Global EV adoption is accelerating, with electric vehicle stock surpassing 40 million in 2023. In the United States, EVs were about 7% of new car sales in 2023, so ownership is not changing at the same pace everywhere. Car access is widespread in mature markets too, with the average US household holding 2.0 vehicles and Norway reaching 85% of households with car access.
Key Takeaways
- In Japan, passenger cars account for a large share of the vehicle fleet, with car ownership widely documented at ~0.7 cars per person (mature market)
- In the U.S., the average number of vehicles per household is 2.0 (NHTS vehicle ownership indicator)
- In Denmark, about 78% of households have access to a car (Statistics Denmark household transport/ownership indicators)
- In Norway, about 85% of households have access to a car (SSB household transport indicators)
- 10.1 million passenger cars were registered in Canada in 2022, demonstrating active fleet/ownership scale
- Russia had about 40 million passenger cars in 2023 (IEA/vehicle stock reporting), reflecting ownership in Eurasia
- The global electric car stock surpassed 40 million in 2023 (IEA Global EV Outlook), indicating rapidly increasing ownership of EVs
- In the United States, EVs accounted for about 7% of new car sales in 2023 (IEA/U.S. sales tracking), showing slower adoption
- In the OECD, passenger cars account for about 70% of total road passenger traffic (OECD/ITF transport statistics), relevant to ownership relevance
- The U.S. federal tax revenue from gasoline was about $42.5 billion in 2023 (U.S. Treasury/IRS and budget documents), relevant to fuel cost burden
- Average monthly auto insurance premiums in the U.S. were $190 in 2023 (NAIC/industry reporting via NAIC Market Share reports)
- Financing penetration for new vehicles in the U.S. was 66% (percentage financed via credit/loans for new vehicles per Experian/industry summaries)
- 1.1 billion passenger cars were in use worldwide in 2020 (latest IEA estimate in this series), representing the global scale of car ownership
- In France, there were 32.2 million passenger cars in use in 2022 (latest available in the cited Eurostat table), quantifying in-use ownership
- Norway recorded 84.6% of new car sales as electric vehicles in 2023 (EV share reported in the IEA/European market profile series), showing extreme ownership transition for new buyers
Car ownership is booming worldwide, but costs, financing, and emissions keep shaping how people drive.
Related reading
01 · Category
Global Ownership1 stats
01
In Japan, passenger cars account for a large share of the vehicle fleet, with car ownership widely documented at ~0.7 cars per person (mature market)
Interpretation
Global Ownership Interpretation
From a global ownership perspective, Japan stands out with about 0.7 passenger cars per person, showing how densely car ownership can be in one country’s vehicle fleet.
02 · Category
Demographics & Access3 stats
01
In the U.S., the average number of vehicles per household is 2.0 (NHTS vehicle ownership indicator)
02
In Denmark, about 78% of households have access to a car (Statistics Denmark household transport/ownership indicators)
03
In Norway, about 85% of households have access to a car (SSB household transport indicators)
Interpretation
Demographics & Access Interpretation
From a demographics and access perspective, car availability is widespread in Denmark and Norway where about 78% and 85% of households have access to a car, while U.S. households average 2.0 vehicles, indicating high overall mobility with clear cross country differences in access rates.
03 · Category
Regional Fleet Data2 stats
01
10.1 million passenger cars were registered in Canada in 2022, demonstrating active fleet/ownership scale
02
Russia had about 40 million passenger cars in 2023 (IEA/vehicle stock reporting), reflecting ownership in Eurasia
Interpretation
Regional Fleet Data Interpretation
In the Regional Fleet Data snapshot, Canada’s 10.1 million passenger cars in 2022 and Russia’s roughly 40 million passenger cars in 2023 show how vehicle fleets vary sharply by region even within global ownership trends.
04 · Category
Market Dynamics3 stats
01
The global electric car stock surpassed 40 million in 2023 (IEA Global EV Outlook), indicating rapidly increasing ownership of EVs
02
In the United States, EVs accounted for about 7% of new car sales in 2023 (IEA/U.S. sales tracking), showing slower adoption
03
In the OECD, passenger cars account for about 70% of total road passenger traffic (OECD/ITF transport statistics), relevant to ownership relevance
Interpretation
Market Dynamics Interpretation
From a market dynamics perspective, the jump in global electric car stock to over 40 million in 2023 signals fast shifting demand even as EVs still made up only about 7% of new car sales in the United States, with passenger cars remaining the dominant 70% share of road passenger traffic in the OECD.
05 · Category
Ownership Economics8 stats
01
The U.S. federal tax revenue from gasoline was about $42.5 billion in 2023 (U.S. Treasury/IRS and budget documents), relevant to fuel cost burden
02
Average monthly auto insurance premiums in the U.S. were $190in 2023 (NAIC/industry reporting via NAIC Market Share reports)
03
Financing penetration for new vehicles in the U.S. was 66% (percentage financed via credit/loans for new vehicles per Experian/industry summaries)
04
In the U.S., average new-vehicle loan amounts were about $40,000in 2023 (Experian/industry financing reporting)
05
In the U.S., the average auto loan term is around 68 months (Experian/industry financing term reporting), reflecting payment duration of ownership
06
Depreciation is a major ownership component: KBB reported total 3-year depreciation of a typical vehicle at roughly $x (industry depreciation studies), reflecting ownership value loss
07
In the U.S., average annual spending on car maintenance and repair was $652in 2022 (BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey—transportation/vehicle maintenance categories)
08
In the U.S., 43% of total household transportation spending is for vehicles, transportation services, and gas (Consumer Expenditure Survey), indicating ongoing cost load
Interpretation
Ownership Economics Interpretation
Ownership economics for the U.S. is heavily shaped by financing and ongoing costs, with 66% of new vehicles bought on credit and average loan terms of about 68 months alongside $190 monthly auto insurance premiums, meaning monthly ownership pressure lasts well beyond the purchase.
06 · Category
Fleet & Usage2 stats
01
1.1 billion passenger cars were in use worldwide in 2020 (latest IEA estimate in this series), representing the global scale of car ownership
02
In France, there were 32.2 million passenger cars in use in 2022 (latest available in the cited Eurostat table), quantifying in-use ownership
Interpretation
Fleet & Usage Interpretation
With 1.1 billion passenger cars on the road worldwide in 2020 and 32.2 million in use in France in 2022, the Fleet and Usage picture shows just how vast and fast accumulating car ownership volumes are both globally and in major markets.
More related reading
07 · Category
Ev & Alternatives1 stats
01
Norway recorded 84.6% of new car sales as electric vehicles in 2023 (EV share reported in the IEA/European market profile series), showing extreme ownership transition for new buyers
Interpretation
Ev & Alternatives Interpretation
In Norway, electric vehicles accounted for 84.6% of new car sales in 2023, underscoring how dominant EV adoption has become within the Ev & Alternatives category.
08 · Category
Household Access1 stats
01
26% of households in the UK had access to two or more cars in 2023 (UK Department for Transport household access survey results), indicating multi-car household penetration
Interpretation
Household Access Interpretation
In the UK, 26% of households reported having access to two or more cars in 2023, showing that a substantial minority has high car availability within the Household Access category.
09 · Category
Financing & Credit3 stats
01
In the United States, 1.7% of auto loans were 90+ days delinquent in Q4 2023 (Federal Reserve Bank of New York auto lending dataset), quantifying credit stress tied to ownership
02
In the United States, the average APR on used auto loans was 11.0% in Q4 2023 (Federal Reserve Board/industry averages), affecting financing economics of used-car ownership
03
Auto loan debt in the United States reached $1.56 trillion in 2024 Q1 (Federal Reserve Household Debt and Credit report), measuring ownership credit stock
Interpretation
Financing & Credit Interpretation
In the Financing and Credit space, used auto loans carried an average APR of 11.0% in Q4 2023 while auto loan delinquency stayed relatively low at 1.7% 90 plus days delinquent, even as U.S. auto loan debt climbed to $1.56 trillion in 2024 Q1.
10 · Category
Costs & Depreciation1 stats
01
In the U.S., total vehicle insurance premiums were $347.0 billion in 2023 (NAIC data via S&P Global/industry summaries), reflecting an ownership-related cost baseline
Interpretation
Costs & Depreciation Interpretation
In 2023, U.S. vehicle insurance premiums totaled $347.0 billion, underscoring how insurance costs are a major ongoing expense within the Costs & Depreciation category for car owners.
11 · Category
Emissions & Impact3 stats
01
Global road transport CO2 emissions were 8.5 gigatonnes in 2022 (IEA/Global Energy-related sources summarized in EIA and OECD reporting), quantifying the carbon base affected by car ownership
02
In the United States, transportation accounted for 28% of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 (EPA Inventory of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions), relevant to personal vehicle emissions
03
In the United States, passenger cars emitted 1.2 million metric tons of NOx in 2022 (EPA National Emissions Inventory/NIE), tying car ownership to air pollution
Interpretation
Emissions & Impact Interpretation
With global road transport emitting 8.5 gigatonnes of CO2 in 2022 and the United States showing transportation at 28% of its total greenhouse gases, the emissions footprint of car ownership is clearly substantial and is also reflected in major NOx releases, including 1.2 million metric tons from U.S. passenger cars in 2022.
report visual · Comparison
Car access varies widely by country
Household car access ranges from about 78% of households in Denmark to about 85% in Norway.
In Norway, about 85% of households have access to a car (SSB household transport indicators)85%
In Denmark, about 78% of households have access to a car (Statistics Denmark household transport/ownership indicators)
78%
In Japan, passenger cars account for a large share of the vehicle fleet, with car ownership widely documented at ~0.7 ca
0.7
source-verifieddst.dk · ssb.no · oecd-ilibrary.org
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Car Ownership Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/car-ownership-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Car Ownership Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/car-ownership-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Car Ownership Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/car-ownership-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)