<p>End-of-life vehicles (ELVs) are an increasingly important waste and resource stream within industrial systems, linking material recovery, environmental risk, circular economy strategies, and institutional design. This paper presents a systematic review of the global literature on ELV management published between 2010 and 2024. Using the PRISMA framework, 2,152 publications were screened, and 153 studies were selected for detailed review, representing 32 countries across 6 regions. The review addresses a gap in the literature by comparatively examining ELV management research across developed and developing countries within a single analytical framework. The selected studies are organised into seven major themes: policy and governance, reverse logistics, informal sector and consumer behaviour, recycling technology and design, economics and market dynamics, environmental assessment and circular economy, and forecasting and modelling. The review shows a pronounced divide between developed and developing economies. In developed countries, ELV systems are typically supported by established regulatory frameworks, formal recovery infrastructure, and analytical approaches such as life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, and network optimization. In developing countries, ELV management is more often shaped by institutional fragmentation, infrastructure gaps, and the central role of informal recovery markets. Across the literature, a broader shift is evident from descriptive analyses toward integrated and sustainability-oriented approaches that address environmental, economic, and social dimensions simultaneously. The paper concludes that more context-specific strategies, stronger institutional support, improved economic incentives, and greater cross-country learning are needed to support more inclusive and circular ELV management systems.</p>