Car statistics Australia

Discover statistics on how many kilometres the average Australian drives per year, how much they pay on insurance and more. Statistics come from trustworthy organisations such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), and peak motoring bodies such as the Australian Automobile Association.

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Motoring Statistics Australia

• Average distance travelled: 11,100km for passenger vehicles

• Average fuel economy: 11.1L/100km for passenger vehicles

• Average vehicle age: The average age of vehicles across Australia is 10.6 years

• Most popular car makes:

  • Toyota

  • Mazda

  • Hyundai

  • Ford

  • Kia

• Fuel types: 71.7% of the vehicles on the road use petrol

Average car running costs

It’s not cheap to run a car. Motorists have to factor in a lot more than just fuel. Servicing, rego, tyres and insurance can all add up. If you have a car loan payment, that adds up too. The Australian Australian Automobile Association revealed car loans make up the biggest portion of automotive household expenses per week.

Costs to run a car include registration, insurance, fuel, car loan repayments, and more.

Most expensive cars to run

The RACV - Victoria’s peak motoring body - regularly publishes insights and crunches numbers revealing the most expensive vehicles to run. Its report takes into account loan repayments, fuel, tyres, rego, purchase price, and more. Out of the cars measured, the five most expensive cars to run were (per month):

1. Nissan Y62 Patrol Ti: $2,337.33

2. Toyota Landcruiser 70 Series Workmate: $2,049.82

3. Hyundai Palisade: $1,664.39

4. Toyota Prado GX: $1,658.08

5. Nissan Navara ST: $1,551.00

The report didn’t measure luxury vehicles from makes such as Bentley, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The report also didn’t take into account depreciation, which can cost a quarter to a third of the purchase price in as little as three years. Vehicles such as the Landcruiser tend to have a robust secondhand market and may not depreciate as quickly as other vehicles.

Conversely, some of the cheapest cars to run included small hatchbacks, costing as little as around $600 per month to run, including models such as the MG3 Core, Kia Picanto and others. Similarly, while electric vehicles may have had a more expensive purchase price, monthly costs came in lower than the most expensive cars due to lower fuel and servicing costs.

Monthly car sales

Every month the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) publishes a ‘VFACTS’ car sales report. In 2020 new car sales plummeted due to the pandemic, lockdown and recession. However, they rebounded strongly in 2021 recording over a million sales for the year. Towards late 2021 and early 2022 however, supply chain bottlenecks and chip/microprocessor shortages started to take effect - demand outstripped supply for new cars.

Electric vehicle uptake

Electric vehicles have, pardon the pun, started to surge in popularity. This comes as fuel hits $2 per litre in many parts of the country. Sales are also aided by the arrival of some popular models in the market such as the Polestar 2. The MG ZS also continues to prove popular, as one of the most affordable new electric cars on sale in Australia.

And with jurisdictions such as the ACT vowing to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, sales are expected to jump further.

Automotive car loans

Every month the Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes lending data and reveals how many Australians take out car loans in any given month. The value of new car loan commitments mirrors car sales as seen in the above graph. They took a hit during the pandemic, resurged in 2021, before pulling back in late 2021 and early 2022 as material shortages meant buyers could not get their hands on their vehicle of choice.

Registration costs per state

State	Estimated Annual Cost
Qld	$712.70
NSW	$814
Vic	$864.40
SA	$678.64
Tas	$576.62
WA	$776.83
NT	$802.30
ACT	$857.90

Correct as of July 2022. (2.0L 4 Cylinder Car, 1300kg, Metro use, Rego Renewal & Allianz CTP)

Queensland arguably has the most add-ons out of all the states, and the figure excludes other charges such as new vehicle registration, plate fees, traffic improvement fee and other charges. When these are added on the cost can easily be more than $800.

WA and NSW charge registration based on weight; Queensland and Tasmania charge based on cylinders, while NT charges based on engine size regardless of cylinders. NSW CTP costs also vary a lot more depending on driving history, age, location, and myriad other factors.

Victoria and ACT have the most straightforward process. Victoria has a flat fee based on whether you live in a Metro, Outer metro, or Rural zone. SA also has a partial zone-based system. ACT has a flat fee variable only by CTP provider.

Allianz was the CTP insurer chosen where that is an option, such as Queensland, SA, and NSW. CTP through Allianz may be cheaper or dearer than other providers. In the case of ACT, Allianz was unavailable so NRMA was chosen.

Image by Fluid Imagery on Unsplash

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