What is the current state of vehicles on Europe's roads?

The report by the ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers' Association) entitled Vehicles on European Roads was published in February 2024.

The ACEA brings together the 15 main European manufacturers of cars, trucks, vans and buses. It represents not only the common positions of the manufacturers, but also the overriding interests of European citizens, transport users and operators, and workers in the automotive industry.

This reference document brings together the latest data on the vehicle fleet on the road in Europe, such as the number of vehicles on the road, their average age, their power type, and their ownership. The report also includes data on several types of vehicle: cars, vans, trucks and buses.

The keypoints

• There will be 252 million cars on EU roads in 2022, an increase of 1% on the previous year.

• Although sales of battery-electric vehicles will reach a record high in 2022, only 1.2% of the vehicles on the road in the EU will be battery-electric.

• There are more than 30 million commercial vehicles on EU roads, an increase of 1.5% on the previous year. France leads the way with the highest number of vans on the road.

• More than 6.5 million trucks are currently on EU roads, an increase of almost 2% on the previous year. On average, trucks remain the oldest of all vehicle types, at 14 years.

• More than 720,000 buses are now on EU roads. Battery-electric models account for over 10% of buses in three EU countries** (Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands).

• Poland** has the highest number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants, while Latvia** is in last place with the fewest.

Finally, while it is necessary to replace older vehicles containing less efficient technologies, and which therefore emit more emissions, with newer, cleaner and greener vehicles, the report also highlights the need for Europe to complement legislative targets with more framework conditions, around recharging infrastructures or tax and purchase incentives, for instance.

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Information taken from the website of ACEA, Report - Vehicles on European Roads

Check the report