9309.0 - Motor Vehicle Census, Australia, Mar 2005  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 17/11/2005   
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MEDIA RELEASE

November 17, 2005
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
122/2005

Australians are preferring newer vehicles: ABS

Australians are preferring to drive newer vehicles, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The average age of motor vehicles has been falling steadily from a high of 10.7 years in 1997 to 10.2 years in 2005.

Tasmania had the oldest fleet in 2005, with an average age of 12.0 years, while New South Wales and the Northern Territory had the youngest fleets, each with an average age of 9.3 years.

Nationally, there were decreases in the average age of most types of motor vehicles over the 12 months ended 31 March 2005. Light rigid trucks showed the largest decrease (0.4 years) while the average age of non-freight carrying trucks (0.2 years) and buses (0.3 years) increased.

Campervans were the oldest type of vehicle at 18.9 years, while motorcycles were the youngest at 9.6 years.

Australia's motor vehicle fleet numbered 13.9 million in 2005, an increase of 3% since 2004. Increases in motor vehicle registrations were recorded for all types of vehicles over the 12 months ended 31 March 2005. Motorcycles showed the greatest increase (6%) to 421,900 in 2005. The passenger vehicle fleet increased 3% to 10.9 million over this time.

In 2005, there were 686 motor vehicles per 1,000 residents in Australia, an increase of 11 vehicles from 2004. This ratio ranged from a low of 544 in the Northern Territory to a high of 763 in Western Australia. There were 537 passenger vehicles per 1,000 residents, while motorcycles numbered 21 per 1,000 residents.

Only one in nine (11%) of the registered motor vehicle fleet was manufactured to use leaded petrol in 2005, decreasing from one in seven (14%) in 2004. Over three-quarters (76%) of the 2005 fleet was manufactured to use unleaded petrol, while 10% was manufactured to use diesel and the remaining 2% was manufactured to use other types of fuel such as liquefied petroleum gas.

Further details are in Motor Vehicle Census (cat. no. 9309.0).