Motorists slam brakes on new car purchases

BRITAIN'S drivers are hanging on to their cars for longer, and it's not by choice. More than half are now using an older vehicle than they were in 2020, with the average UK car now 9.5 years old, up from 8.0 five years ago.

- By Harvey Jones

More than four in 10 cars are now more than a decade old, new research from the Startline Used Car Tracker shows.

A quarter of drivers say they simply can't afford a newer car, while almost one in five feel that even the second-hand market has become unaffordable.

The shortage of new vehicles during the pandemic has left used car supply squeezed and prices inflated, as household finances have been battered by high inflation and soaring bills.

Startline motor finance chief executive Paul Burgess said: "Many can't afford to change their car, and those that do often have less to spend in a market where prices are still higher than they were pre-pandemic."