12:21 18-01-2026

Italy's aging car fleet and low electric vehicle adoption pose risks

A new ACEA report obtained by Tarantas News reveals a concerning trend: Italy's vehicle fleet is aging rapidly, with fleet renewal moving at a snail's pace and electric car adoption remaining minimal. This pattern poses significant risks to both environmental goals and road safety.

EU data for 2024 shows nearly 256 million cars on the road, with the average vehicle age climbing from 12.5 to 12.7 years. Italy's situation is even more troubling, with an average age of 13 years—markedly higher than Germany's 10.6 years and France's 11.5 years. Italy also leads in cars per thousand residents, highlighting both weak fleet turnover and a critical reliance on personal vehicles.

Electric vehicles currently make up just 2.3% of Italy's fleet, while plug-in hybrids have dipped to 1.4%. Gasoline and diesel continue to dominate at 87.6%, putting the country clearly behind European targets. Electrification in commercial transport is barely visible, with electric vans at 1.3% and trucks at just 0.3%. More noticeable progress is only seen in bus fleets in some Northern European countries.

Italy faces a systemic challenge: inadequate charging infrastructure, insufficient incentives for fleet renewal, high new vehicle costs, and limited public transport alternatives. As a result, older cars remain in circulation, disregarding both EU environmental targets and modern safety requirements—from ADAS systems to updated crash-test standards.