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Transport VKT Age of vehicles
Imported vehicles
Used imported vehicles have had a variety of impacts on the New Zealand fleet. Typically, a used imported vehicle has better exhaust emissions control technology than the same vehicle purchased new in New Zealand, due to more rigorous emissions standards in the country of origin. The availability of small, cheap, used imports displaced some older larger vehicles from the New Zealand fleet during the 1990s, but it also encouraged significant growth in overall vehicle numbers.
Imported vehicles have also affected the age profile of the New Zealand vehicle fleet. In 2002, the introduction of the New Zealand Frontal Impact Standard limited the import of used vehicles to those manufactured after 1996.
Initially, this reduced the average age of imported vehicles by limiting them to vehicles that were six years old or less. However, this effect has diminished each year - importers continue to source vehicles from just after 1996 as they are generally cheaper than newer vehicles. As a result, each year both the average age of the fleet as well as the travel-weighted age have increased. In 2007, the average age for light vehicles imported into New Zealand was 8.2 years. The greatest proportion (22 per cent) were nine years old, and nearly two thirds were manufactured before 2000 (ie, were more than seven years old). Between 2002 and 2007, the average age of vehicles imported into the light fleet increased from 7.1 to 8.2 years. This trend is also reflected in the average age of used imports in other vehicle classes.
This trend is not expected to continue. The introduction of the Land Transport Vehicle Exhaust Emissions Rule in 2008 will have the effect of gradually reducing the age of imported vehicles.
This information has come from the environmental report card on vehicle kilometres travelled by road.
Return to age of vehicles travelling page.
Last updated: March 2009
