North Macedonia has the oldest cars in the region: an average of 19.4 years

According to an analysis by Al Jazeera Balkans, North Macedonia ranks first among the regional countries included in the study in terms of the age of its vehicle fleet, which averages 19.4 years.

Between 2012 and 2024, the number of registered vehicles nearly doubled, while their average age changed very little.

In 2012, there were approximately 350,000 vehicles, while by 2024 the figure had reached around 700,000. This translates to approximately 383 registered vehicles for every 1,000 inhabitants.

A full 87.9 percent of the vehicles are more than seven years old. Their average age is significantly higher than that in the European Union, where the figure is 12.7 years.

In the other countries of the region, vehicles are an average of 18 years old in Kosovo, 17.3 years in Greece and 17.06 years in Montenegro. Croatia has an average of 14.63 years, while Slovenia’s average is 11.2 years.

The large-scale import of used cars from Western Europe, particularly from Germany and Italy, is seen as one of the main causes. Limited purchasing power makes it very difficult for many Balkan citizens to buy new vehicles.

Several countries in the region have restricted the import of older vehicles, particularly diesel vehicles. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro have banned several categories of these vehicles, while Serbia still allows the import of cars more than 20 years old.