrium as consumer preference shifts to light trucks,” said Todd Campau. “The vehicle fleet continues to demonstrate impressive resilience even as it faces stress from high new and used prices and economic uncertainty.”
The average passenger car age climbed to 14.5 years. Light trucks showed gradual growth in average age, reaching 11.9 years.
Northern Plains, Northwest, and Southern states report higher-than-average vehicle ages. Montana leads with a vehicle age over five years higher than average.
States like Mississippi, North Dakota, and D.C. show accelerating vehicle aging. Colorado and Hawaii show slower increases in average vehicle age.
“The macro trend for average age may not correlate with what consumers see in their community,” said Campau. “Aging rates can vary significantly from region to region.”
Battery Electric Vehicles now face upward pressure on average age for the first time in years. BEV sales growth has slowed, which contributes to the aging trend. The average BEV age remains low at 3.7 years in 2024.
This growth matches the broader vehicle market trend and supports tracking Electric Vehicle Age Trends going forward.
Plug-In Hybrid average age remains flat at 4.9 years. Traditional Hybrids decreased in average age from 6.9 years to 6.4 in one year.
“Consumer preference currently is favoring hybrid and plugin hybrid options over fully battery electric vehicles to a large extent,” said Campau. “Driving average age to flat or even negative for those propulsion types.
“Alternative propulsion average age will continue to depend heavily on consumer sentiment for the next several years. As they continue to build overall share in the vehicle fleet.”
New and used vehicle prices remain high across the U.S. The national fleet grew to 289 million in 2024, up 3 million. These trends will expand opportunities in the aftermarket.
Heavy registration years from 2015-2019 are entering the aftermarket space now. These vehicles offer stronger maintenance and repair potential as they exit warranty coverage.