Cars that should have been retired years ago are now the basic source of Spain’s rising vehicle emissions. Solera’s latest report finds that vehicles older than 15 years produce 43% of all emissions from the national fleet, showing the environmental cost of keeping old cars on the road.
The figures have shifted quickly. In 2016, just over a quarter of vehicles were more than 15 years old. Now they account for 47%. Nearly half of Spain’s passenger and light commercial vehicles are well past their prime. The total fleet has grown to over 30 million vehicles, with about 300,000 added each year. Official data from the DGT and industry sources put the average age of Spain's vehicle fleet at 14.6 years by 2025. More than 37 million vehicles are now registered in the country, and about 29 million are older than nine years. The aging trend extends beyond passenger cars.
Solera presented its analysis at the Posventa Iberia congress in Ávila. It points to a clear problem: old cars are not being scrapped fast enough to offset new registrations. Spain now has one of Europe’s oldest car fleets, with only the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Greece reporting a higher share of vehicles over 15 years old. Vehicles older than 15 years account for more than 40% of private used-car sales. Sector data puts the average age of cars changing hands between individuals at 15 years.
Diesel vehicles still dominate Spanish roads, making up 56% of the fleet. Gasoline cars account for 34%. Electric cars make up just 1%, while hybrids, despite leading new registrations, represent only 9% of vehicles in use. Chinese brands are growing in sales but still account for less than 1% of the total; European manufacturers hold 80%. Diesel’s share of new car sales had fallen to just 3.5% by August 2026, a sharp contrast with the aging fleet.
For the aftermarket sector, the trend cuts both ways. José Luis Gata, Business Development Manager at Solera, says: "In Spain the vehicles are going to the scrapyard later and later, meaning people keep them longer. Environmental labels have highlighted the issue, but the response has been incomplete. These older cars bring little benefit, certainly not to the aftermarket, since they are repaired minimally, generate low profitability, and carry only basic insurance policies."
The impact extends beyond emissions. Old, poorly maintained vehicles are more likely to fail technical inspections, as reported earlier. The trend ties environmental concerns to road safety: outdated cars harm air quality and are less roadworthy. Official sources say nearly 19% of vehicles fail their first technical inspection (ITV). In Murcia, the average fleet age reached 15.5 years in the first half of 2026, and more than half of vehicles were older than 15 years.
Spain’s reliance on diesel and slow uptake of electric and hybrid vehicles make the problem harder to tackle. Environmental labels have drawn attention to the issue, but without effective scrappage incentives, the country is falling behind in modernizing its fleet. Solera’s data and official statistics suggest that unless more cars are scrapped and cleaner vehicles become common, aging, polluting cars will continue to dominate Spain’s roads. The industry must address the problem directly or face rising environmental and economic costs.
