America’s vehicle fleet is getting older, and the latest data from S&P Global Mobility show how deeply that trend has changed the U.S. automotive market. The average age of cars and light trucks on American roads reached a record 12.8 years in 2025, while the population of older vehicles continues to expand as consumers keep cars and trucks longer.
There is an important qualification to the headline. Publicly available S&P Global Mobility data confirm the record aging of the U.S. fleet and continued growth in vehicles more than 15 years old, but the company’s latest public analysis does not provide a standalone 2025 or 2026 figure explicitly calling the 15-plus-year population a new record.
Its published age-group data show roughly 87 million vehicles aged 15 years or older in 2024, compared with about 82 million in 2020, with the group projected to reach roughly 89 million by 2028.
The broader story is more significant than a single record. America is developing a vehicle population that is not simply older on average but increasingly concentrated toward the older end of the ownership cycle.
America Now Has a Record-Age Vehicle Fleet
According to S&P Global Mobility’s May 2025 analysis, the average age of vehicles in operation in the United States climbed to 12.8 years, up two months from 2024. It was the second consecutive year in which the average age increased by two months.
The company said the U.S. fleet had reached approximately 289 million light vehicles, an increase of about 3 million from the previous year. The aging trend has remained persistent even as new-vehicle registrations recovered from the pandemic-era supply shortage.
S&P Global Mobility reported an average age of 12.6 years in 2024, up from 12.4 years in 2023. New-vehicle registrations topped 16 million in 2024, the first time they had exceeded that level since 2019, but the improvement was not enough to reverse the aging of the entire fleet.
The combination of a massive existing vehicle population and a relatively stable scrappage rate means millions of older vehicles remain in service. S&P puts the scrappage rate at approximately 4.5%.
The fleet’s composition is also changing. Passenger cars are becoming a shrinking part of the American vehicle population as buyers increasingly favor pickups, crossovers, and SUVs.
S&P Global Mobility reported that passenger cars now average 14.5 years in service, compared with 11.9 years for light trucks. It also said the number of passenger cars on U.S. roads had fallen below 100 million for the first time since 1978.
The 15-plus-year category is becoming especially significant. S&P’s age-group data show approximately 82 million vehicles aged 15 years or older in 2020, increasing to approximately 87 million in 2024. The company projects that figure could reach about 89 million by 2028.
Why Americans Are Keeping Cars for So Long
One of the biggest factors is the price of a new vehicle. S&P Global Mobility reported an average new-vehicle transaction price of $47,218 in March 2024, while its 2026 market data showed average advertised new-vehicle prices reaching $49,213 in April 2026.
For many households, replacing an older vehicle has therefore become harder to justify. A driver with a paid-off 12- or 15-year-old vehicle may face a major repair, but replacing it can mean taking on years of loan payments.
Even a significant repair can appear financially reasonable compared with purchasing another vehicle at today’s prices.
The pandemic further accelerated this calculation. Semiconductor and component shortages restricted new-vehicle production during the early 2020s. Inventory became scarce, transaction prices rose, and used-vehicle prices followed. Although supply has recovered, the effects remain visible in the age profile of the American fleet.
S&P Global Mobility has also pointed to improved vehicle durability. Modern cars can survive longer than many vehicles from previous generations, thanks to improvements in engines, transmissions, corrosion protection, electronics, safety systems, and manufacturing. A well-maintained vehicle reaching 150,000 or even 200,000 miles is no longer unusual.
That does not mean every 15-year-old vehicle is inexpensive to maintain. Once vehicles enter their second decade, maintenance can become more complicated and costly. Still, owners now have more reasons to repair rather than replace.
S&P identifies vehicles between 6 and 14 years old as an important aftermarket service opportunity. Its research found more than 110 million vehicles in that age range in 2024, representing nearly 38% of the fleet. The company projects that share could reach approximately 40% by 2028.
Older vehicles require increasing attention to components such as suspension systems, brakes, cooling systems, air-conditioning equipment, batteries, belts, sensors, and electrical components. The exact repair burden varies by vehicle, climate, and maintenance history.
This creates a different automotive business environment from one dominated by new-car sales. Parts suppliers, independent repair shops, dealerships, and service businesses can benefit when consumers keep existing vehicles rather than purchase replacements.
At the same time, automakers face a more complicated challenge. A vehicle that remains reliable for 15 or 20 years is beneficial for consumers, but it can reduce the frequency with which those consumers return to the new-car market.
What the Aging Fleet Means for Buyers
The most important takeaway from S&P Global Mobility’s data is that America’s aging fleet is becoming a structural feature of the U.S. automotive market.
The number of vehicles in operation is now close to 290 million, while the average vehicle has reached 12.8 years of age. Meanwhile, the 15-plus-year population grew from about 82 million in 2020 to roughly 87 million in 2024, with further growth projected.
That creates a huge installed base of vehicles that needs to be maintained. It also changes the used-car market. A 10-year-old vehicle is not necessarily approaching the end of its useful life. Depending on its design, maintenance history, mileage, and condition, it may still have several years of practical service ahead.
The same applies even more strongly to vehicles that are 15 years old or older. Age alone does not determine whether a vehicle is worth keeping. A well-maintained 200,000-mile vehicle can sometimes be a better financial proposition than a neglected 100,000-mile vehicle.
For consumers, this makes maintenance history increasingly important. Oil changes, transmission service, cooling-system maintenance, brake work, suspension repairs, and timely replacement of worn components can determine whether an older vehicle remains dependable or becomes an expensive liability.
There is also a geographical factor. Older vehicles can face different challenges depending on where they operate. Salt and winter conditions can accelerate corrosion, while extreme heat can place additional stress on cooling systems, batteries, air conditioning, and other components.
A 15-year-old vehicle in excellent mechanical condition can still become economically impractical if structural corrosion becomes severe. For the automotive aftermarket, however, the direction is clear.
S&P Global Mobility expects the 6-to-14-year vehicle population to continue expanding through 2028, while vehicles more than 15 years old are also projected to grow.
That means older vehicles will remain an increasingly important part of everyday American transportation.
America’s Older-Car Trend Is Not Going Away
The headline that the number of 15-year-old vehicles has “just set a record” needs qualification because the latest publicly accessible S&P Global Mobility material does not provide a new 2026 count explicitly identifying the 15-plus-year fleet as a record.
What the evidence firmly establishes is that the U.S. vehicle fleet itself reached a record average age of 12.8 years in 2025, while the population of vehicles at least 15 years old has continued growing. That is arguably the more important development.
America is not simply putting more old cars on the road temporarily. Keeping a vehicle for 15 years or more is becoming increasingly normal.
High replacement costs, improved durability, lingering effects from the pandemic-era supply disruption, and consumers’ willingness to repair paid-off vehicles are stretching the ownership cycle.
For automakers, that could mean a slower replacement market. For repair shops and parts suppliers, it represents a growing customer base. For consumers, it means an older vehicle can remain a rational choice when properly maintained.
With S&P Global Mobility forecasting continued growth in the 15-plus-year population, America’s aging-car trend is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
