According to Eurostat data, there were 253 million cars in the European Union in 2021, an increase of 8.6% compared to 2016. Germany is the country with the most (49 million), ahead of Italy (40 million) and France (39 million). Between 2016 and 2021, the strongest increases in the vehicle fleet were observed in Romania (39%), Lithuania (24%), Hungary (21%) and Poland (19%).
The motorization rate, i.e. the number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants, stood at 567 in the EU in 2021, compared to 492 ten years earlier. It is highest in Poland, with 687 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants, ahead of Luxembourg (681), Italy (675), Finland (656) and Cyprus (655). At the other end of the scale, the lowest car ownership rates are observed in Romania (400) and Bulgaria (414). It stands in France at 571 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants. By comparison, car ownership rates reach 884 in New Zealand and 831 in the United States. Conversely, there is only one car per 1,000 inhabitants in North Korea, 4 in the Central African Republic and Sudan. The motorization rate is 226 in China and 59 in India.
In addition, according to Eurostat, the number of electric cars stood at the end of 2021 in the European Union at 1.93 million, compared to 1.1 million at the end of 2020, 600,000 at the end of 2019 and only 52,000 in 2013. Their share does not represent however still only 0.8% of the total vehicle fleet. Germany has the most electric cars (618,000), ahead of France (403,000) and the Netherlands (245,000). Conversely, only 333 electric cars are registered in Cyprus and 2,100 in Latvia.
