What is the Average Age of a Car at Auction in 2024?

If you’re in the market for a used car, then congratulations on considering an auction! 🥳

Auctions, like Express Auto Auction in San Diego, will save you hundreds, often thousands of dollars, when compared to a traditional used car dealer. Our cars are donated, sold as is, are usually in good condition, and bidding starts as low as $100!

Now that you know just how much of a deal you can score at a southern California auction, you’re wondering how old, on average, are the cars on the lot?

Average Age of Used Cars

Rather than give you conjecture or a “feeling”, we have the data!

Of cars recently sold, the average age was 2001, so a 23-year-old make and model. 💪

We can break that down further. Here are some of the most popular car brands.

Acura Average Age When Sold

2002

BMW Average Age

2002

Chevrolet Average Age

2001

Chrysler Average Age

2004

Dodge Average Age

2002

Ford Average Age

2001

Honda Average Age

2002

Hyundai Average Age

2007

Jeep Average Age

2001

Lexus Average Age

2002

Mazda Average Age

2003

Mercedes-Benz Average Age

1999

Nissan Average Age

2002

Toyota Average Age

2002

Volkswagen Average Age

2003

Volvo Average Age

2000

What the data tells us is that you can expect to find a twenty-year-old car on average. Within that average there are cars from 5 to 50-years-old. Case in point, 200 of the Toyota’s we sold in the past several months were pre-2000. 70 were later than 2010.

As the years pass, expect this rule to continue to apply. Auctions aren’t where you usually find a brand-spanking new 4-year-old vehicle. This is where the 10, 15, and 20-year-old cars come to find another owner.

You’ll want to understand a car’s lifespan before you bid, and you’ll want to inspect the car thoroughly. 🔧

We can’t wait to see you! Browse our inventory, and we’ll see you at our online auctions every Wednesday. 🙂