U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Vehicle Technologies Program
Fact #253: February 3, 2003
Vehicle Age by Type of Vehicle
The Nationwide Household Travel Survey indicates that pickup trucks have the highest average age of any household vehicle type. Vans, which averaged 8.5 years old in 1977, were greatly affected by the introduction of the minivan in the early 1980s. By 1990, the average age of vans had dropped to 5.9 years. The average age of all household vehicles in 2001 was 8.9 years old.
Average Age of Household Vehicles by Vehicle Type 
Note: SUVs were not specifically named in the survey until 1990.
Supporting Information
| Vehicle Age by Type of Vehicle |
| Type of Vehicle |
1969 |
1977 |
1990 |
1995 |
2001 |
| Automobile |
6.4 |
7.2 |
7.6 |
8.2 |
9.0 |
| Van |
5.5 |
8.5 |
5.9 |
6.7 |
7.6 |
| Pickup |
7.3 |
8.5 |
8.4 |
9.7 |
10.1 |
| SUV |
|
|
|
6.7 |
6.5 |
| All Household Vehicles |
6.6 |
7.6 |
7.7 |
8.3 |
8.9 |
|
Note: SUVs were not specifically named in the survey until 1990.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, "Inklings: Preliminary
Results from the 2001 NHTS," January 2003. |
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