Number of registered vehicles

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Key finding

The total number of registered motor vehicles shows continued and sustained growth over time.

Our growing population drives continued and sustained growth of registered motor vehicles.

The amount of travel directly affects emissions from motor vehicles—i.e. when there are more vehicles, emissions go up as well, in principle. This is particularly the case when there are more heavy vehicles (trucks, buses) as they have higher emissions compared to light vehicles. On the other hand, new emission reduction technology likely offsets or even reverses these trends for specific air pollutants, but not for greenhouse gases.

The Motor Vehicle Census (MVC) provides detailed time-series data regarding the number of registered vehicles for each state and territory. The MVC provides information on the number of registered vehicles by year of manufacture at a particular date for the reporting year for various vehicle classes:

  • passenger vehicles
  • light commercial vehicles
  • motorcycles
  • light rigid trucks
  • heavy rigid trucks
  • articulated trucks
  • buses
  • campervans
  • non-freight carrying trucks.

Across Australia, passenger vehicles accounted for three-quarters of all vehicles registered.

More light commercial vehicles, heavy rigid trucks, buses and motorcycles Australia-wide offset falling passenger vehicle registrations over 2009-2014.

More information:

Indicator: Trend in number of registered vehicles

Trend in total number of registered vehicles for the period 2008-2015. Figures in millions of registrations.

Download data from Queensland Government data