The age of the average British car has risen to a record of almost 10 years old as drivers hang on to their vehicles for longer.
Research by the RAC Foundation has found that motorists are shunning new purchases and instead taking advantage of the improved quality of modern vehicles, which allows them to run for a greater period.
It comes after separate figures have shown the average cost of a new car has risen faster than inflation since 2013.
While extending the life of older cars may be beneficial for hard-up households, the motoring charity argued this was “bad news for the environment” because it will slow the switch to electric vehicles (EVs).
It found the average age of cars licenced in the UK at the end of last year was nine years and 10 months, up from seven years and five months at the end of 2015.
Petrol cars were the oldest on average, at 10 years and four months. That was followed by diesels at 10 years and one month.
Meanwhile, the average plug-in hybrid was three years and four months old, while battery EVs were typically just two years and six months old.
A total of nearly 34 million cars were licenced at the end of last year.
Of these, 40.7pc were at least a decade old, compared with 32.7pc at the end of 2015.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “On the plus side, for motorists, the design and build-quality of modern cars means they are looking good and running reliably for far longer.
“The days of them rusting away before your eyes are well and truly behind us.
“Even a 20-year-old car with a full service history can be a good bet for someone seeking a bargain buy that still looks up to date.
“The bad news for the environment is that the overall ageing of the fleet means the replacement of fossil-fuelled cars by those with very low or zero emissions is not happening as quickly as policy-makers hoped.”
For Britain to hit its net zero targets, he said there would need to be “a 10-fold increase” in the number of EVs on the road.
At the end of 2024, the total stood at about 1.3 million.
“That is going to require a huge push,” Mr Goodings added.
It comes after experts have warned that rising regulatory standards, though intended to improve safety for drivers and reduce vehicle emissions, are driving up the cost of the average car.
The average price of a new petrol car has gone up from £27,871 to £45,218 since 2013, according to data compiled by Cox Automotive, an increase of 62pc.
That is a much bigger rise than general consumer price inflation, which has increased by around 35pc over the same period.
Experts say the trend is being driven by a preference for bigger cars with more room for luxuries, as well as safety rules or green regulations that require manufacturers to reduce exhaust emissions and install protective technologies as standard.
A total of 7.6 million used cars were sold in the UK last year, a 5.5pc rise compared to 2023, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT).
The most popular vehicle was the Ford Fiesta, with more than 300,000 sold.
However, the SMMT has warned that second-hand trade relies on a healthy market for new cars, which remains subdued.
The lobby group has called on the Government to slash VAT on new electric vehicles to 5pc to stimulate demand.
It said: “The automotive industry cannot force consumers to buy zero emission vehicles, which because of their higher production costs, are naturally more expensive than petrol or diesel vehicles.”
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