Ageing car parc likely to need more repairs

Recent data released by the DVLA and Department for Transport (DfT) has illustrated that the UK car parc is older than it has ever been. Older cars are undoubtedly popular, and as a result aftermarket support will be required for these vehicles long into the future.

Figures show that the number of cars on UK roads aged over 13 years has grown from 6.3 per cent in 1994 to 19.1 per cent in 2019, an increase of approx. 3,781,900 vehicles. This effective tripling of older vehicles on UK roads shows that motorists are willing to operate older combustion powered cars despite scrappage schemes and financial subsidies from the government designed to incentivise electric cars.

There are a number of reasons for this. The overall build quality of vehicles steadily improved from the 1990s into the mid-2000s, ensuring that cars from this era have an increased service life compared to cars that were more common in 1994. This has naturally resulted in a higher proportion of older cars on the road in 2019. Additionally, car enthusiasts are drawn to models that may deliver a more traditional or involving driving experience. Typically, these owners will maintain their vehicles to a high standard, further increasing service life.

One aftermarket supplier, exhaust maker Klarius Products. has reiterated that in terms of replacement exhaust systems – the support is already there. Doug Bentley, Head of Research and Development at Klarius Products Ltd, has helped to build an extensive range of quality emissions control components to meet this need: “While developing replacement exhausts, catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters for modern vehicle applications is important; our range of over 11,000 components has also been designed to support older models too. By analysing market data, we can identify older vehicle models that are popular or lack replacement parts.

“We then develop a new component with a test vehicle of corresponding marque, model and production year.” To add to this, Mark Brickhill, CEO at Klarius, comments “of course cars manufactured in the last 15 years are also made to higher, and ever increasing, environmental standards which our parts meet or exceed.”