Press release: 12.563-154/21

Vienna, 2021-07-09 - In the first half-year of 2021, a total of 134 396 new passenger cars were registered, as Statistics Austria reports. This is 19.2% more than in the same period of the previous year but 23.6% less than in the 1st half of 2019. In absolute figures, the current half-year result is 21 609 new car registrations more than that of 2020 (112 787) and 41 513 new car registrations less than that of 2019 (175 909). In the reporting period January to June 2021, more passenger cars were registered in March (+177.1%), April (+98.7%) and May (+11.3%) than in the previous year. There were fewer registrations in January (-38.4%), February (-5.7%) and June (-2.3%).

More than 15 000 electric passenger cars; share of alternative fuels first time higher than diesel-powered cars

Compared to January to June 2020, the number of new registrations of diesel-powered passenger cars (-20.4%; share: 25.4%) decreased, while those of petrol-powered passenger cars (+3.0%; share: 40.4%) and alternatively fuelled passenger cars (+168.0%; electric, natural gas, bivalent drive, combined drive (petrol or diesel hybrid) and hydrogen (fuel cell)) recorded an increase. The share of passenger cars powered by alternative fuels in total new passenger car registrations was 34.2% or 45 926 passenger cars. Thus, alternative forms of fuels overtook diesel-powered passenger cars in terms of share for the first time. In 2020, the share of alternatives was 15.2% or 17 135 passenger cars, in 2019, this share was 6.9% or 12 053 passenger cars.

In the first half of 2021, a total of 15 347electric passenger cars were newly registered. Compared to 2020 (4 805 electric passenger cars), this represents an increase of 219.4%; compared to 2019 (4 904 electric passenger cars) an increase of 212.9%. This means that almost as many electric passenger cars were newly registered in the first half of 2021 as in the whole of 2020 (15 972 passenger cars) and significantly more than in the whole of 2019 (9 242 passenger cars).

The share of private vehicle owners in the newly registered electric cars from January to June 2021 was 16.0% (2020: 22.4%; 2019: 21.4%).

CO₂ emissions of diesel-powered passenger cars higher than those of petrol-powered cars

According to the provisional results (based on the WLTP test procedure), the CO₂ emissions of all newly registered passenger cars (incl. electric and hydrogen vehicles) amounted to 120.5 g/km in the first half of the year. For newly registered passenger cars with petrol-powered, an average value of 138.9 g/km was observed, for those with diesel-powered a value of 150.0 g/km.

Top 10 passenger car makes represent more than two-thirds of new registrations

Among the top ten passenger car makes, which together represented more than two-thirds of new registrations in the 1^st half of the year, VW (+24.9%) remained the market leader with a share of 16.2%. Among the top 10 passenger cars, Audi (+59.6%), Fiat (+48.5%), Seat (+28.8%), Ford (+21.4%), Mercedes (+19.8%), BMW (+10.6%) and Skoda (+8.9%). Decreases were observed for Hyundai (-1.8%) and Renault (-0.1%).

New vehicle registrations increase more than one fourth in the 1^st half of 2021

A total of 208 831 new motor vehicles were registered from January to June 2021. This is 28.2% more than in 2020 but 12.0% less than in the 1^st half of 2019.

The 'Normverbrauchsabgabegesetz' (NoVAG 1991) coming into law on 1 July 2021 (with a transition period regarding vehicles for which an irrevocable written purchase agreement was concluded before 1 June 2021 and whose delivery takes place by the end of October 2021), which largely concerns light commercial vehicles, led to purchases in advance. Lorries cl. N1 recorded increases of 83.0% % compared to the first half of the pandemic year 2020, but also about one third higher (+32.8%) than the registration figures from the 1^st half of 2019.

Among the commercial vehicles, more new registrations were observed for articulated lorries (+51.9%), lorries cl. N3 (+22.1%), lorries cl. N2 (+2.4%) and tractors used for agricultural and forestry (+34.8%).

There were also strong increases in campers over the past two years; in the 1^st half of 2021 the number of new registrations amounted to 2 628 which is by 128.5%above the result of 2020 and by 127.7% above that of 2019.

Among two-wheelers, more registrations compared to 2020 were observed for motorcycles (+25.3% to 20 618) and scooters (+13.9% to 7 278). Compared to 2019 (17 872 motorcycles and 6 961 scooters), new motorcycles registrations increased by 15.4% and those of scooters by 4.6%, respectively.

For more detailed results and further information concerning statistics of motor vehicles please refer to our website.

Information on methods, definitions:Motor vehicle statistics (registrations of new and used vehicles as well as the stock of vehicles) are secondary statistics, compiled on the basis of daily data files sent to Statistics Austria by Austria's association of insurance companies (VVO). VVO, in turn, receives data by the insurances' registrations offices, responsible for registrations, de-registrations and rectifications of motor vehicles and trailers.
Within motor vehicle statistics, all motor vehicles, once nationally or internationally registered, are levied, irrespective of the registration's duration.

For further inquiries please contact Directorate Spatial Statistics, Statistics Austria:
Gerda FISCHER, Tel. +43 1 71128-7566 resp. [email protected],
Stefan PREMM, Tel.: +43 1 71128-7598 resp. [email protected] and
Thomas JANKA, Tel.: +43 1 71128-7575 resp. [email protected]

Media owner, producer and publisher:
STATISTICS AUSTRIA, Federal Institution under Public Law
1110 Vienna, Austria, Guglgasse 13, Tel.: +43 1 71128-7777
[email protected]
© STATISTICS AUSTRIA

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.