The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today released its annual motor vehicle census (MVC), which revealed that Australian’s affection for private transport shows no sign of slowing, with the total number of registered vehicles and the per capita number of vehicles rising more strongly than population growth.
According to the ABS, the total number of vehicle registrations grew by 2.6% in the year to 2014, with average annual growth of 2.5% recorded between 2009 and 2014 (see next table).
Growth in passenger motor vehicles was relatively weaker, however, at 2.1%, partly offset by motor cycle registrations, which grew by 4.7% annually between 2009 and 2014 (see next chart).
The number of vehicles per 1,000 population has risen across all jurisdictions, with Australia as a whole recording an increase of 26 vehicles per 1,000 residents since 2009. Cars are also relatively more popular in Tasmania and Western Australia, and relatively less popular in New South Wales and the Northern Territory (see next table).
Finally, the average age of motor vehicles remained constant at 10.0 years for the fifth consecutive MVC (see next chart).
