The average age of cars in running order in Latvia is 12.5 years. While the average age of registered cars in running order in the country is 12.3 years.

On the other hand, the average age of newly bought cars and/or cars bought in other countries and registered in Latvia for the first time is seven years, Latvian Authorized Automobile Dealers Association (LAADA) reports.

Last year, 71.8% of all registered cars were 11 and older and most first time registrations (39.1%) in Latvia were made for 11 and older cars.

Used and new cars, younger than two years, were registered in Latvia for the first time in 27.5% of all cases.

«From 2008 – the starting point of the crisis, the average age of all first time registered cars continued growing – from 5.3 years to 6.7 years, the average age of passenger cars grew from 5.5 years to 7 years. Psychologically speaking, Latvian buyers still live in the crisis period, thinking about survival. Of course the envelope income and business activity in the grey area play a large role, funding is denied to leasing companies in both cases», – LAADA Board Chairman Viktors Kulbergs explains.

The full number of all registered cars in running order (passenger and cargo) in Latvia is 622 613 vehicles, of them the number of technically functioning vehicles in the beginning of 2012 was 510 861 vehicles.

Most of the cars in running order are registered in Riga (165 477), in Daugavpils this number is 18 830 and in Liepaja – 15 727.

Most of the registered cars in Latvia which passed the technical inspection are Volkswagen – 97 476, made up of: Golf (28 080), Passat Variant (21 249) and Passat (12 719), followed by Audi (76 101) with Audi 80 (22 438) and Opel (42 625) with its most popular model in Latvia – Astra (9 597).

In the beginning of 2012 there were 277 passenger cars registered on the average of 1000 residents. The largest number of vehicles registered in Latvia was in the end of the fat years – 2009, when 413 passenger cars were registered on the average of 1000 residents.

Ref: 102.109.109.1406