Vehicle age statistics describe several different populations, including household-available vehicles, registered vehicles, vehicles in operation, and modeled fleets. In the United States, the 2022 median age of household vehicles was 8 years, while estimated 2023 average ages ranged from 8.1 years for SUVs and CUVs to 13.1 years for pickup trucks.
Key Vehicle Age Statistics
The following figures summarize the main U.S. vehicle-age measures and their populations:
- 26% of vehicles available to U.S. households were aged 0–4 years in 2022.
- 30% of vehicles available to U.S. households were aged 5–9 years in 2022.
- 18% of U.S. household vehicles were aged 10–14 years in 2022.
- 14% of U.S. household vehicles were aged 15–19 years in 2022.
- 7% of U.S. household vehicles were aged 20–24 years in 2022.
- 5% of U.S. household vehicles were at least 25 years old in 2022.
- The median age of vehicles available to U.S. households was 8 years in 2022.
- Pickup trucks in operation in the United States had an estimated average age of 13.1 years in 2023.
- SUVs and CUVs in operation in the United States had an estimated average age of 8.1 years in 2023.
- The United States had 298 million registered motor vehicles in 2024.
- Registered vehicles traveled an average of 11,071 miles per vehicle in the United States in 2024.
- Average miles per registered vehicle peaked at 12,211 miles in the United States in 1998.
- Two vehicles were the most common household vehicle count in the United States in 2022, representing 38% of households.
- Average U.S. household vehicle age rose from 10.1 years in 2007 to just over 11.3 years in 2012.
- Average annual maintenance and repair spending was $537 per vehicle for U.S. consumer units with vehicles in 2012.
- Households with vehicles averaging 6–15 years paid $151 more per vehicle annually for maintenance and repairs than households with newer vehicles in 2012.
- Average annual maintenance and repair expenditure was $588 for the U.S. 6–10-year vehicle-age group in 2012.
- Electrical-system and air-conditioning repair spending averaged $35.49 per vehicle for the U.S. 11–15-year group in 2012.
- MOVES4 models vehicle age from 0 through 30+ years for U.S. on-road vehicle source types.
- The cited five-year survival rate for 1990 model-year heavy-duty vehicles was 96%.
Contents
- U.S. household vehicle age distribution
- Vehicle age data by type
- Registered fleet trends
- Vehicle age and annual use
- Household spending and vehicle age
- Maintenance, repairs, and survival outcomes
U.S. Household Vehicle Age Distribution
The National Household Travel Survey measures vehicles available to households, which is a different population from all registered vehicles. In 2022, the age distribution was concentrated in the first two five-year bands, but older vehicles remained a substantial part of household transportation.
| Vehicle age in 2022 | Share of U.S. household vehicles |
|---|---|
| 0–4 years | 26% |
| 5–9 years | 30% |
| 10–14 years | 18% |
| 15–19 years | 14% |
| 20–24 years | 7% |
| 25 years or older | 5% |
The same NHTS table reports a median household-vehicle age of 8 years in 2022. These percentages describe household-available vehicles, not every registered vehicle in the country. FHWA, “Vehicles | Our Nation’s Highways 2026”
Household vehicle availability also provides context for how many vehicles may contribute to these age groups:
- One-vehicle households represented 33% of U.S. households in 2022.
- Two-vehicle households represented 38% of U.S. households in 2022.
- Households with four or more vehicles represented 7% in 2022.
- Households with no available motor vehicle represented 8% in 2022.
These availability measures are household statistics rather than age statistics, so they should not be used to infer the age of any particular household’s vehicles.
Vehicle Age Data by Type in 2023
Vehicle type changes the average age observed in the operating fleet. The U.S. Department of Energy reported an Argonne analysis using Experian Vehicles-in-Operation data as of December 2023; the figures below are estimates for vehicles in operation, not NHTS household medians.
| Vehicle type | Average age in 2023 |
|---|---|
| Pickup trucks | 13.1 years |
| Heavy trucks | 12.1 years |
| Cars | 11.9 years |
| Vans | 11.8 years |
| SUVs and CUVs | 8.1 years |
Pickup trucks had the highest listed average age at 13.1 years, while the combined SUV/CUV category had an estimated average of 8.1 years. The category definitions and data source matter: these are vehicles in operation, and SUVs and CUVs are combined. U.S. Department of Energy, “FOTW #1362: Pickup Trucks Had the Highest Average Age of All Vehicle Types in Operation in 2023”
Registered U.S. Fleet Age Trends and Scale
Registration totals do not directly measure vehicle age, but they show the scale of the fleet in which age distributions are observed. The FHWA series reports 221 million registered motor vehicles in 2000 and 298 million in 2024, with intermediate changes across the period.
| Year | Registered motor vehicles in the United States |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 221 million |
| 2001 | 230 million |
| 2004 | 237 million |
| 2008 | 248 million |
| 2010 | 242 million |
| 2011 | 253 million |
| 2014 | 260 million |
| 2019 | 276 million |
| 2021 | 281 million |
| 2023 | 285 million |
| 2024 | 298 million |
The 2010 total was 242 million, followed by 253 million in 2011 and 260 million in 2014. These are registered-vehicle counts, not counts of vehicles available to households or vehicles in operation in the DOE/Argonne estimate. FHWA, “Vehicles | Our Nation’s Highways 2026”
Vehicle Age Statistics and Annual Vehicle Use
FHWA mileage data show how much registered vehicles were used on average, but the series does not provide an age-specific mileage rate. In 2024, registered vehicles traveled an average of 11,071 miles, derived from 3.3 trillion miles divided by 298 million registered vehicles.
| Period | Average miles per registered vehicle |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 12,500 miles |
| 1920 | 5,152 miles |
| 1946 | 10,000 miles or more |
| 1998 | 12,211 miles |
| 2020 | 10,523 miles |
| 2021–2024 | More than 11,000 miles each year |
| 2024 | 11,071 miles |
The historical series reached a low of 5,152 miles in 1920 and recorded 12,500 miles in 1900. Early motor-vehicle populations differ substantially from modern fleets, so those observations are historical context rather than a direct comparison with current household vehicle age.
The 2020 average was 10,523 miles, and FHWA describes the average as exceeding 11,000 miles in every year from 2021 through 2024. No age-specific driving conclusion follows from these averages. FHWA, “Vehicles | Our Nation’s Highways 2026”
Household Vehicle Spending as Vehicles Age
Bureau of Labor Statistics analysis found that average household vehicle age rose from 10.1 years in 2007 to just over 11.3 years in 2012. Over the same period, the share of household vehicles newer than 5 years fell nearly 33% relative, while the share aged 11–20 years grew 25% relative; neither figure is a percentage-point change.
BLS spending measures are historical nominal dollars, not current-price estimates. The analysis covered U.S. consumer units and distinguishes vehicle spending from broader transportation spending.
| Measure | Earlier period | Later period |
|---|---|---|
| Average vehicle age | 10.1 years in 2007 | Just over 11.3 years in 2012 |
| Maintenance and repair as share of pretax income | 1.4% in 2007 | 1.6% in 2012 |
| Transportation spending per consumer unit | $8,604 in 2008 | $8,998 in 2012 |
| Net vehicle-purchase outlay per consumer unit | $2,755 in 2008 | $3,210 in 2012 |
| Maintenance and repair per consumer unit | $731 in 2008 | $814 in 2012 |
Average maintenance and repair spending per vehicle increased from $514 in 2011 to $537 in 2012. In 2012, average car-insurance spending was $593 per vehicle, while auto-repair-service-policy spending was $7 per vehicle; insurance was separate from maintenance and repair. BLS, “Americans’ aging autos” BLS, “Americans’ aging autos: The cost of owning vehicles longer”
Vehicle Age, Maintenance, Repairs, and Survival Outcomes
The BLS 2012 table estimates annual maintenance and repair expenditure by the average age of vehicles in a consumer unit. It covered 23,026 consumer units with one or more vehicles, and the figures are averages rather than bills for an individual vehicle.
| Average vehicle age | Annual maintenance and repair per vehicle, 2012 |
|---|---|
| 0–5 years | $437 |
| 6–10 years | $588 |
| 11–15 years | $576 |
| 16–20 years | $483 |
| 21–25 years | $457 |
| 26 years or more | $502 |
Households with vehicles averaging 6–15 years spent $151 more per vehicle annually than households with vehicles younger than 5 years. BLS also reported a 16% spending decline when the average vehicle age moved into the 16–20-year group and another 5% decline above 20 years; lower average spending does not mean lower mechanical risk, and the 26-years-or-more group was heavily influenced by classic-car owners.
Selected repair categories illustrate how averages vary by age group:
- Electrical-system and air-conditioning repair spending averaged $3.59 per vehicle for ages 0–5 and $35.49 for ages 11–15 in 2012.
- Engine-cooling-system repair spending averaged $3.78 for ages 0–5 and $21.43 for ages 11–15.
- Motor repair or replacement spending averaged $13.68 for ages 0–5 and $56.54 for ages 11–15.
- Motor tuneup spending averaged $30.33 for ages 0–5 and $42.25 for ages 11–15.
- Parts, equipment and accessories spending averaged $15.32 for ages 0–5 and $32.19 for ages 11–15.
- Brake-work spending averaged $25.48 for ages 0–5 and $44.81 for ages 11–15.
These are annual expenditure averages, not conditional costs among vehicles that received a repair. BLS, “Americans’ aging autos: The cost of owning vehicles longer”
EPA’s MOVES4 model uses a separate framework for on-road vehicle source types. It defines age as model year minus analysis year, includes 31 fractions from age 0 through 30+ years, groups all vehicles aged 30 years and older together, and provides registration-based age distributions for analysis years 1990 and 2020; other years are projected forwards or backwards from the 2020 base distribution.
EPA also cited survival comparisons for heavy-duty vehicles and trucks: the average five-year survival rate for 1988–1991 model-year heavy-duty vehicles between the 1992 and 1997 VIUS surveys was 88%; the comparable 1990 model-year heavy-duty rate from the Transportation Energy Data Book was 96%; and the five-year survival rate for 1980 model-year trucks was 91%. These cited rates are survey comparisons or estimates for the specified model years, not direct current-fleet observations. EPA, “Population and Activity of Onroad Vehicles in MOVES4”