Improving Used Vehicles – a new UNEP programme for used vehicles standards
With growing incomes, the demand for cars is rising in developing and transitional economies. In many of these countries, used vehicles contribution more than 90% of additional fleet growth each year. Ensuring that these vehicles meet minimum standards is crucial to curbing future growth in both CO2 and non-CO2 emissions.
Used vehicles flows are mainly from developed economies to developing and transitional economies. Importing used vehicles from developed markets allows developing countries to access vehicles that meet advanced safety and environment standards in an affordable way. However, only a few developed countries have restrictions on the export of used vehicles. From the importing side, many developing and transitional countries have weak or no regulations to restrict the import of these vehicles. In some cases where restrictions are in place, they are either not enforced or countries lack strategies to incentivize the import of used vehicles with advanced standards. The gap in policy measures between exporting and importing markets has led to a global trade in used vehicles which are obsolete, ageing, unsafe and polluting.
There is therefore a need to set up regulations for safety and emissions reduction when it comes to used vehicle trade, as used vehicles will continue to play a key role in provision of mobility with growing incomes in developing countries. This Used Vehicles Programme provides the specialized research and policy forum that governments, industry, academia and civil society need to address the global trade in used vehicles. It is part of UNEP’s work on improving air quality and reducing climate emissions from the transport sector.
The Used Vehicles Programme works with governments, industry, academia and civil society stakeholders to ensure the flow of better quality of used vehicles through a combination of regulations such as harmonized regional agreements, age restriction policies, import bans, fiscal incentives, labelling and awareness raising among others.
