A total of 12,029 new cars were introduced to Malta's roads in 2016, statistics released today show, fuelling the sometimes chaotic situation in the smallest EU state.

At the end of December, the stock of licensed motor vehicles stood at 358,947 up by 3.5 per cent over the end of 2015.

The increase is even more outstanding if compared over a seven-year-period. The number of registered cars in the beginning of 2010 was 300,000.

During the last quarter of last year, the stock of licensed vehicles has increased
at an average net rate of 30 vehicles per day.

The number of vehicles has shot up by almost 59,000 in seven years.The number of vehicles has shot up by almost 59,000 in seven years.

Of these, 78.9 per cent were passenger cars, 13.5 per cent were commercial vehicles, 6.5 per cent were motorcycles/bicycles, while buses and minibuses accounted for less than one per cent.

New licences issued during the period under review amounted to 5,312. The majority of new licences were issued to passenger cars, followed by motorcycles/bicycles with 641. Newly-licensed ‘new’ motor vehicles amounted to
2,267, or 42.7 per cent.

As at the end of December last year, 217,836 vehicles, or 60.7 per cent of the total, had petrol engines. Vehicles with diesel engines reached 139,171, or 38.8 per cent of the total.

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