The U.S. publisher
Ward's estimates that, as of 2010, there were 1.015 billion motor vehicles in use worldwide. This figure represents the number of cars, trucks (light, medium, and heavy duty), and buses, but does not include
off-road vehicles or
heavy construction equipment. The world vehicle population passed the 500 million-unit mark in 1986, from 250 million motor vehicles in 1970. Between 1950 and 1970, the vehicle population doubled roughly every 10 years.
Navigant Consulting forecasts that the global stock of light-duty motor vehicles will reach 2 billion units in 2035. Global vehicle ownership in 2010 was 148 vehicles in operation per 1,000 people, a ratio of 1:6.75 vehicles per person, slightly down from 150 vehicles per 1,000 people in 2009, a rate of 1:6.63 vehicles per person. In
developing countries vehicle ownership rates rarely exceed 200 cars per 1,000 population. The following table summarizes the evolution of motor vehicle registrations in the world from 1960 to 2019: ;Alternative fuels and vehicle technology adoption in the world's top markets between 2011 and 2023 Since the early 2000s, the number of
alternative fuel vehicles has been increasing, driven by several governments' interest in promoting their widespread adoption through public subsidies and other non-financial incentives. Governments have adopted these policies due to a combination of factors, including
environmental concerns, high oil prices, and
a lower dependence on imported oil. Among the fuels other than traditional
petroleum fuels (
gasoline or
diesel fuel), and alternative technologies for powering the engine of a motor vehicle, the most popular options promoted by different governments are:
natural gas vehicles,
LPG powered vehicles,
flex-fuel vehicles, use of
biofuels,
hybrid electric vehicles,
plug-in hybrids,
electric cars, and
hydrogen fuel cell cars. In 2020, the global market share of plug-in passenger car sales was 4.2%, up from 2.5% in 2019.
China The People's Republic of China had 322 million motor vehicles in use at the end of September 2018, of which 235 million were passenger cars, making China the country with the largest motor vehicle fleet in the world. In 2016, the motor vehicle fleet consisted of 165.6 million cars and 28.4 million trucks and buses. The number of cars and motorcycles in China increased by a factor of 20 between 2000 and 2010. This explosive growth has allowed China to become the world's largest new car market, overtaking the US in 2009. Nevertheless, ownership per capita is 58 vehicles per 1000 people, or a ratio of 1:17.2 vehicles to people, still well below the rate of motorization of
developed countries. Vehicle ownership
per capita in the U.S. is also the highest in the world, the
U.S. Department of Energy (USDoE) reports a motorization rate of 831.9 vehicles in operation per 1000 people in 2016, or a ratio of 1:1.2 vehicles to people. Passenger car registrations in the United States declined -11.5% in 2017 and -12.8% in 2018. , the stock of
alternative fuel vehicles in the United States included over 20 million
flex-fuel cars and light trucks, the world's second-largest
flexible-fuel fleet in the world after
Brazil. However, actual use of
ethanol fuel is significantly limited due to the lack of
E85 refueling infrastructure. Regarding the
electrified segment, the fleet of
hybrid electric vehicles in the United States ranks second in the world, after Japan, with more than 4 million units sold through April 2016. Since the introduction of the
Tesla Roadster electric car in 2008, cumulative sales of highway legal
plug-in electric vehicles in the United States passed one million units in September 2018. The U.S. stock of
plug-in vehicles is the second largest after
China (2.21 million by September 2018). , the country's fleet also includes more than 160,000
natural gas vehicles, mainly transit buses and delivery fleets. Despite its relatively small size, natural gas use accounted for about 52% of all alternative fuels consumed by alternative transportation fuel vehicles in the U.S. in 2009.
Europe segment
market share of new car sales and monthly records between 2011 and April 2025. Sources: Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) and Norsk Elbilforening (Norwegian EV Association) The 27 European Union (EU-27) member countries had a fleet of over 256 million in 2008, and passenger cars accounted for 87% of the union's fleet. The five largest markets, Germany (17.7%), Italy (15.4%), France (13.3%), the UK (12.5%), and Spain (9.5%), accounted for 68% of the region's total registered fleet in 2008. The EU-27 member countries had in 2009 an estimated ownership rate of 473 passenger cars per 1000 people. According to Ward's, Italy had the second-highest (after the U.S.) vehicle ownership per capita in 2010, with 690 vehicles per 1000 people. Portugal, between 1991 and 2002, grew its motorization rate by 220%, reaching 560 cars per 1000 people in 2002. Italy also leads in
alternative fuel vehicles, with a fleet of 779,090 natural gas vehicles , the largest NGV fleet in Europe. More than one million
plug-in electric passenger cars and vans have been registered in Europe by June 2018, the world's second largest regional plug-in stock after China. Norway is the leading plug-in market in Europe with almost 500,000 units registered . In October 2018, Norway became the world's first country where 10% of all passenger cars on the road are plug-in electrics. Also, the Norwegian plug-in car segment
market share has been the highest in the world for several years, achieving 39.2% in 2017, 49.1% in 2018, and 74.7% in 2020.
Japan Japan had 73.9 million vehicles by 2010, and had the world's second-largest motor vehicle fleet until 2009.
Brazil , and
gasoline from 1979 to 2017. The Brazilian vehicle fleet reached 64.8 million vehicles in 2010, up from 29.5 million units in 2000, representing a 119% increase over ten years and a motorization rate of 340 vehicles per 1000 people. In 2010, Brazil experienced the second-largest fleet increase in the world after China, with 2.5 million vehicle registrations. between 2.4 and 3.0 million
neat ethanol vehicles still in use, out of 5.7 million ethanol only light-vehicles produced since 1979; and, , a total of 1.69 million natural gas vehicles. In addition, all the Brazilian gasoline-powered fleet is designed to operate with high ethanol blends, up to 25%
ethanol fuel (
E25). The
market share of flex fuel vehicles reached 88.6% of all light-duty vehicles registered in 2017. India has a fleet of 1.1 million natural gas vehicles . == Motorization rates by region and selected country ==