12 December 2022 | See disclaimer
Find out the latest available government-sourced statistics on the average number of kilometres driven in Australia.
Quick Stats
- On average, Australians travelled 12,100 km across all vehicles
- Australians travelled 238,499 million kilometres in 2020
- In 2020, petrol prices were the lowest in 22 years [2]
Over the years, the average number of kilometres driven in Australia has decreased. We drive less, but do we change our habits as a result of economic factors or are we just influenced by them?
To find out more, we’ve collected the latest available government-sourced data from 2020 on the average kilometres driven in Australia.
Year |
Average kilometres per vehicle |
|---|---|
2010 |
14,100 |
2012 |
14,000 |
2014 |
13,800 |
2016 |
13,716 |
2018 |
13,400 |
2020 |
12,100 |
Over the span of ten years, the average number of kilometres driven has continued to decrease year on year. In 2020, the average number of kilometres dropped significantly and this is likely due to extensive restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Australians driving less, this also meant that the cost of petrol and the amount of fuel consumption were at an all time low. In Australia, annual average retail prices for petrol in most major cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth) were 129.7 cents per litre (cpl). The last time petrol prices were lower was in 1998; 22 years prior. [3]
However, as of September 2022, automotive fuel prices have risen by 18% in the most recent quarter. [4]
2.0 Number of Vehicles by Type of Vehicle
Type of vehicle |
Number of vehicles |
Percentage of total vehicles |
|---|---|---|
Passenger vehicles |
14,726,967 |
74.5% |
Motor cycles |
893,484 |
4.5% |
Light commercial vehicles |
3,412,459 |
17.3% |
Rigid trucks |
521,255 |
2.6% |
Articulated trucks |
104,442 |
0.5% |
Non-freight carrying trucks |
23,518 |
0.1% |
Buses |
86,393 |
0.4% |
Total |
19,768,518 |
100% |
The majority of Australia’s vehicles in 2020 were passenger vehicles. The second largest group were light commercial vehicles. In Australia, light commercial vehicles are classed as motor vehicles to carry goods or specialised equipment with a gross vehicle weight of no more than 3.5 metric tonnes. [4]
In 2020, Australians travelled a total of 238,499 million kilometres across all vehicle types. And the average vehicle in Australia travelled 12,100 km per year, or 33.2 km per day.
Type of vehicle |
Average kilometres travelled |
|---|---|
Passenger vehicles |
11,100 |
Motor cycles |
1,900 |
Light commercial vehicles |
15,300 |
Rigid trucks |
21,100 |
Articulated trucks |
78,300 |
Non-freight carrying trucks |
13,700 |
Buses |
24,600 |
Type of Freight Vehicle |
Average tonne kilometres |
|---|---|
Light commercial vehicles |
5,200 |
Rigid trucks |
94,600 |
Articulated trucks |
1,835,700 |
Drivers from the Northern Territory travelled the highest average number of kilometres in all of Australia.
Articulated trucks both travelled the highest average kilometres and carried the highest average tonnes per kilometre. These types of trucks are used to transport large amounts of loose materials like dirt, sand, gravel and demolition waste.
Did you know?Drivers who travel long distances are more likely to experience a microsleep or another form of |
In 2020, for the first time ever, 33,019 megalitres of fuel were consumed with equal parts petrol and diesel.
Type of vehicle |
Petrol (ml) |
Diesel (ml) |
|---|---|---|
Passenger carrying vehicles (passenger vehicles, motor cycles and buses) |
14,578 |
3,658 |
Freight carrying vehicles (light commercial vehicles, rigid trucks and articulated trucks) |
1,592 |
12,479 |
Total (includes non-freight carrying trucks) |
16,170 |
16,211 |
Type of vehicle |
Litres per 100 kilometres |
|---|---|
Passenger vehicles |
11.1 |
Motorcycles |
6.1 |
Light commercial vehicles |
12.8 |
Rigid trucks |
28.6 |
Articulated trucks |
53.1 |
Non-freight carrying trucks |
23.2 |
Buses |
27.8 |
Passenger carrying vehicles consumed the most petrol while freight carrying vehicles consumed the most diesel.
Articulated trucks, on average, had the highest rate of fuel consumption per vehicle (53.1 litres per 100 km) compared to the average rate of fuel consumption per passenger vehicle which was 11.1 litres per 100 km.
5.0 Average Distance Travelled by Electric Vehicles
In the 12 months ending on the 30th of June 2020, electric passenger vehicles registered in Australia had travelled 69 million kilometres. ?[6]
Area of Operation |
Petrol ( km) |
Diesel ( km) |
Electric ( km) |
|---|---|---|---|
Capital city |
9,500 |
8,600 |
9,800 |
Other urban areas |
6,900 |
6,800 |
6,400 |
Other areas |
8,600 |
12,000 |
5,000 |
Total intrastate |
10,600 |
13,300 |
11,100 |
Interstate |
5,300 |
8,800 |
6,900 |
Australia |
10,900 |
14,300 |
11,300 |
On average, drivers from the Australian Capital Territory travelled further in electric passenger vehicles than all other states and territories.
On the contrary, drivers from the Northern Territory travelled the furthest in vehicles fueled by diesel averaging 17,500 km during 2020.
Drivers in capital cities travelled further in electric passenger vehicles over those who live in other urban areas and other areas.
6.0 Key Findings
Australians drove less in 2020
With the number of average kilometres Australians travelled decreasing steadily from 2010, it came as no surprise that Australians drove less in 2020 than they did in 2018. However, the COVID-19 pandemic did accelerate the reduction in average number of kilometres driven significantly.
Passenger carrying vehicles consumed the most petrol
Passenger vehicles, motorcycles and buses consumed 14,578 ml of petrol; more than any other type of vehicle.
Adopting zero emissions vehicle technologies
While the average distance travelled by electric vehicles was only 0.6 thousand km further than vehicles that use petrol; this is likely to change in the coming years [6]. And as of 2021 there were 23,000 electric vehicle registrations and a 62.3% increase on the previous year. [7]
The Australian Capital Territory government is committed to reducing transport emissions by transitioning the Australian Capital Territory’s vehicle fleet to zero emissions vehicles such as electric cars. By 2030, the Australian Capital Territory wants to be the leading jurisdiction in the adoption of zero emissions vehicle technologies.
