Trends in the growth and aging of passenger cars in use in Romania
Passenger cars provide comfortable and flexible mobility, but they represent the most expensive consumer good in many Romanian households. The number of passenger cars in Romania has increased significantly in recent years, exceeding 8.7 million in 2025, which represents a 21% increase compared to 2020. While the average annual growth of the car fleet in the European Union has been around 1%, Romania has recorded a much higher rate of about 4%. Although the country’s motorization rate remains about 22% below the EU average, it has been gradually converging toward it due to the growing number of vehicles in use. However, this growth has been mainly driven by older vehicles. In 2025, over 39% of cars in Romania belonged to more than 20 years old age category, while the share of new cars remained below 5%. The aging fleet also limits the spread of newer technologies such as electric and hybrid vehicles. As a result, traditional diesel and gasoline cars still dominate the fleet, accounting for more than 93% of vehicles in 2025.
Rapidly growing car fleet in Romania, reaching 8.7 million passenger cars
Passenger cars provide comfortable and flexible mobility for people; however, their price is high. In a typical Romanian household, a car is usually the most expensive consumer good owned. Nevertheless, at certain points in life, purchasing a car becomes worthwhile.
Due to several factors, the Romanian car fleet has increased in recent years (as in most countries of the European Union). In 2025, the number of passenger cars exceeded 8.7 million (Figure 1). This represents a 21% increase compared to five years earlier. In the European Union, the average annual increase since 2020 has been around 1%, while in Romania it has been approximately 4%, which is one of the highest growth rates among EU countries.
Although the motorization rate (the number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants) in Romania is still about 22% lower than the EU average, the increase in the number of cars in use has allowed the Romanian motorization rate to gradually converge toward the EU level (ACEA, 2025).
However, the increase in the motorization rate is mainly driven by older vehicles, particularly cars that are more than 20 years old. This may represent a problem, since older cars generally have fewer active safety features (systems that help avoid accidents, such as sensors, cameras, and radar that monitor the surroundings and assist the driver; for example, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), and blind-spot monitoring). They also tend to have fewer passive safety features (designed to minimize injuries once a crash has occurred, such as front and side airbags or crumple zones). In addition, older vehicles typically produce higher emissions and may require more frequent maintenance (which may also be too expensive compared to the price of the car).
Figure 1: Number of passenger cars in use in Romania, 2018–2025 (to reveal county data, use the filter at the top of the chart)
Source: General Directorate for Driving Licences and Registrations, Romania
Approximately 15.36% of passenger cars are registered in the capital, Bucharest. However, this number exceeds the actual situation, since cars owned by companies headquartered in Bucharest are also registered there. In addition, car leasing companies are mostly headquartered in Bucharest, and leased vehicles are typically registered at the company’s headquarters, which further increases the number of car registrations in the capital. About 3.95% of passenger cars are registered in Cluj County, followed by Timiș County (3.85%) and Constanța County (3.76%).
Most cars are over 20 years old
In 2025, more than 39% of the cars in use in Romania were older than 20 years, and their share has increased continuously (Figure 2). In contrast, the share of new cars (0–2 years old) has not reached 5% in recent years. Over the last five years, the number of cars older than 20 years increased by an average of 14.2% annually, while the total car fleet grew by only 3.8% per year. The share of cars aged 11–15 years decreased the most, which may be explained by the fact that vehicles in this age group in 2018 have remained in use and have gradually moved into the 20+ year category, thereby increasing the share of the oldest vehicles. In addition, fewer new cars were purchased, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences, as well as other financial and decision-related factors. State support for new car buyers has also decreased in the past year.
Figure 2: Share of passenger cars in use in Romania by age category, 2018–2025 (%) (to reveal county data, use the filter at the top of the chart)
Source: General Directorate for Driving Licences and Registrations, Romania
Diesel dominates; EVs and hybrids remain minimal
Considering that the majority of cars in use are relatively old, newer technologies such as electric or hybrid vehicles are not yet widespread. In 2025, 50.67% of the cars in use were diesel vehicles, 43.01% were gasoline vehicles, 4.32% were hybrid vehicles, 0.7% were electric vehicles, and 1.29% were powered by other fuels (such as LPG) (Figure 3).
Contrary to trends observed in many well-developed European countries, the share of diesel cars in Romania has been increasing. This may be explained by their lower fuel consumption, which is an important factor for Romanian car owners. In addition, the prices of diesel cars decreased after the Volkswagen emissions scandal that began in 2015, making them more attractive on the second-hand market.
Figure 3: Share of passenger cars in use in Romania by fuel type, 2018–2025 (%) (to reveal county data, use the filter at the top of the chart)
Source: General Directorate for Driving Licences and Registrations, Romania
Fortunately, the motorization rate in Romania is increasing due to the growing number of cars, but unfortunately this growth is mainly driven by older vehicles.
Sources
- General Directorate for Driving Licences and Registrations, Romania. Link: https://dgpci.mai.gov.ro/news-and-media/statistica
- ACEA – European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. Link: https://www.acea.auto/