Updated 4.20pm

The number of fully electric vehicles on Malta’s roads dropped sharply in the second quarter of 2024, driven by the controversial ban on rental e-scooters in March which effectively removed 1,600 e-scooters from Malta’s roads in one fell swoop.

But electric passenger vehicles continue to gain in popularity, increasing by almost 600 between March and May of this year, as did the number of electric motorcycles and commercial vehicles.

Excluding rental e-scooters, the number of electric vehicles on Malta’s roads rose by 866 since March to reach 10,539, a 9% increase. 

Still, electric vehicles only make up a measly 2.4% of all vehicles in Malta, a marginal improvement over the figures in the first quarter of 2024, once rental e-scooters are removed from the picture.

The National Statistics Office said that at the end of June, a total of 257,483 motor vehicles, or 58.5 per cent of the total, had petrol-powered engines. Diesel-powered motor vehicles reached 156,347 or 35.5 per cent of the total.

Electric and plug-in hybrid motor vehicles accounted for 3.4 per cent of the entire stock, with a total of 14,924 motor vehicles.

Compared to the previous quarter, increases were registered in plug-in hybrid (diesel-electric), up 22.2 per cent mild hybrid (diesel-electric), up 8 per cent and mild hybrid (petrol-electric) motor vehicles, up 5.8 per cent.

The NSO said that at the end of June, the stock of licensed motor vehicles stood at 440,163.

Out of this total, 74.4 per cent were passenger cars, 14.3 per cent were commercial and agricultural motor vehicles and 10.7 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.

The stock of licensed motor vehicles increased at a net average rate of eight per day.

There has been a decline in fully electric vehicles on the roads. NSO data.

Newly licensed motor vehicles

Newly licensed motor vehicles put on the road during the period under review amounted to 5,726.

The majority, 3,836 or 67 per cent, were passenger cars, followed by motorcycles/E-bikes/PA-bikes with 1,076 or 18.8 per cent.

Newly licensed ‘new’ motor vehicles amounted to 3,383 or 59.1 per cent of the total, whereas newly licensed second-hand vehicles totalled 2,343 or 40.9 per cent. An average of 63 motor vehicles per day were newly licensed during the quarter.

During the second quarter of 2024, 9,111 motor vehicles were taken off the road due to restrictions. They included 28.7 per cent which were garaged, and 23 per cent were resold. Motor vehicles that had their restriction ending during the quarter under review totalled 4,462.  

Clarification: This article was edited to reflect the impact of the e-scooter ban on overall figures.