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October 13, 2026 · 6 min read

Average Car Age & Vehicle Ownership Statistics 2026 (US)

How old is the average car in the US in 2026? Vehicle age, registrations, miles driven, new car prices and ownership costs, all from primary sources.

Last updated: October 13, 2026 · By the RimFit team · Every number links to the organisation that published it.

How old the cars on US roads are, how many there are, how far they go and what they cost to own. These are the 2026 numbers, each one taken from the organisation that published it.

US vehicles in 4 numbers: average light vehicle age 12.9 years, 297.5 million registered motor vehicles, 11,071 miles per vehicle a year, $50,562 average new vehicle price.
US vehicles in four numbers. Free to reuse with a link to this page.

Key takeaways

How old is the average car in the US?

The average US light vehicle is a record 12.9 years old in 2026.

Line chart: average age of US light vehicles. 2023: 12.5 years, 2024: 12.6, 2025: 12.8, 2026: 12.9.
Average age of US light vehicles, 2023 to 2026. Free to reuse with a link to this page.
Bar chart: average age by vehicle type in 2025. Passenger cars 14.5 years, light trucks 11.9, hybrids 6.4, plug-in hybrids 4.9, battery EVs 3.7.
Average age by vehicle type, 2025. Free to reuse with a link to this page.

How many cars are on US roads?

297.5 million motor vehicles were registered in the US in 2024.

Bar chart: US registered vehicles in 2024. Trucks 189.8 million, automobiles 97.4 million, motorcycles 9.3 million, buses 1.1 million.
Registered motor vehicles by type, 2024. Free to reuse with a link to this page.

Which states have the most cars?

California, Texas and Florida have the most registered vehicles.

How far do Americans drive?

Americans drove 3.29 trillion miles in 2024, about 11,071 miles per vehicle.

What does a new car cost in 2026?

A new vehicle averaged $50,562 in September 2026, just under the record of $50,614 set in December 2025.

Bar chart: average new vehicle price paid, September 2026. Full-size pickup $67,573, new EV $55,879, mid-size SUV $50,630, all new vehicles $50,562, subcompact SUV $31,213.
Average new vehicle prices, September 2026. Free to reuse with a link to this page.

How much does it cost to own a car?

Owning and running a new vehicle costs $12,863 a year, or $1,071.92 a month.

Methodology and sources

We only use numbers from the organisation that produced them: government agencies, industry associations and company research. We opened every source page and checked the number on it before publishing. Lines marked “RimFit calculation” are simple math on the cited numbers so anyone can check them. We review this page every quarter and update the numbers when new reports come out.

How to cite this page

RimFit. “Average Car Age & Vehicle Ownership Statistics 2026.” Updated October 13, 2026. https://rimfit.app/blog/average-car-age-statistics

Frequently asked questions

What is the average age of a car in the US?

12.9 years, a record, according to the Auto Care Association (2026). Passenger cars average 14.5 years and light trucks 11.9 years (S&P Global Mobility, 2025).

How many cars are registered in the US?

297.5 million motor vehicles were registered in 2024, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

How many miles does the average car drive a year?

11,071 miles per vehicle in 2024, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

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