The median age of passenger cars in operation in the United States increased to 9.2 years in 2006, a record high, according to RL Polk & Co.

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For trucks, the median age increased slightly from 6.8 years in 2005 to 6.9 years in 2006. Light truck median age increased 3% to 6.8 years, the largest increase across the major vehicle categories, Polk’s latest vehicle population report said, following an analysis of more than 230m vehicles.


“The median age of trucks continues to be lower than cars, due in part to the increased variety of light trucks and SUVs available in the market over the last five years,” said Polk aftermarket chief Mike Gingell.


“However, the increase in median age for light trucks in 2006 suggests light truck owners are driving their vehicles longer before considering or switching to a car. We anticipate light trucks to continue making up a larger%age of the vehicle population.”


The%age of total passenger cars and trucks scrapped in 2006 was 5%, a near historic low. The passenger car scrappage rate was 4.9% in 2006. For all trucks the scrappage rate was 5.1% and light truck scrappage was 5.2%.

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“Despite the increase in the scrappage rate for 2006, the percentage of light vehicles in use that were 11 years of age and older increased one percentage point over last year to a new all-time high, representing 35.8% of the light vehicle population,” said Polk consultant Dave Goebel.


“This is more evidence that vehicle engineering and durability continues to improve with each new model year.”