Buying a used car instead of a new one? For 48% of Poles, environmental considerations could be a deciding factor

Transparency note: This press release was originally published in Polish. The text has been machine translated. You can find the original press release here.

Purchasing a pre-owned vehicle extends the lifespan of a car that has already been manufactured and reduces the need to produce another one; according to a CARFAX study, this environmental argument could persuade 48% of Poles to choose a used car. However, when assessing the main advantages of the secondary market, price is far more significant, cited by 64% of respondents. Younger respondents are more likely to recognize the environmental benefits: one in three people aged 18–24 mentions them, compared to just 12% in the 55+ age group.

Nearly half of Poles (48%) say that the environmental aspect, meaning reducing the need to manufacture a new car, is a good incentive to buy a used car. Thirty-one percent of respondents find this argument unconvincing, and 21% are unable to define their position on the matter. This data comes from the latest representative study commissioned by CARFAX, a company that provides used car history reports from reliable and certified sources.

According to the data, there are significant differences between women and men in their approach to the environmental argument. Among women, 52% say that reducing the need to produce new cars could convince them to choose a used vehicle, compared to 43% of men. Location also plays a role: the environmental aspect could convince 55% of respondents from the largest cities (over 500,000 inhabitants) to choose a used car, compared to 44% of respondents from towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants.

The "eco-friendliness" of a used car depends heavily on its age. Purchasing a three- or five-year-old hybrid vehicle instead of a brand-new one is indeed an environmentally friendly move. Yet, justifying the purchase of a fifteen-year-old diesel car by citing a desire to reduce the environmental footprint associated with new car production is largely greenwashing” says Robert Lewandowski, Business Development Manager at CARFAX Poland. "It is not without reason that Polish cities, following the example of European metropolises, are introducing Clean Transport Zones – to finally put an end to the market practice of 'extending the life' of vehicles whose time on the road, from a public health perspective, should simply have come to an end."

Ecology loses out to price

Despite the declarations described above, only 16% of respondents cite extending the life of an existing car and reducing the need to produce another as one of the main advantages of choosing a pre-owned vehicle. Respondents are significantly more likely to emphasize the lower price than a new car – 64%.

The youngest respondents stand out in this context. Among those aged 18 to 24, as many as 32% see benefits in extending the life of an existing vehicle and reducing the need to produce another. This is twice as many as among those aged 25 to 34 (16%) and almost three times as many as among those aged 55+ (12%).

This doesn't mean, however, that economic considerations are less important to the youngest respondents – a lower price remains the main advantage of a used car for 70% of them. Among those aged 25 to 34, this figure rises to 68%, those aged 35 to 44 – 71%, and those aged 45 to 54 – 64%. Among the oldest respondents, this figure drops to 58%.

The survey was conducted in August 2026 using the CAWI method on a representative sample of 1,000 Poles.