“Old cars endanger road users”: Halfords boss says Britain now has the oldest fleet of vehicles in its history
Rising costs of living are putting road users at risk, the Halfords boss has warned.
The UK has the oldest fleet of cars in its history and hard-pressed owners are keeping vehicles running that threaten safety, Graham Stapleton, chief executive of the car and bike retailer, said yesterday.
Cars across the country are on average 8.7 years old, more than a year older than they were a decade ago.
Banger Nation: Harassed British car owners are keeping vehicles running that threaten safety, Graham Stapleton, chief executive of car and cycle retailer Halfords, said yesterday
The average age at which a car is scrapped is now 13 years – and 8.4 million, or almost a quarter of all cars, live past this age.
Stapleton said the average age of cars in the UK could exceed 10 years before the cost of living crisis abates.
Halfords, meanwhile, reported that revenue for the 20 weeks ended August 19 was up 9.2 percent compared to the same period last year.
However, the firm suggested that the bicycle boom fueled by the pandemic had fallen victim to the cost-of-living crisis.
The new bike market has been hit by customers with less money to spend, Halfords said.
