A car that has changed hands too many times will no longer be in high demand on the second-hand market, as it may have been poorly maintained or hide technical defects that the previous owners did not want to fix, a specialist analysis shows.
Romanians change their cars quite often. Archive photo
The general perception is that a car that has been owned by the same owner for many years will be in better condition. Driving habits also play an important role – a car with fewer miles is obviously more likely to perform better. An analysis by carVertical has made a list of the European countries where drivers drive the most and the fewest kilometers in the same car, how often drivers change cars and which countries should be avoided.
Serbs cover the fewest kilometers with the same car, Poles the most
The data shows that in Romania, an owner drives an average of 63,554 km with a car before selling it. This value is below the European average of 75,928 km.
Poland (112,977 km), Slovakia (109,044 km) and Portugal (108,256 km) are among the countries where owners drive the most kilometers with their cars. The smallest distances are found in Serbia (18,807 km), Ukraine (22,580 km) and Hungary (47,845 km).
Of course, these figures do not show how many kilometers the drivers cover per year. In some countries people replace their cars more frequently and in others more slowly, which affects the total distance driven during the time a vehicle belongs to a single owner.
“Average annual mileage shows how heavily the car has been used. Heavy use affects the longevity of the vehicle, often leading to more frequent breakdowns later on. That's why we highlight periods of heavy driving in our history reports – something buyers should always look out for when choosing a used car“, says Matas Buzelis, car expert from carVertical.
In Romania, drivers cover an average of 15,425 km per year, a value very close to the European average. Thus, although Romanians travel fewer kilometers per car as owners, the annual mileage remains moderate.
Romanians keep their cars for moderately long periods
On average, Romanian drivers keep a car for 4.1 years before selling it. In comparison, Portuguese drivers keep their cars for 7.2 years, Polish drivers 6.1 years and Lithuanians 5.5 years. Cars are most frequently changed in Serbia and Ukraine, where drivers change vehicles every 1.1 years on average.
According to experts, the fewer owners a car has had, the more likely it is to be reliable. A driver who plans to sell their vehicle within a year of purchasing it is unlikely to invest in expensive repairs or fix more serious defects.
“The longevity of a car is also strongly influenced by driving habits. Short journeys, aggressive driving and not carrying out timely maintenance will always negatively affect the condition of the vehicle over time“, explains Buzelis.
Which countries should you avoid buying used cars from?
The analysis shows that the riskiest countries to buy a used car – based on the frequency with which they change owners – are the Czech Republic, Finland, Spain and Ukraine. Drivers in these countries not only change cars more frequently, but also tend to drive more kilometers per year than the European average.
For example, on average drivers in Spain keep their cars for 4 years and drive 23,186 km annually. In Ukraine, cars are replaced every 1.1 years, and the average annual mileage is 19,816 km. Finns change their vehicles every 3.1 years and drive 21,213 km annually. Drivers in the Czech Republic drive 20,201 km per year and keep a car for an average of 3.6 years.
At the opposite end are drivers from Germany, Lithuania, Portugal and the United Kingdom. In these countries, car owners tend to drive fewer kilometers and keep their vehicles for longer periods.
In the UK, on average, drivers keep their cars for 4.5 years and drive just 12,710 km per year. The Germans do about the same when it comes to changing cars, with the average vehicle ownership being 4.8 years and the average annual mileage being 17,688 km. Portuguese drivers keep their vehicles for 7.2 years, covering 15,133 km per year, while Lithuanians change cars every 5.5 years, covering 16,367 km annually.
