Exact Answer: Up to 7 years
Owning a new car seems to be very exciting. With it, comes so many other expenses such as maintenance, insurances, fuels, and much more. But soon after, the car starts to age, or maybe, many of its parts don’t work and the shine is also lost…
And then comes the time, when the owner has to question himself, whether to keep the car or not. Some might decide to keep it for a longer period while some may think to get a new one. It solely depends on the owner. Have you ever wondered how long a car is owned by a person on average?
How Long Does the Average Person Own a Car?
The time duration, for which an average person owns a car is roughly 5-7 years. The longevity of a car depends mostly on the owner. Also, the newer technologies and advancements fascinate people so much that they no longer tend to keep the older ones.
Whether to keep the car or not depends entirely on the owner. If the person is financially stable, he would like to go for a car with advanced features instead of the older ones. At the same time, if the owner has emotional attachment with the car, he would want to keep the car for a longer time duration.
On average, a person owns a car for 6-7 years. Not more than that. But the time duration does depend on the type of car owned by the person. For instance, sports cars are the major ones that the owners keep the longest. Then comes the SUVs. And the normal cars come then after.
| Car Type | Time Duration |
| Sports Cars | 9 years |
| SUVs | Around 7 years |
| Other Cars | 5-6 years |
Why does the Average Person Own a Car for this Time Duration?
One already knows that the average person owns a car for about seven years. And these are based on various factors some of which are mentioned below.
Advancements and New Technologies
The present scenario is such that almost every day some new advancements are introduced in cars. Be it the new driving feature or some sort of model design. Changes are quite obvious. And these certain changes fascinate people more than anything else. So, people most probably wish to own a brand-new car instead of the old one.
Unnecessary expenses
When the car is new, it works smoothly and seems to be long-lasting. But after a certain time period, the owner has to spend on regular oil changes. Also, keeping an eye on the worn-out parts and getting it changed whenever required. There might be a case that something that is extremely expensive to fix, is worn out and needs to be fixed.
The monthly repair bills, in this case, seem to be more than the monthly payment. In these cases, the owner decides to move on and invest in a newer car, instead of fixing the older one.
Safety features
Automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cameras, and many more such safety features.
Who would not want these safety features in their car when a person knows that approx. 1.35 million people are victims of road crashes/accidents. So, this tends to be a major reason why people own a car for not more than 7 years.
Conclusion
As mentioned earlier, on average, a person keeps a car for a duration of 6-7 years. But this average might be increased in few years. Cars, nowadays, are made in a way that they last for a longer time period. This is mainly due to-
- Economic Times. Most people can not afford to invest in cars every now and then. Instead, they think of buying a car with maximum features all at once.
- Car loans are for a longer time duration. And it is not a good idea to sell a car before the loan has been paid off.
- Cars are built in a way that they last for a longer time period. Any car that can go somewhere around 200,000 miles or more is trending among common folks.
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0967070X05001587
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/946636
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I did not know people kept sports cars the longest compared to other types of cars. This is new to me.
Yes, Logan. It’s surprising to know that.
This post is really informative. I did not know all the reasons for people to change the car so often. Great post.
I completely agree with you, Darren. The amount of information is quite good in this post.
The post raises some good points about why people keep cars for a certain time duration.
Interesting how advancements in technology play a big role in how long people keep cars.
I am considering buying a new car. This post helps me understand the reasons why people change their cars so often.
It’s really interesting to know the average time people keep a car.
I’m glad this post was helpful to you. I agree it’s quite informative.
I never thought about these reasons people replace their cars, but looking at it makes sense.
It’s good to understand why people do what they do. Very insightful post.
Right, Maisie. The post helps put things into perspective.
The references provided after the conclusion gives credibility to this post.
Makes sense when you think about it – cars are built to last longer nowadays. Good to know the reasons behind it.
Understanding the reasons behind car ownership duration is quite insightful.
I agree, Joanne. The post gives a good view into it.
I have a different opinion, I think people don’t want to take care of the older cars and choose to get a new one because they do not want to invest in old cars.
I respectfully disagree. People want new features and safety. That’s the main reason to own a car for 5-7 years.
I agree with you Carter, it’s just easier to get a new car than to deal with repairs.