Size and composition of the vehicle fleet

Generic metadata

Classification

Identification

Passenger transport vehicles

The entire vehicle fleet in the EEA area has grown during the last decade. Especially the vehicle fleets in the new member states and AC3 have grown rapidly, reflecting significant changes in the structure of both passenger transport (from rail to private cars) and freight transport (from rail to trucks).

Car ownership has increased dramatically in recent decades. In the EEA32 area it grew from 313 to 397 cars per 1 000 inhabitants between 1991 and 2002, an average of 2.3 % per year. Car ownership is thus growing even faster than per capita income (on average 1.8 % per annum over the same period). The average number of passenger cars per capita increased strongly in the EU25 (especially in the new member states) and AC3 between 1991 and 2002 by 25 % and 90 % respectively, following economic growth. Despite this increase, the car ownership level in the new member states and AC3 remains considerably lower compared to the EU15 and EFTA countries. In the AC3 countries, the average motorisation level expressed by the number of cars per 1 000 inhabitants was 98 and in the year 2002, which is approximately five times lower than the corresponding number for EU15 countries (492).