Recently released vehicle and driver statistics, from the Department of Transport, show that Ireland’s motorists are now keeping their cars longer and the vehicle population is getting older. The latest stats show that at the end of 2007, there were some 1.8 millions cars registered in the Republic. Over half of these cars were more than six years old and more than 1.2 million (67%) were over four years old. With new car sales expected to be down over all in 2008, this trend looks set to continue.

Some other information from the statistics:

Most popular engine size for private cars is 1.3n - 1.4L capacity, which has shown a 4% year on year increase.

85% of Irish cars are between 1 and 2L engine size.

Less than 1% of cars have an engine capacity of more than 3L.

Only 5% of cars have an engine capacity of 2-3L.

Over 87,500 used vehicles were imported last year, a rise of over 6%.

Around 40% of goods vehicles were six or more years old with 57% over four years old.

An interesting point about the bulletin, is that while new car sales figures are often seen as a barometer of the health of the automotive industry in Ireland, an aging car population should actually be good news for many sectors of the aftermarket as they require more maintenance and up-keep.