Car Ownership Statistics 2023 (2024)

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Ashlee is an insurance editor, journalist and business professional with an MBA and more than 17 years of hands-on experience in both business and personal finance. She is passionate about empowering others to protect life's most important assets. When Ashlee isn't spreading insurance knowledge or solving television murder mysteries, she enjoys spending time with her family (including the furry and feathery ones) on their farm in Kentucky.

Ashlee Tilford

Ashlee TilfordEditor

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Michelle Megnaeditor

National Car Ownership Statistics at a Glance

A total of 278,063,737 personal and commercial vehicles were registered to drivers in the U.S. in 2021. [1]
The number of registered vehicles in the United States increased by 3.66% between 2017 and 2021, indicating an upward trend in car ownership.[1]
Trucks are the most popular vehicle type, with 166,079,082 private and commercial vehicle registrations in 2021, compared to 101,601,344 vehicle registrations for cars.[1]
91.7% of households had at least one vehicle in 2021. Only 8.3% of households did not have a vehicle.[2]
Idaho and Wyoming tied for the highest rate of car ownership nationwide, with 96.2% of households in both states reporting access to at least one vehicle in 2021. [2]
Only 64.3% of households in the District of Columbia had at least one vehicle in 2021, the lowest percentage nationwide.[2]
Wyoming residents were most likely to own three or more vehicles (33.5%), followed by Utah residents (32.3%).[2]
The Ford F-Series is the most popular vehicle model nationwide, based on sales in 2022.[4]

How Many Cars Are There in the U.S.?

Total number of vehicles

There were a total of 278,063,737 personal and commercial vehicles registered to drivers in the U.S. in 2021. [1]

The number of registered vehicles in the United States increased by 3.66% between 2017 and 2021, from 268,258,178 registered vehicles to 278,063,737 registered vehicles, indicating an upward trend in car ownership.[1]

States with the most vehicles

Montana tops the list of states with the highest number of motor vehicle registrations per 1,000 licensed drivers[1] in 2021 (2,492.55), followed by:

South Dakota (2,067.69)
Wyoming (2,015.58)
North Dakota (1,643.66)
Iowa (1,619.97)

States with the fewest vehicles

Delaware has the lowest number of motor vehicle registrations per 1,000 licensed drivers[1] in 2021 (547.23), followed by:

District of Columbia (652.13)
New York (787.69)
New Jersey (956.75)
Arizona (1,027.52)

Increases and decreases in car ownership

Delaware had the largest increase in motor vehicle registrations (49.55%) between 2017 and 2021, followed by:

Maine (28.09%)
Arkansas (25.08%)
Utah (19.99%)
Montana (18.18%) [1]

The District of Columbia had the largest decrease in motor vehicle registrations between 2017 and 2021, with vehicle registrations dropping by 65.5%, followed by:

West Virginia (27.42%)
Alaska (13.98%)
New York (13.27%)
North Dakota (12.87% ) [1]

Trucks lead vehicle ownership

Trucks are the most popular vehicle type, with 166,079,082 private and commercial vehicle registrations in 2021, compared to 101,601,344 vehicle registrations for cars.[1]

How Many Americans Own a Car?

Car ownership in America is on the rise. Only 8.3% of households did not have a vehicle in 2021, a 5.7% decrease from 2017, when 8.8% of households did not have a vehicle.[2]

Most households (91.7%) had at least one vehicle in 2021, up from 91.2% in 2017. [2]
37.1% of households had two vehicles in 2021, a 0.8% decrease from 2017 (37.4%).[2]
22.1% of households had three or more vehicles in 2021, a 7.28% increase from 2017 (20.6%).[2]

Car Ownership Statistics by State

States with the highest rate of car ownership

Idaho and Wyoming tied for the highest rate of car ownership nationwide [2] , with 96.2% of households in each state reporting access to at least one vehicle in 2021, followed by:

Utah (96.1%)
Montana (95.2%)
New Hampshire (95.2%)

States with the lowest rate of car ownership

Rounding out the states with the lowest percentage of households that have at least one vehicle [2] are:

District of Columbia (64.3%)
New York (71%)
Massachusetts (87.9%)
New Jersey (88.7%)
Illinois (89.3%)

States with the most vehicles per household

Wyoming residents were most likely to own three or more vehicles[2] (33.5%), followed by:

Utah (32.3%)
Idaho (32.1%)
Montana (31.2%)
South Dakota (30.2%)

Electric vehicle ownership by state

Sales of electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles accounted for 12.3% of all new vehicles sold in 2022, up 2.7 percentage points from 2021, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association.

California has the highest rate of EV ownership, with EVs representing 1.61% of total registered vehicles in the state as of 2021.[3]
Mississippi and North Dakota have the lowest rate of electr
ic vehicle ownership, with EVs representing 0.05% of total vehicles registered in both states as of 2021.[3]

Car Ownership Statistics by Metro Area

Top five metro areas for highest vehicle ownership

The Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, Alabama, metropolitan area boasts the highest rate of vehicle ownership nationwide, with 97.56% of households owning at least one vehicle in 2021 [2] followed by:

Provo-Orem, Utah (97.48% of households)
Logan, Utah (96.83% of households)
Twin Falls, Idaho (96.74% of households)
Greeley, Colorado (96.72% of households)

Top five metro areas for lowest vehicle ownership

The New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area of New York and New Jersey reported the lowest rate of car ownership[2] in 2021, with only 69.63% of households having at least one vehicle, followed by:

Atlantic City-Hammonton, New Jersey (87% of households)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton region of Massachusetts and New Hampshire (87.28% of households)
Ithaca, New York (87.44% of households)
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington region of New Jersey, Philadelphia and Delaware (87.54% of households)

Top five metro areas for most vehicles per household

The Idaho Falls, Idaho, metropolitan area was home to the highest percentage of households that have three or more vehicles[2]in 2021, with 35.99% of households, followed by:

Provo-Orem, Utah (35.94% of households)
Logan, Utah (35.59% of households)
Greeley, Colorado (35.38% of households)
Yakima, Washington (35.22% of households)

Most Popular Cars in the U.S.

Most popular car models

The Ford F-Series is the most popular vehicle model nationwide, based on 2022 sales. A whopping 653,957 Ford F-Series pickups were sold in 2022.[4] Other car models that rank among the most popular in 2022[4] included:

Chevrolet Silverado (513,354 sales)
Ram Pickup (468,344 sales)
Toyota RAV4 (399,941 sales)
Toyota Camry (295,201 sales)

Most popular car colors

25.8% of cars on U.S. roads are white[5] , making it the nation’s most popular color, followed by:

Black (22.3%)
Gray (18.4%)
Silver (12.1%)
Blue (9.5%)

Grayscale-colored cars (white, black, gray, and silver) account for 78.5% of all vehicles on the road.[5]

How Much Does It Cost To Own a Car?

It costs $10,728 a year, or $894 a month, to own and operate a new car, according to AAA.[6] That’s up 10.99% from 2021, when the average yearly cost was $9,666 a year, or $805.50 a month.[6]

Here are some additional car ownership statistics about new cars:

In 2022, the average sales price for a new car was $45,646, and the average sales price for a used car was $30,796.[7]
Over the past five years, new cars have cost $39,884 on average, and used cars have cost $24,242 on average.[7]
Between 2018 and 2022, new vehicles increased in price by 28.19%, and used vehicles increased in price by 49.60%.[7]

Cost of car ownership by state

To determine which states are the most (and least) expensive for car ownership, Forbes Advisor analyzed gas prices, car repair costs, average car insurance costs and monthly auto loan payments in all 50 states.

Most expensive states to own a car

California and Nevada tied as the most expensive states to own a car nationwide, followed by:

Colorado
Florida
Alaska

Seven of the 10 most expensive states for car ownership are located in the Pacific and West, including California, Nevada, Colorado, Alaska, New Mexico, Washington and Wyoming.

Most expensive states for car repairs

Connecticut is the most expensive state for car repairs ($418.37) on average for check engine light-related car repairs followed by:

Colorado ($417.14)
California ($415.66)
Georgia ($407.71)
North Carolina ($402.61)

Most expensive states for full coverage car insurance

New York is the most expensive state for full coverage car insurance ($4,769 per year), followed by:

Florida ($4,326 per year)
Louisiana ($3,629 per year)
Pennsylvania ($3,600 per year)
Maryland ($3,349 per year)

Living in these states makes it extra important for car owners to compare car insurance quotes to find affordable rates.

Least expensive states to own a car

Ohio is the least expensive state to own a car, followed by:

Iowa
Wisconsin
Maine
New Hampshire

Six of the 10 least expensive states for car ownership are located in the Midwest, including Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa and Ohio.

Iowa and Ohio car ownership costs are reduced by cheap car insurance rates, thanks to healthy competition among a multitude of car insurance companies in both states.

Visit our hub to view more statistics pages.

Methodology

To determine which states are the most expensive for car ownership, Forbes Advisor examined data for all 50 states across the following metrics:

Cost of regular gasoline (25% of score): Data for this metric comes from AAA and was collected on Feb. 24, 2023.
Average car repair cost (25% of score): This metric includes the cost of parts and labor for a check engine light-related car repair. Data comes from CarMD and is from 2021.
Average annual cost of full coverage car insurance (25% of score): This metric is based on liability coverage of 100/300/100 ($100,000 in bodily injury liability per person, $300,000 per accident, and $100,000 in property damage liability), uninsured motorist coverage, and collision and comprehensive insurance with a $500 deductible. We used 2022 rates from Quadrant Information Services.
Average monthly auto loan payment (25% of score): Data for this metric comes from Experian and is from 2022.

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration

2. U.S. Census Bureau 5-Year American Community Survey (2017-2021)

3. U.S. Department of Energy

4. Motor Intelligence

5. ISeeCars

6. AAA

7. National Automobile Dealers Association

Next Up in Car Insurance

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As a seasoned expert in the field of insurance and personal finance, I bring to you a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience. With an MBA and over 17 years of active involvement in both business and personal finance, I have developed a deep understanding of the intricacies of the insurance industry. My commitment to empowering individuals to safeguard their most valuable assets is evident in my extensive track record.

Now, let's delve into the comprehensive information provided in the article by Ashlee Tilford and Michelle Megna on Forbes Advisor:

1. Car Ownership Statistics:

Total registered vehicles in the U.S. in 2021: 278,063,737.
Increase in registered vehicles between 2017 and 2021: 3.66%.
Vehicle types: Trucks (166,079,082) are more popular than cars (101,601,344).
Percentage of U.S. households with at least one vehicle in 2021: 91.7%.
Highest rate of car ownership by state: Idaho and Wyoming tied at 96.2%.
Lowest rate of car ownership by state: District of Columbia at 64.3%.
Most popular vehicle model: Ford F-Series.

2. Car Ownership by State:

States with the most vehicles per 1,000 licensed drivers: Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming.
States with the fewest vehicles per 1,000 licensed drivers: Delaware, District of Columbia, New York.
Largest increase in motor vehicle registrations (2017-2021): Delaware.
Largest decrease in motor vehicle registrations (2017-2021): District of Columbia.

3. Electric Vehicle Ownership:

Electric vehicles accounted for 12.3% of all new vehicles sold in 2022.
California has the highest rate of EV ownership (1.61% of total registered vehicles).
Mississippi and North Dakota have the lowest rate of EV ownership (0.05% of total registered vehicles).

4. Car Ownership by Metro Area:

Highest vehicle ownership metro area: Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, Alabama.
Lowest vehicle ownership metro area: New York-Newark-Jersey City.
Highest percentage of households with three or more vehicles: Idaho Falls, Idaho.

5. Most Popular Cars in the U.S.:

Top vehicle model: Ford F-Series.
Other popular car models: Chevrolet Silverado, Ram Pickup, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Camry.
Most popular car color: White (25.8%).

6. Cost of Car Ownership:

Annual cost to own and operate a new car in 2022: $10,728.
Average sales price for a new car in 2022: $45,646.
Average sales price for a used car in 2022: $30,796.
Increase in new car prices (2018-2022): 28.19%.
Increase in used car prices (2018-2022): 49.60%.

7. Cost of Car Ownership by State:

Most expensive states for car ownership: California, Nevada, Colorado, Florida, Alaska.
Least expensive states for car ownership: Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, Maine, New Hampshire.
Most expensive state for car repairs: Connecticut.
Most expensive state for full coverage car insurance: New York.
Least expensive state to own a car: Ohio.

8. Methodology and Sources:

Data sources include the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Energy, Motor Intelligence, ISeeCars, AAA, and National Automobile Dealers Association.
Methodology includes factors such as gas prices, car repair costs, average car insurance costs, and monthly auto loan payments to determine the cost of car ownership by state.

In conclusion, this article provides a comprehensive overview of car ownership trends, electric vehicle adoption, popular car models, and the cost of car ownership across states and metro areas. The data is meticulously sourced and analyzed, making it a valuable resource for individuals seeking insights into the dynamic landscape of car ownership in the United States.