… or they did. Read on.
Update on this story, September 2026
More recent figures on a comparable metric (average ownership duration before owners upgrade/trade/sell, often focused on new-car original owners) include:
- Cartelligent internal client data (published 2023, updated as of late 2025): Volvo averages 9.0 years. About 48% of their Volvo clients keep the vehicle over 10 years, and only 22% replace it in under 5 years. This tops their list of brands analyzed and is attributed to Volvo’s safety/reliability focus. Note that this is based on their (typically higher-end/service-oriented) client base rather than a full national sample.
- iSeeCars analysis of ownership length for new cars (from data on millions of vehicles sold by original owners): Volvo averages 8.2 years, ranking 12th among brands (behind Toyota at 9.0, Honda at 8.9, Mercedes-Benz and Ram at 8.7, etc.).
downloads.regulations.gov
Americans overall keep cars longer than in 2012. Industry averages for trade-in age or ownership often cited around 7 to 8-ish years recently, with the U.S. vehicle fleet averaging ~12+ years old). Exact national brand rankings equivalent to the old Edmunds release are not as widely published today, and figures can vary by methodology (e.g., including/excluding leases, new vs. all vehicles, or specific buyer demographics).
iSeeCars and similar firms more commonly emphasize long-term durability metrics, like likelihood of reaching high mileage, nowadays, where Toyota/Honda/Lexus lead and Volvo is more mid-pack.
Original post, November 2012
Of all countries, did you know Americans Keep Volvos Longest?
As measured by years before trading/selling, not miles.
- Volvo 7.05 years
- Jaguar 7.0 years
- Mitsubishi/Buick 6.92 years
- Lincoln 6.79 years
- Infiniti 6.1 years
- Ford 6.02 years
Data recently released by Edmunds.com shows which cars Americans drive the longest before they exchange them for new vehicles.
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Last Updated on September 5, 2026
