site.btaBulgarians Drive Oldest Cars in Europe

Bulgarians Drive Oldest Cars in Europe

Sofia, October 13 (BTA) - Bulgarians drive the oldest cars in Europe, according to 2016 statistics of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). The average age of vehicles in the EU was 10.7 years against 20 years for Bulgaria.

Registered vehicles per mil for Bulgaria were about 510, compared to a EU average of 573.

Up-to-date Interior Ministry data show that last year about 40 per cent of the cars in Bulgaria were more than 20 years old. Considering that over 40 million vehicles were registered in the country, this means that about 1.6 million cars older than 20 years travelled Bulgaria's roads.

Only 17 per cent of the motor vehicles in Bulgaria were produced less than ten years ago.

In just 2016, slightly over 26,000 new cars were purchased and registered in this country against some 266,000 second-hand cars imported from the EU.

Slightly over 4,000 new cars were bought in this country in January-August 2017, ACEA says.

Registration of environment-friendly cars in Bulgaria is also symbolic. Traffic police has reported the registration of 2,474 hybrids (0.08 per cent of the pool) and only 274 electric vehicles (0.009 per cent of the pool).

The age of cars in Europe has risen in just ten years from the average 8 years in 2007. This is largely associated with the recent world economic crisis.

Among the EU countries, the newest cars are driven in Belgium (7 years). Next come Denmark, Great Britain and Germany where cars are 8-years-old on average, those in France 9 years, in Italy 10 years, in Spain 11 years and in Portugal and Finland 12 years.