NOTES

Please refer to About this Release for details of changes to MVC 2013 data cubes.


ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION

This publication presents statistics relating to vehicles which were registered at 31 January 2013 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

There were almost 17.2 million motor vehicles, including Motor cycles, registered in Australia for the 2013 Motor Vehicle Census (MVC). This is 2.6% higher than the number of registrations for 2012 and an increase of 12.3% since 2008. The average annual growth rate over the five years to 2013 was 2.4%.

TYPE OF VEHICLE (a) - Census years 2008, 2012 and 2013
	2008	2012	2013	Change 08/13	Change 12/13	Average annual growth 08/13(b)
	no.	no.	no.	%	%	%
Passenger vehicles	11 803 536	12 714 235	13 000 021	10.1	2.2	2.0
Campervans	44 790	52 600	54 101	20.8	2.9	4.0
Light commercial vehicles	2 288 216	2 617 799	2 717 673	18.8	3.8	3.6
Light rigid trucks	105 726	124 291	131 147	24.0	5.5	4.6
Heavy rigid trucks	305 184	322 115	325 998	6.8	1.2	1.4
Articulated trucks	79 132	87 995	90 904	14.9	3.3	2.9
Non-freight carrying vehicles	21 808	22 722	22 986	5.4	1.2	1.1
Buses	80 581	90 599	93 034	15.5	2.7	3.0
Motor cycles	567 569	709 288	744 732	31.2	5.0	5.8
Total motor vehicles	15 296 542	16 741 644	17 180 596	12.3	2.6	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 2008 and 2013 with increases of 31.2%, 24.0% and 20.8% respectively.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FLEET

Across Australia, Passenger vehicles accounted for 75.7% of all vehicles registered for the 2013 MVC. Western Australia and the Northern Territory were the only state/territory to experience an increase in the proportion of Passenger vehicles in their fleet over this time. The decrease in the proportion of Passenger vehicles in other states/territories has been offset by increases in the proportion of Light commercial vehicles and Motor cycles in these states.

Light commercial vehicles accounted for 15.8% of all vehicles registered in Australia for the 2013 MVC.

Motor cycles made up 4.3% of all vehicles registered in Australia for the 2013 MVC, up from 3.7% in 2008.

Rigid trucks accounted for 2.7% of the total number of vehicles registered both in 2013 and 2008. Registrations of Rigid trucks with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) greater than 20 tonnes have increased by 18.3% since 2008, while registrations of Rigid trucks with a GVM of 20 tonnes or less have increased by 9.6% over the same period.

For the 2013 MVC, Articulated trucks only accounted for 0.5% of the total number of registered vehicles in Australia. From 2008 to 2013, the number of registered Articulated trucks with a GCM up to 40 tonnes has decreased by 15.2%, while the number of Articulated trucks with GCM over 60 to 100 tonnes and greater than 100 tonnes has increased by 22.5% and 52.8% respectively.


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 2013 MVC with almost 5 million vehicles or 29.0% of all registered vehicles. Victoria had the second largest share with nearly 4.4 million vehicles (25.5%) followed by Queensland with 3.6 million vehicles (21.0%). The Northern Territory had the smallest share with 0.1 million registered vehicles (0.9%).

STATE OF REGISTRATION - Census years 2008, 2012 and 2013
	2008	2012	2013	Change 08/13	Change 12/13	Average annual growth 08/13(a)
	no.	no.	no.	%	%	%
New South Wales	4 519 963	4 869 996	4 984 557	10.3	2.4	2.0
Victoria	3 921 574	4 286 284	4 383 634	11.8	2.3	2.3
Queensland	3 173 447	3 492 311	3 606 121	13.6	3.3	2.7
South Australia	1 178 904	1 275 041	1 298 404	10.1	1.8	2.0
Western Australia	1 746 579	1 977 756	2 048 388	17.3	3.6	3.4
Tasmania	391 327	431 991	436 999	11.7	1.2	2.3
Northern Territory	122 986	141 101	148 569	20.8	5.3	4.0
Australian Capital Territory	241 762	267 164	273 924	13.3	2.5	2.6
Australia	15 296 542	16 741 644	17 180 596	12.3	2.6	2.4
(a) Refer to Glossary for definition of Average annual growth.

The Northern Territory had the largest growth (20.8%) with an annual average increase of 4.0% over the 5 year period 2008 to 2013, followed by Western Australia (17.3%) with an annual average increase of 3.4% and Queensland (13.6%) with an annual increase of 2.7%.

Over the same five year period, South Australia had the smallest growth in fleet size (10.1%), with an average annual increase of 2.0%.

Of all states and territories, Western Australia (14.0%) and Northern Territory (17.2%) recorded the largest increases in the proportion of Passenger vehicles in their fleets from 2008 to 2013. Over the same period, the remaining states/territory have recorded decreases. The decreases in these states have been offset by increases in the proportion of Light commercial vehicles and Motor cycles.

Over the five year period 2008 to 2013, Western Australia and Tasmania recorded the largest percentage increase in Motor cycle registrations (47.8% and 42.0% respectively).

Since 2008, the Northern Territory had the largest percentage growth in Light commercial vehicles (27.5%), followed by Western Australia (22.8%) and the Australian Capital Territory (22.7%). New South Wales had the smallest growth (15.9%).


VEHICLES AND RESIDENT POPULATION

In Australia there were 750 motor vehicles per 1,000 Estimated Resident Population in the 2013 MVC. This compares with 723 vehicles per 1,000 population in 2008, an increase of 27 vehicles per 1,000 population over this time.

Tasmania had the greatest number of vehicles per 1,000 population of all states and territories in 2013 with 853, followed by Western Australia with 828 per 1,000 population. In 2008, Western Australia had the highest rate with 810 vehicles per 1,000 population, followed by Tasmania with 787 per 1,000 population.

For the 2013 MVC, the Northern Territory had the lowest number of vehicles per 1,000 population of all states and territories with 627.

AVERAGE AGE OF REGISTERED VEHICLES

In 2013, the average age of all vehicles registered in Australia was 10.0 years for the fourth consecutive MVC. Over the five year period from 2008, Campervans and Buses recorded the largest decrease in average age (by 0.8 years and 0.1 years) respectively. Over the same period, Light commercial vehicles and Articulated trucks increased in average age by 0.8 years.

TYPE OF FUEL

Australia wide there were 13.7 million petrol powered vehicles registered in 2013 accounting for 79.9% of the total vehicle fleet.

In comparison there were 2.9 million diesel powered vehicles accounting for 17.2% of the fleet.

Over the five year period from 2008, the number of Passenger vehicles and Light Commercial vehicles registered with diesel fuel increased by 103.7% and 64.8% respectively.