in the United States, Americans want to “keep their car longer” in the face of rising prices

Is a revolution underway in the country of the automobile? David, who changes the brake pads of a black SUV mounted on the bridge of the repair shop he took over in 2008 in northern Washington, will not say otherwise: he has had a lot more work for a year. . “We have seen an increase in repairshe says. Customers are doing bigger repairs to keep their car longer and they are trying to buy used cars.”

“Prices are a little too high right now. That’s why people keep their cars. You’re spending $2,000 here for a $50,000 car.”

David, Mechanic North of Washington

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New home prices have risen 25% since the pandemic, a sharp increase due to the pandemic and also to the shortage of electronic chips. Borrowing rates also increased by 7%. So finished the clichéd image of the American dream with the shiny car.

Wait for electric car prices to drop

Buying a new car becomes inaccessible for John, a young retiree, who has his 21-year-old station wagon serviced at David’s. But he doesn’t think getting a new car is just about money. “It is also a societal bias”he says. “Before, you had to buy a new car every two years because the neighbors did. And we were in a society where renewing cars meant you were successful. Today, the renewal of cars is more synonymous with waste.”

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Americans have never kept their car for so long, twelve and a half years on average, and are struggling to make the transition to a less polluting electric vehicle. Hélène’s car is already eight years old. She is convinced that more and more people are waiting, like her, for electric vehicles to become more democratic in order to change them.

“I’m in favor of a move to electric, but if you want people to buy them now, manufacturers should bring prices down first.”

Hélène, American driver

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In the meantime, the boom in the second-hand market is doing business for David’s workshop. Electric vehicles now represent less than 1% of car sales in the United States.