New data released by vehicle records experts, Cartell.ie, shows that the car population in Ireland is getting considerably older, as many motorists are put off new car purchases by economic uncertainty and lack of finance.

Back in the now distant past of the Celtic Tiger in January 2006, the average car age in Ireland was under 6 years old. However, fast-forward to the start of this year and the figure had risen to 7.4 years.

Cartell also point out that 2009 saw almost half of registrations made in Ireland to be in the form of used imports, a factor that also impacts on the figures. Better reliability and durability of cars is also an issue, but perhaps the biggest factor is a change of consumer mindset, that says it is now fine to drive around in an older car and the January clamour for the latest registration vehicle really does not make much sense.