Used Vehicles

With growing incomes, the demand for cars is rising in developing and transitional economies. In many of these countries, used vehicles contribute more than 90% of additional fleet growth each year. Ensuring that these vehicles meet minimum emission and safety standards is crucial to curbing future growth in both CO2 and non-CO2 emissions while ensuring reduced road accidents and fatalities. 

The Challenge

Used vehicles flows are mainly from developed economies to developing and transitional economies. The gap in policy measures between exporting and importing markets has led to a global flow of used vehicles which are obsolete, ageing, unsafe and polluting. 

What Is Needed

Minimum vehicle safety and environmental standards are needed to achieve the shift to cleaner and safer vehicles. Both used vehicles importing and exporting countries have a responsibility to ensure that only the best available technology vehicles are imported/exported. 

If well regulated, used vehicles can provide affordable access to high-quality vehicles that meet advanced safety and environmental standards. For example, used electric vehicles are increasingly finding their way to developing countries. 

Our Approach

1. UNEP’s Used Vehicles Programme, as part of UNEP’s work on improving air quality and reducing climate emissions from the transport sector, 

• Provides specialized research and analysis on used vehicles flows and the regulatory environment in importing countries;
• Supports policy interventions for better quality used vehicles in developing and transitional countries. By engaging with governments at the national and city level, sub-regional economic bodies, industry players, the academia and civil society, the programme has made significant progress in promoting the adoption of better-quality used vehicle regulations in these countries. These include harmonized regional agreements, age restrictions, fiscal incentives, and labelling requirements.

The programme is led by UNEP and is mainly funded by the UN Road Safety Fund (UNRSF), FIA Foundation, ClimateWorks Foundation, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the Netherlands Government. 

2. The Safer and Cleaner Used Vehicles Project is one of the projects under the Used Vehicles Programme. 

It is funded by the UNRSF and brings together UNEP, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the International Motor Vehicle Inspection Committee (CITA) and the Fédération International de l'Automobile (FIA). The aim is to ensure that developing countries will only receive quality used vehicles with major road safety benefits for vehicle drivers and other road users, and benefits for the environment and economy. 

3. Activities

i) Global

• COP28 side event on Transport Decarbonization and Global Standards for the Export and Import of Fuels and Used Cars 
   
• Oct 2023 – 3^rd Exporter Meeting on Safer and Cleaner Used Vehicles
   
• 22 March 2023 – UNEP- FIA meeting of EU Member States about the used vehicles issue
   
• 22 February 2021 – 2^nd Exporters workshop for Safer and Cleaner Used Vehicles
   
• 18 December 2020 – 1^st Exporters workshop for Safer and Cleaner Used Vehicles
   
• 16 December 2020 – CITA member and institutional stakeholders meeting on the control of used vehicles

ii)  Africa

• 22 - 23 October 2024 - UNEP-CITA Conference on Improving Africa’s Vehicle Fleet
   
• 9 - 10 July 2024 - The Central Africa sub-regional workshop on import of safer and cleaner used vehicles
   
• 18-19 December 2023 - SADC Sub-Regional Workshop on Harmonization of Low Sulphur Fuels Standards and Used Vehicles Regulation 
   
• 29th - 30th November 2022 - High-Level African Petroleum Ministers Meeting on Cleaner Fuels
   
• 30 August - 1 September 2022 - The East Africa Sub Region Becomes the Second Sub-Region in Africa to Adopt Euro 4/IV Equivalent Vehicle Emission Standards
   
• 12 - 14 April 2022 - ECOWAS training on inspection framework for used vehicles
   
• 8th April 2021 - WEBINAR: Safer and Cleaner Used Vehicles for Africa
   
• 25 June 2021- First African Used Vehicles Importers Meeting
   
• 10 June 2021 - CITA Webinar, Safer and Cleaner Used Vehicles for Africa
    
• 17 February 2021 - Nigeria Discusses Domestication of ECOWAS Clean fuels and Vehicles Directive
   

iii) LAC

iv) Asia

Resources: 
 

The project has developed knowledge products to develop capacity amongst stakeholders for the implementation of regulations, and raise awareness about the issues and promote a harmonised approach. 

View Knowledge products >>