Luxembourg, as the country with the highest percentage of new cars in Europe, has 43 percent of its registered vehicles less than five years old. This country is also known for its high annual fleet renewal rate, which is reported to be over 10 percent. In contrast, Albania, with 90 percent of its vehicles being at least a decade old, is introduced as the country with the oldest fleet in this study.
Situation of Other Countries in Europe
Belgium ranks second, where more than a third of its vehicles are under five years old. In 2024, this country added about 456,000 new cars to its fleet, bringing its fleet renewal rate to 7.5 percent. Denmark ranks third with 28 percent of vehicles under five years old and 6 percent of vehicles over 20 years old. Additionally, more than half of new cars in Denmark are fully electric.
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Notable Differences in Vehicle Age
The United Kingdom ranks fourth and is recognized as a country with a relatively young fleet, with less than 5 percent of its vehicles being 20 years or older. Nearly 2 million new vehicles were registered in 2024, bringing the country's fleet renewal rate close to 6 percent. Norway also leads European countries in terms of electrification, with 27 percent of its fleet being electric. In Norway, about 88 percent of newly purchased vehicles are electric.
Other countries like Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands follow in the rankings. For example, Germany has about 30 percent of its fleet under five years old, while Switzerland is close to 25 percent. Despite having a relatively healthy market for new vehicles, the Netherlands has a slightly older fleet.
The study shows that wealthy Western and Northern European countries typically replace more new cars compared to Eastern and Southeastern countries on the continent. This economic disparity between countries can be observed in vehicle registration statistics, as vehicles registered for the first time in a country are not necessarily new.
Research conducted in August 2026 compared over 30 European countries using three main criteria: the percentage of vehicles that are at least 20 years old, the percentage of vehicles that are at least 10 years old, and the percentage of vehicles that are less than five years old. These variables ultimately converted into a fleet age score that indicates the youth or age of the national fleet.
Luxembourg ranks first with a score of 1.6, while Belgium with a score of 13.1 and Denmark with a score of 17.1 follow. The United Kingdom scored 18.8 and Norway 18.9, while overall, the numbers indicate that Europe is not moving towards a newer or electric fleet at the same pace.
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