One-third of the 294 million vehicles Americans own are 16-plus years of age or older 

LAS VEGAS – October 21, 2026 – The average age of U.S. vehicles in operation (VIO) continues to climb, according to data compiled by AAPEX parent organizations, the Auto Care Association and MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers.

The combined average age of light vehicles in the U.S. is 12.94 years – up from the 12.8 calculated last year. When these averages are considered separately, light trucks are 11.9 years of age, and cars are 15.

Americans own 294 million light vehicles and used them to drive 3.32 trillion miles in 2025, which is the latest available data. That works out to a little more than one vehicle for each of the 242.3 million U.S. licensed drivers.

Averages don’t tell the whole story

Averages, specifically the mean, which is the calculation used here, can conceal important variability in a given data set. 

Many of the VIOs are older. In fact, “about one-third (29.1 percent) of the vehicles in operation have 16-plus years of wear and tear,” wrote MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers President Emily Poladian in a recent Op-Ed published by The American Spectator.  

Here’s how the numbers break out:

• 29.1% of U.S. VIOs are 16-plus years old;
• 15.1% of U.S. VIOs are 12-15 years old;
• 20.6% of U.S. VIOs are 8-11 years old;
• 19.1% of U.S. VIOs are 4-7 years old; and
• 16% of U.S. VIOs are 0-3 years old.

Why does the average age continue to climb? 

“One reason is that new cars have hit record-high prices. The average payment on a new car has swelled to $770 a month,” Emily wrote in the piece mentioned above. “Consumers realize maintaining their existing car is significantly less expensive than buying a new one.”

More data in the 2026 AAPEX Media Guide

AAPEX has summarized additional high-level data from both benchmark reports in the 2026 AAPEX Media Guide and corresponding press release. We’ve also highlighted different aspects of the data in these posts:

• What is the size of the global and U.S. automotive aftermarket? 
• The automotive aftermarket accounts for nearly 5 million U.S. jobs 

The source documents for these blog posts are the 2026 Auto Care Factbook and the MEMA 2026 Aftermarket Size & Forecast Report.

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AAPEX 2026 will be held from Nov. 3-5, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at The Venetian Expo & AAPEX Forum. See the exhibitor prospectus for exhibiting details. Complimentary passes are available to the media; email: [email protected].

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