This document was added or updated on 04/08/2015.

NOTES

The Motor Vehicle Census 9309.0.55.003 microdata will be available through TableBuilder in mid August 2015.


ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION

This publication presents statistics relating to vehicles which were registered at 31 January 2015 with a motor vehicle registration authority. Motor vehicle registration statistics reflect the information as recorded in registration documents.

Statistics are provided on vehicle types comprising passenger vehicles, campervans, light commercial vehicles, trucks, buses and motor cycles. Vehicle characteristic information includes make of vehicle, year of manufacture, type of fuel that the vehicle was registered as using, and Gross Vehicle Mass or Gross Combination Mass for trucks. The size of the motor vehicle fleet is also compared with the estimated resident population.


INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.


SUMMARY COMMENTARY


TOTAL NUMBER OF VEHICLES ON REGISTER

At the time of the 2015 Motor Vehicle Census (MVC), there were 18.0 million motor vehicles, including Motor cycles, registered in Australia. This is 2.1% higher than the number of vehicles registered as at 2014 and an increase of 12.1% since 2010. The average annual growth rate over the five years to 2015 was 2.4%.

TYPE OF VEHICLE(a), Census years 2010, 2014 and 2015
	2010	2014	2015	Change 10/15	Change 14/15	Average annual growth 10/15(b)
	no.	no.	no.	%	%	%
Passenger vehicles	12 269 305	13 297 260	13 549 449	10.4	1.9	2.1
Campervans	48 504	55 757	58 288	20.2	4.5	3.9
Light commercial vehicles	2 460 568	2 824 052	2 907 006	18.1	2.9	3.5
Light rigid trucks	115 845	135 658	140 625	21.4	3.7	4.1
Heavy rigid trucks	315 433	329 464	331 699	5.2	0.7	1.0
Articulated trucks	82 436	93 853	94 975	15.2	1.2	3.0
Non-freight carrying vehicles	22 533	23 144	23 361	3.7	0.9	0.7
Buses	86 367	94 131	95 149	10.2	1.1	2.0
Motor cycles	660 107	780 174	807 215	22.3	3.5	4.3
Total motor vehicles	16 061 098	17 633 493	18 007 767	12.1	2.1	2.4
(a) Refer to Glossary for definition of vehicle types.
(b) Refer to Glossary for definition of Average annual growth.

Motor cycles, Light rigid trucks and Campervans were the vehicle types experiencing the largest growth rate over the five years between 2010 and 2015 with increases of 22.3%, 21.4% and 20.2% respectively.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FLEET

Across Australia, Passenger vehicles accounted for 75.2% of all vehicles registered for the 2015 MVC. All states and territories have experienced a decrease in the proportion of Passenger vehicles in their fleet over the 5 year period 2010 to 2015. The decrease in the proportion of Passenger vehicles has been offset by increases in the proportion of Light commercial vehicles and Motor cycles in most jurisdictions.

Light commercial vehicles accounted for 16.1% of all vehicles registered in Australia for the 2015 MVC.

In the 2015 MVC, Motor cycles made up 4.5% of all vehicles registered in Australia, up from 4.1% in 2010.

Rigid trucks accounted for 2.6% of the total number of vehicles registered in 2015. Light rigid trucks have increased by 21.4% since 2010, while Heavy rigid trucks have increased by 5.2% over the same period.


STATES AND TERRITORIES

The distribution of the vehicle fleet across the states/territories reflects the population distribution. New South Wales had the largest share of the Australian fleet in the 2015 MVC with 5.2 million vehicles or 29.1% of all registered vehicles. Victoria had the second largest share with nearly 4.6 million vehicles (25.4%) followed by Queensland with 3.8 million vehicles (20.9%). The Northern Territory had the smallest share with 0.2 million registered vehicles (0.9%).

STATE/TERRITORY OF REGISTRATION, Census years 2010, 2014 and 2015
	2010	2014	2015	Change 10/15	Change 14/15	Average annual growth 10/15(a)
	no.	no.	no.	%	%	%
New South Wales	4 681 471	5 102 352	5 247 199	12.1	2.8	2.4
Victoria	4 112 908	4 483 098	4 567 314	11.0	1.9	2.2
Queensland	3 358 221	3 705 400	3 771 321	12.3	1.8	2.4
South Australia	1 239 672	1 326 232	1 347 514	8.7	1.6	1.7
Western Australia	1 870 068	2 142 307	2 185 409	16.9	2.0	3.3
Tasmania	410 210	442 575	450 403	9.8	1.8	2.0
Northern Territory	134 700	152 177	155 035	15.1	1.9	3.0
Australian Capital Territory	253 848	279 352	283 572	11.7	1.5	2.3
Australia	16 061 098	17 633 493	18 007 767	12.1	2.1	2.4
(a) Refer to Glossary for definition of Average annual growth.

In the five year period 2010 to 2015, Western Australia recorded the largest growth (16.9%) followed by the Northern Territory (15.1%). Queensland followed with a growth of 12.3%

Over the same five year period, South Australia had the smallest growth in fleet size (8.7%).

Of all states and territories, Western Australia recorded the largest increase (14.4%) in the number of Passenger vehicles in their fleet between 2010 and 2015, followed by the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory both with an increase of 11.1%. Over the same period, South Australia recorded the lowest increase (7.4%).

Over the five year period 2010 to 2015, Western Australia and Tasmania recorded the largest percentage increase in Motor cycle registrations (35.4% and 30.2% respectively).

Since 2010, the Northern Territory had the largest percentage growth in Light commercial vehicles (24.7%), followed by Western Australia (21.9%) and the Australian Capital Territory (20.6%). Tasmania had the smallest growth (14.3%).


VEHICLES AND RESIDENT POPULATION

In Australia there were 764 motor vehicles per 1,000 Estimated Resident Population in the 2015 MVC. This compares with 731 vehicles per 1,000 population in 2010, an increase of 33 vehicles per 1,000 population over this time.

Tasmania had the highest number of vehicles per 1,000 population of all states and territories in 2015 with 875, followed by Western Australia with 844 per 1,000 population.

For the 2015 MVC, the Northern Territory had the lowest number of vehicles per 1,000 population of all states and territories with 629.

AVERAGE AGE OF REGISTERED VEHICLES

In 2015, the average age of all vehicles registered in Australia was 10.1 years. Over the five year period from 2010, Campervans were the only vehicle category to record a decrease in average age (0.4 years). Over the same period, Motor cycles, Articulated trucks and Non-freight carrying vehicles increased in average age by 1.0 years, 0.6 years and 0.6 years respectively.

TYPE OF FUEL

Australia wide there were 14.0 million petrol powered vehicles registered in 2015 accounting for 77.7% of the total vehicle fleet.

In comparison there were 3.6 million diesel powered vehicles accounting for 19.7% of the fleet.

Over the five year period from 2010, the number of Passenger vehicles and Light Commercial vehicles registered with diesel fuel increased by 96.4% and 62.9% respectively.