Romania faces surge of old, polluting used car imports

Romania now has the second‑oldest vehicle fleet in the EU, with an average age of 16.5 years. Hundreds of thousands of second‑hand cars that do not meet Euro 4 standards are registered each year, creating a flow of old, polluting vehicles from western to central and eastern Europe.

A recent study found that 61.9 % of imported cars inspected between January 2025 and March 2026 had recorded damage, and imported vehicles are 2–5 times more likely to have tampered odometers than domestically sourced cars. Around 60 % of the cars on Romania’s market are imports, giving a 3‑to‑1 ratio of used‑imported to new vehicles. Buyers cite undisclosed accident history as a major concern.

The 2Celsius association urges a uniform, emission‑based vehicle tax, stricter technical inspections at entry points, and better data collection on vehicle age, make, model and emissions to curb the health and environmental costs of this trend.