By the end of September 2018, the stock of licensed motor vehicles stood at 382,605, an increase of 3.6 per cent over the same quarter in 2017, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said on Thursday. 

Administrative data obtained from Transport Malta shows that by the end of September this year, the stock of licensed motor vehicles stood at 382,605. Out of this total, 78.0 per cent were passenger cars, 13.6 per cent were commercial vehicles, 7.3 per cent were motorcycles/quadricycles and All Terrain Vehicle's (ATV), while buses and minibuses amounted to less than one per cent.During this quarter, the stock of licensed vehicles increased at a net average rate of 36 vehicles per day. 

Newly-licensed vehicles put on the road during the period under review amounted to 6,488. The majority of the newly-licensed vehicles, 4,632 or 71.4 per cent of the total, were passenger cars, followed by motorcycles/e-bicycles with 958 or 14.8 per cent.

Newly-licensed 'new' motor vehicles amounted to 2,897 or 44.7 per cent of the total, whereas newly licensed 'used' motor vehicles totalled 3,591 or 55.3 per cent.An average of 71 vehicles per day were newly-licensed during the quarter under review.

Vehicles under restriction During the third quarter of this year, 6,906 vehicles were taken off the roads due to a restriction. Out of these, 36.6 per cent were put for resale, 31.3 per cent were scrapped, while garaged vehicles amounted to 29.8 per cent. Vehicles that had their restriction ending during the same quarter totalled 3,716. 

The majority was recorded as being for resale (66.7 per cent) or garaged (32.8 per cent). As at the end of September this year, 230,355 vehicles or 60.2 per cent of the total were petrol powered engines. 

Diesel powered vehicles reached 148,894 or 38.9 per cent of the total. Electric and hybrid vehicles accounted for 0.5 per cent of the entire stock, totalling 1,917, an increase of 17.2 per cent over the previous quarter.