In the last three months of 2024, the number of vehicles on Maltese roads increased - on average - by 27 every day, according to national data. 

The National Statistics Office said in a statement on Wednesday, that by the end of December, the stock of licensed motor vehicles stood at 445,711.

This compares to 443,193 in the third quarter.

Just over 74 per cent of the 445,711 were passenger cars, 14.3 per cent were commercial and agricultural motor vehicles and 10.9 per cent were motorcycles/E-bikes/PA-bikes, E-kick scooters, quadricycles and All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs).

Buses and minibuses amounted to less than one per cent.

During the quarter under review, the stock of licensed motor vehicles increased at a net average rate of 27 motor vehicles per day.

Newly licensed motor vehicles

Newly licensed motor vehicles amounted to 5,650.

The majority of newly licensed motor vehicles - 63.4 per cent of the total - were passenger cars, followed by motorcycles/E-bikes/PA-bikes at 19.2 per cent.

Newly licensed ‘new’ motor vehicles amounted to 57.9 per cent of the total, while newly licensed ‘used’ motor vehicles amounted to 42.1 per cent.

An average of 61 motor vehicles per day were newly licensed during the quarter under review.

Motor vehicles under restriction

Meanwhile, 7,038 motor vehicles were taken off the road.

Of these, 39.3 per cent were garaged, 29.9 per cent were resold and 29.4 per cent were scrapped.

Motor vehicles that had their restriction ending during the quarter under review totalled 4,339. The majority were recorded as being garaged (53.2 per cent) or resold (46.0 per cent).

Motor energy type

At the end of December, 259,339 motor vehicles - or 58.2 per cent of the total - had petrol-powered engines.

Diesel-powered motor vehicles accounted for 156,230 or 35.1 per cent of the total, while 4 per cent - or 17,759 motor vehicles - were electric and plug-in hybrid.