Car use in Belgium still 7,5% lower than before pandemic

In 2022, car use in Belgium increased slightly again. The average passenger car covered 16 589 kilometers last year, or 8% more than in 2021. Nevertheless, this figure remains 7,5% lower than in pre-corona times.

The differences are smaller for vans. Light commercial vehicles covered an average of 19 542 km last year, which hardly differs from 2021 and is only 3% less than in 2019.

More teleworking

The figures come from Car-Pass, the non-profit organization charged by the legislator with a task of public interest to protect buyers and promote fair trade in used vehicles by combating fraud with the odometer.

According to Car-Pass, a possible explanation for the reduced use of the car is the generally adopted teleworking or the increased use of (e)-bikes and speed pedelecs for commuting.

Tesla and DS on top

Car-Pass also noticed that the younger the cars, the more kilometers they covered. In their first year, they cover 22 453 km on average; after ten years, it is still 12 726 km, and after twenty years, only 8 153 km.

Last year, the car brands that covered the most kilometers were Tesla (22 653 km), DS (21 595 km), Volvo (20 485 km), Mercedes (20 301 km), and Audi (19 630 km).

It may seem surprising that the rankings are led by Tesla and DS, but their fleets are less than three years old on average or significantly younger than Volvo and Mercedes, whose average age is 7,5 to 9 years old, respectively.