China's Motor Vehicle Ownership Reaches 460 Million, Drivers Exceed 550 Million; Both Total and Growth Rank First in the World

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 14 (Reporter Guo Chaokai) - The Ministry of Public Security held a press conference in Beijing on the 14th, announcing that by the end of September 2025, the national vehicle ownership will reach 460 million, with the number of cars reaching 360 million. The number of motor vehicle drivers will exceed 550 million, placing both the total number of vehicles and drivers, as well as the annual increase, at the top in the world.

Data Perspective: Ten-Year Growth Trend Highlights Changes in People's Livelihoods

By the end of 2024, it is evident that the number of motor vehicles nationwide increased by 7 million within a year, with the number of automobiles increasing by 7 million and the number of drivers growing by 8 million. Notably, the number of newly registered motor vehicles in China has exceeded 30 million for ten consecutive years. In 2024, 26.9 million new automobiles were registered, reflecting a 9.53% increase from the previous year, indicating the continued vibrancy of the automobile consumer market.

From the perspective of regional distribution, there are already 96 cities in the country with automobile ownership exceeding one million, among which six cities, including Chengdu, Beijing, and Chongqing, have surpassed five million vehicles. Additionally, 45 cities have over two million vehicles, reflecting the accelerated trend of car ownership in the urbanization process. New energy vehicles have become a new growth engine, with the total ownership reaching 31.4 million by the end of 2024, accounting for 8.90% of the total number of cars. There were 11.25 million new registrations throughout the year, nearly a tenfold increase compared to 2019.

Growth Drivers: Driven by Economic Livelihood and Policy Synergy

At the press conference, Wang Qiang, Director of the Traffic Management Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, pointed out that the continuous increase in the number of motor vehicles is an important reflection of economic and social development and the improvement of people's livelihoods. There are multiple driving factors behind the data.

In terms of economic support, the rise in household income levels has made cars a standard component of household consumption, and the demand for car purchases continues to be released.

In terms of policy empowerment, car purchase subsidies and exemption from purchase taxes stimulate consumption, and the improvement of transportation infrastructure further activates usage demand.

In terms of industrial upgrading, breakthroughs in new energy vehicle battery technology and improvements in charging facilities are driving green travel to become a new trend.

Service Upgrade: Over 160 Measures to Solve Management Challenges

Facing the management challenges brought by a large number of motor vehicles, the Ministry of Public Security has continued to deepen the reform of traffic management services, introducing over 160 convenience measures and reducing the cost of business for the public and enterprises by over 100 billion yuan. It was announced at a press conference that starting from November 1st, six new "Internet-based" traffic management measures will be fully implemented, including online cancellation of vehicle mortgage registration, replacement of registration certificates, and online transfer of vehicle registration information, increasing the number of online services to 41, and is expected to benefit hundreds of millions of people annually.

The domestic small passenger car registration "one-stop service," which was previously piloted in eight cities, is about to be promoted nationwide. With the "Traffic Management 12123" app boasting 590 million registered users, more traffic management services will be available for "zero-run" processing. Wang Qiang stated that these measures will further enhance the equalization and convenience of services, providing support for the high-quality development of the economy and society.