There were 313,027 licenced motor vehicles in Malta at the end of March, 2.4 per cent more than last year.

The National Statistics Office siad 79.2 per cent were passenger cars, 14.6 per cent were commercial vehicles and 5.1 per cent were motorcycles. Buses and minibuses accounted for less than one per cent.

A total 4,044 new licences were issued in the first quarter. The majority – 3,384 (83.7 per cent), were issued to passenger cars, followed by goods carrying vehicles with 367. Newly-licensed 'new' motor vehicles amounted to 1,717, or 42.5 per cent of the total, and newly licensed 'used' motor vehicles totalled 2,327.

During the first quarter this year, 42 vehicles were exported and 2,158 were garaged. 1,884 vehicles were scrapped.

At the end of the first quarter, 193,213 vehicles (61.7 per cent) had petrol engines. Vehicles with diesel engines totalled 119,391, (38.1 per cent).