Question of the week: Why do you see so many older cars in France?
Fri, 01 Aug 2025
Dear Honest John,
"I inherited my late Aunt's P-reg Peugeot 306 a few years ago and as your article indicated repair costs and MoT failure put it off the road in 2018.
We now live in France and there are literally thousands of 306s, 205s and even older cars around. I will spot a 306 Auntie Minnie car every time I drive around this rural area in Dordogne. What is keeping them going? No salt on the roads? Local mechanics/garagistes?"
- KS
Dear KS,
There are a few factors at play here, one of which is clearly climate. France isn't bone dry by any means, but it enjoys more sunshine and less rain than the UK, which certainly reduces the likelihood of older cars rusting away.
However, some of other reasons are possibly more cultural. Without wishing to make too many sweeping generalisations, it could be argued that in this country cars as status symbols is quite a common occurrence. Which may also partially account for the fact that we like to buy so many imported cars - the other being that UK car manufacturing is largely made up of niche products or foreign companies building their cars here.
Relatively easy access to car financing also means if you have a decent credit score you can have a new car on your driveway pretty easily.
The landscape is a little different in France, at least in more rural areas. For a start, as a general rule, French new car buyers like to buy French cars.
In 2024 the top eight best-selling new cars in France were French and only six of the top 20 were from non-French brands, which inevitably filters down to the used market.
For some, the idea of a car as a status symbol is laughable and it is seen as an appliance for transportation more than anything else.
The concept of maintaining and repairing a car yourself or with the help of a local garage - something that was a big part of the motoring world in this country for many years - is still strong in some rural parts of France. As a result you are more likely to see a 30 or even 40-year-old car on a regular basis than in the UK, more's the pity.
