U.S. Vehicle Registration Statistics

Car ownership statistics, automobile statistics and trends.
Custom reporting using make, model, year, vehicle owner demographics, household statistics and more.

How many cars are in the US? Need car ownership statistics? Vehicle ownership data, automobile statistics and trends.

Custom reporting using make, model, year, vehicle owner demographics, household statistics and more. Please note we do custom reporting and do not sell data outright.

Get custom reporting for U.S. vehicle registration statistics, including motor vehicle registration data by ZIP code. Complete analysis is available based on year/make/model, or by demographics such as household income. We also have vehicle ownership with VIN, own/lease, or business registrations. We build, test and validate industry-leading car and truck owner mailing lists.

Automobile statistics are available for every car-owning household in the nation (that’s over 120 million!) including vehicle owner demographics by year/ make/ model, household income, employment, married status, consumer buying histories, enthnicity and more. If need to reach new customers and grow your sales, rely on the most complete and current consumer mailing lists in the automotive aftermarket. Our vehicle ownership masterfile has the year, make and model of 170 million U.S. consumers including automobile, truck and motorcycle owners, and we can drill down to DIY consumers with a buying history of aftermarket parts and accessories.
Need custom reports created with vehicle data or car owner mailing lists? We have both! See our automobile owner mailing list page.

U.S. vehicle registration statistics from registration databases

Here is a table with sample statistics pulled from vehicle owner databases. Ever wonder how many cars there are in the US?

Number of Registered Vehicles in US	Car Ownership Statistic
Number of registered vehicles in U.S., 2019 (proj.)	281.3 million
Number of registered vehicles in U.S., 2018	276.1 million
Number of registered vehicles in U.S., 2017	270.4 million
Number of registered vehicles in U.S., 2016	264.0 million
Number of registered vehicles in U.S., 2015	257.9 million
Number of registered vehicles in U.S., 2014	252.6 million
Number of registered vehicles in U.S., 2013	248.9 million
Number of registered vehicles in U.S., 2012	248.7 million
Number of Tesla cars registered in the U.S. (through January 1, 2018)	141,000
Percentage of Tesla cars in the U.S., registered, owned and driven in California (through January 1, 2018)	45%
Percentage of registered vehicles in the U.S. that are motorcycles	3%
Percentage of registered vehicles in the U.S. that are cars, 2018	35%
Percentage of 2012 vehicle models that use flex fuel	19%
Percentage of 2018 vehicle models that use flex fuel	12%
Percentage of 2018 vehicle models that came with 2.0L engine (most popular engine in 2018)	23%
2012 U.S. car, light truck and all light vehicle sales	14.44 million units
2011 U.S. car, light truck and all light vehicle sales	12.7 million units
2010 U.S. car, light truck and all light vehicle sales	11.6 million units
2009 U.S. car, light truck and all light vehicle sales	13.2 million units
2012 vs 2011: U.S. car, light truck and all light vehicle sales, % increase	13.4%
2011 vs 2010: U.S. car, light truck and all light vehicle sales, % increase	9.4%
California’s share of all vehicles registered in the U.S. (#1 state with 32.1 million vehicles 2018)	12%
California state-operated vehicle fleet (#1 state for state-operated vehicles)	38,300 units
Wyoming’s share of all vehicles registered in the U.S. (#50 with 593,000 vehicles)	0.6%
Share of top 5 states, all vehicles registered in the U.S. (California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Ohio)	33.5%
Increase in number of registered vehicles in U.S., 2001-2010	20%
Increase in average price of a used vehicle in the U.S., 2009-2010	3.8%
All U.S. households with one or more leased vehicles	6%
Households with leased vehicles, household income under $25,000	4%
Households with leased vehicles, household income $25,000 to $50,000	5%
Households with leased vehicles, household income $50,000 to $100,000	10%
Households with leased vehicles, household income $100,000 and up	13%
All U.S. households that own one or more vehicles, 2004	86.3%
All U.S. households that own one or more vehicles, 2007	87.0%
All U.S. households that rent the home and own one or more vehicles, 2007	72.3%
All U.S. households that own the home and own one or more vehicles, 2007	93.8%
Percentage of U.S. households with automotive DIY behavior over a 12 month period	9.5%
Cars or station wagons in the U.S., percentage of total vehicles, 2010	53.4%
Pickup trucks sales statistics in the U.S., percentage of total vehicles	18%
Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) in the U.S., percentage of total vehicles	12%
Minivans, cargo vans and passenger vans in the U.S., percentage of total vehicles	9%
Full size or other trucks in the U.S. with two axles and six or more tires, percentage of total vehicles	3.2%
Increase in Chrysler Group U.S. automobile sales, January-June 2010 vs January-June 2009	40%
Increase in Ford Motor Company U.S. automobile sales, January-June 2010 vs January-June 2009	24%
Increase in General Motors Corporation U.S. automobile sales, January-June 2010 vs January-June 2009	7%
Increase in American Honda U.S. automobile sales, January-June 2010 vs January-June 2009	13%
Decline in new car sales, 2008 vs. 2007	-10.5%
Decline in domestic new car sales, 2008 vs 2007	-13.7%
Decline in pickup truck sales, 2008 vs. 2007	-27%

More in-depth vehicle registration statistics are also available from the Bureau of Vehicle Statistics, a section of the Research and Innovative Technology Division (RITA) of the Department of Transportation (DOT). These links open vehicle registration data in a new browser window for your convenience. Also refer to our own Auto Industry Data Center for data on enthusiasts and the automotive aftermarket.

Now available: Vehicles in Operation (VIO) forecasting and new vehicle sales data forecasting

Using custom algorithms and a variety of sources, Hedges & Company can create custom data sets showing the vehicles that will be on the road in years to come. These reports can be customized to include information about the vehicles as well as demographics of their owners. This is available for the US and can be broken down by State, County, or ZIP code. Contact us for a quote today.

Complete automotive market research with car buyer statistics

Registration data is used to create custom automotive market research reports. We can report on all vehicles in operation (called VIO or car parc) across the United States or for specific geographic areas. Or, we can report on registrations of new vehicles, either owned or leased, by consumers or by businesses. Learn about vehicle ownership trends by looking at registration statistics over time. We also feature highly accurate automotive mailing lists.

Car buyer statistics

Looking for vehicle registration data/Vehicles in Operation (VIO) for foreign or domestic automobile and truck makes? Our vehicle data includes demographic data and ownership data on the following makes: Acura, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daewoo, Dodge, Eagle, Fiat, Ford, Geo, GMC, Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, Infiniti, Isuzu, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Lancia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Merkur, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Pontiac, Ram, Saab, Saturn, Scion, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

Motorcycles registered in the US

There are over 8 million motorcycles registered in the United States. If you need registration statistics for motorcycles, or mailing lists to reach motorcycle owners, we can help. Need registration data for motorcycles or ATVs? Motorcycle makes in our masterfile include Aprilia, Big Dog, BMW, Buell, Can-Am, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Indian, Kawasaki, KTM, Piaggio, Suzuki, Triumph, Victory and Yamaha.

Demographics by vehicle owners

We have household income, employment, married status, consumer buying histories, primary household language, multiple vehicles owned, and more all by year/make/model.

Need exotic and high-end vehicle data? Our masterfile also includes hard-to-find lists and data on exotic makes like Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, DeTomaso, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, Maybach, Panoz, Porsche and Rolls Royce.

More information on vehicle registration data and the process it goes through is available in this blog post “Everything You Need to Know About Vehicle Registration Data.” That post covers how the data comes in from DMVs, how the data is cleaned up and standardized, and important ways it is different from vehicle data released by the U.S. government.

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Hedges & Company offers a full selection of automotive digital marketing services to put your products in front of those most likely to purchase.

Vehicle Registration Statistics was last modified: April 29th, 2019 by admin