In 2023, California was the federal state with the highest number of motor vehicle registrations in the United States. More than ***** million motor vehicles were registered in the nation’s most populous state. Overall, the United States recorded over ***** million vehicle registrations. Vehicle classes Automobiles and trucks are the leading categories in terms of motor vehicle sales in the United States, accounting for roughly ** percent of all registrations. Motorcycles and buses comprise the remaining categories, with buses accounting for a miniscule **** percent of registrations. In terms of sales, light trucks were the most popular category in 2024 with retail sales of nearly **** million units. Leading state California recorded around **** million registrations of automobiles and trucks, having a resident population of just under ** million people. California is the largest market for car registration. The state is known for progressive state legislation that promotes the manufacturing and sale of electric vehicles.

The statistic represents the number of registered automobiles in California in 2018. In 2018, there was a total number of approximately 15.1 million automobiles registered in California.

Automobile registrations in California

In case you have ever asked yourself one of these questions: ‘How many cars are there in California?’ or ‘How many registered vehicles are there in California?’, we can tell you as much: In 2018, there were 15.1 million automobiles registered in California. Furthermore – as you might have wondered if other motor vehicles are registered in this state, as well - Californians used around 99,700 buses and coaches, over 15 million trucks and roughly 882,800 motorcycles in 2018, making California the leading federal state in all motor vehicle segments.

In 2023, California had the most automobile registrations: almost 13.2 million such vehicles were registered in the most populous U.S. federal state. California also had the highest number of registered motor vehicles overall: nearly 30.4 million registrations.

Vehicle population is updated annually, each April, to reflect the number of vehicles “on the road” during the previous calendar year. Vehicle population counts vehicles whose registration is either current or less than 35 days expired. Sales are higher than population because of vehicle retirements, accidents, owners moving out of state, or other reasons.

Data as of: December 31, 2022

Regional Data Categories Map Filter. Data can be reflected at the county, metropolitan statistical area (MSA), or ZIP code level. Individual registrations were assigned to a region based on mailing address, with the following exceptions:

Out of State: vehicles registered in California with a mailing address in a different state

ZIP Code “99999”: indicates that the ZIP code in the Vehicle Registration database was invalid

Unassigned: remote areas not associated with an MSA

Unknown: Invalid ZIP codes categorized under MSA

This Data contains information from 2010 to 2022.

Please note, that columns 'Manufacturer' and 'Model' include Null values since it was less data in 2010-2012 and more data from 2013.

Examples of Questions you may answer with this Data:

• What is the trend in the number of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) in California from 2010 to 2022?
• How has the adoption of Gasoline vehicles changed over the years in California, specifically for Flex Fuel?
• Which county in California had the highest number of Diesel vehicles in 2010?
• What is the distribution of Gasoline Hybrid vehicles across California counties in 2020?
• How many Natural Gas vehicles were registered in California in 2010, and did this number change significantly by 2020?
• Which car manufacturer produced the most Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) in California in 2015?
• What is the overall trend in the number of Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) in California over the past decade?
• What is the average number of vehicles per make and model for all Fuel Types in 2019 in California?
• How has the market share of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) compared to Gasoline vehicles evolved over the years in California?

Columns: Data Year
County
Dashboard Fuel Type Group
Fuel Type
Manufacturer
Model
Number of Vehicles

These datasets provide vehicle counts broken down by ZIP code, model year, fuel type, make and duty (light/heavy) of registered vehicles with specific as of dates.

This annual release provides a snapshot of the number of active vehicle registration counts of light-duty vehicles and medium-duty vehicles by type of vehicle and fuel type, heavy-duty vehicles, buses, and motorcycles and mopeds. Data are obtained from the administrative files from provincial and territorial governments.

Canada CA: First Registrations of Brand New Passenger Cars data was reported at 1,714,913.000 Number in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,512,399.000 Number for 2022. Canada CA: First Registrations of Brand New Passenger Cars data is updated yearly, averaging 1,545,561.000 Number from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2023, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,036,647.000 Number in 2017 and a record low of 97,052.000 Number in 2004. Canada CA: First Registrations of Brand New Passenger Cars data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.OECD.ITF: Motor Vehicles Statistics: OECD Member: Annual. [COVERAGE] A passenger car is a road motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, intended for the carriage of passengers and designed to seat no more than nine persons (including the driver). The term 'passenger car' therefore covers microcars (need no permit to be driven), taxis and hired passenger cars, provided that they have fewer than ten seats. This category may also include pick-ups. [COVERAGE] Data cover registration of brand new vehicles that weigh up to 4.5 tonnes. Data do not include buses. [STAT_CONC_DEF] Until 2003 and between 2010 and 2014, data are not available. Monthly data are not available.

New light vehicle registrations in California came to approximately **** million units in 2024, roughly the same as the previous year. Following the 2008-09 financial crisis, registrations dropped to just around *********** units in 2009. The new vehicle market grew back quickly over the course of several years but began to stagnate in 2016.

Quarterly data on vehicle registration by fuel type, vehicle type and number of vehicles, Canada, the provinces, census metropolitan areas and census sub-divisions.

Annual vehicle registrations, by type of vehicle (road motor vehicles, trailers, off-road, construction and farm vehicles).

Quarterly data on new motor vehicle registration by fuel type, vehicle type and number of vehicles, for Canada and provinces.

Number of Registered Vehicles by Type, 1989 to 2021

This dataset presents results from a survey of 906 FCV and 12,910 BEV households in California. The researcher investigated the sociodemographic profile of FCV buyers and compare them to BEV households. The publicly available dataset file includes the following information: response ID, date survey submitted, information on vehicle owned, ownership of previous PHEVs, BEVs, HEVs, CNGs, household income, home ownership, home type, highest level of education, longest trip in the last 12 months, number of trips over 200 miles in the last 12 months, one-way commute distance, number of people in the household, age, gender, number of vehicles in the household, and annual VMT estimate.

Graph and download economic data for Monthly State Retail Sales: Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers in California (MSRSCA441) from Jan 2019 to Jun 2025 about dealers, parts, retail trade, vehicles, CA, sales, retail, and USA.

Quarterly statistics on the total number of taxed and SORNed (Statutory Off Road Notification) VOLKSWAGEN CALIFORNIA SE TDI BMT AUTO vehicles in the UK. The data is compiled from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) vehicle licensing statistics, covering the period from 1994 Q4 to 2025 Q1.

Context

Each company which hold a permit to test self-driving vehicles in California must report disengagements to the state's Department of Motor Vehicles. The department defines a disengagement as "a deactivation of the autonomous mode when a failure of the autonomous technology is detected or when the safe operation of the vehicle requires that the autonomous vehicle test driver disengage the autonomous mode and take immediate manual. control of the vehicle." This dataset of disengagement reports can highlight where the technology is still struggling.

Content

"The data files below contain the disengagements and autonomous miles traveled for permit holders who reported testing on California’s public roads between December 1, 2018 and November 30, 2019. Separate data files contain information on companies who received their permit in 2018 and are reporting testing activity in California for the first time (beyond the normal 12-month cycle)." Each report includes:

Manufacturer Permit Number DATE VIN NUMBER VEHICLE IS CAPABLE OF OPERATING WITHOUT A DRIVER(Yes or No) DRIVER PRESENT(Yes or No) DISENGAGEMENT INITIATED BY(AV System, Test Driver, Remote Operator, or Passenger) DISENGAGEMENTLOCATION (Interstate, Freeway, Highway, Rural Road, Street, or Parking Facility) DESCRIPTION OF FACTS CAUSING DISENGAGEMENT

Acknowledgements

Original data from State of California Department of Motor Vehicles. https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/vr/autonomous/disengagement_report_2019

Banner photo by Andrew Roberts on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/6lqk_bNnw_c

Number of units and total sales of new motor vehicles by vehicle type and origin of manufacture, monthly.

The Californian motor vehicle manufacturing industry more than doubled its employment numbers throughout the period given. In 2021, the production industry in California employed on average ****** people, representing a ** percent increase compared to the previous year.

This data set consists of three types of entities: (a) the specification of an auto in terms of various characteristics, (b) its assigned insurance risk rating, (c) its normalized losses in use as compared to other cars. The second rating corresponds to the degree to which the auto is more risky than its price indicates. Cars are initially assigned a risk factor symbol associated with its price. Then, if it is more risky (or less), this symbol is adjusted by moving it up (or down) the scale. Actuarians call this process "symboling". A value of +3 indicates that the auto is risky, -3 that it is probably pretty safe.

The third factor is the relative average loss payment per insured vehicle year. This value is normalized for all autos within a particular size classification (two-door small, station wagons, sports/speciality, etc...), and represents the average loss per car per year.

Note: Several of the attributes in the database could be used as a "class" attribute.

1. symboling: -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3.
2. normalized-losses: continuous from 65 to 256.

3. make: alfa-romero, audi, bmw, chevrolet, dodge, honda, isuzu, jaguar, mazda, mercedes-benz, mercury, mitsubishi, nissan, peugot, plymouth, porsche, renault, saab, subaru, toyota, volkswagen, volvo

4. fuel-type: diesel, gas.

5. aspiration: std, turbo.

6. num-of-doors: four, two.

7. body-style: hardtop, wagon, sedan, hatchback, convertible.

8. drive-wheels: 4wd, fwd, rwd.

9. engine-location: front, rear.

10. wheel-base: continuous from 86.6 120.9.

11. length: continuous from 141.1 to 208.1.

12. width: continuous from 60.3 to 72.3.

13. height: continuous from 47.8 to 59.8.

14. curb-weight: continuous from 1488 to 4066.

15. engine-type: dohc, dohcv, l, ohc, ohcf, ohcv, rotor.

16. num-of-cylinders: eight, five, four, six, three, twelve, two.

17. engine-size: continuous from 61 to 326.

18. fuel-system: 1bbl, 2bbl, 4bbl, idi, mfi, mpfi, spdi, spfi.

19. bore: continuous from 2.54 to 3.94.

20. stroke: continuous from 2.07 to 4.17.

21. compression-ratio: continuous from 7 to 23.

22. horsepower: continuous from 48 to 288.

23. peak-rpm: continuous from 4150 to 6600.

24. city-mpg: continuous from 13 to 49.

25. highway-mpg: continuous from 16 to 54.

26. price: continuous from 5118 to 45400.

Canada CA: First Registrations of Brand New Passenger Cars: Per One Thousand Inhabitants data was reported at 41.009 Ratio in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 51.393 Ratio for 2019. Canada CA: First Registrations of Brand New Passenger Cars: Per One Thousand Inhabitants data is updated yearly, averaging 38.483 Ratio from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2020, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 55.729 Ratio in 2017 and a record low of 3.039 Ratio in 2004. Canada CA: First Registrations of Brand New Passenger Cars: Per One Thousand Inhabitants data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.OECD.ITF: Motor Vehicles Statistics: OECD Member: Annual. FIRST REGISTRATIONS A passenger car is a road motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, intended for the carriage of passengers and designed to seat no more than nine persons (including the driver). The term 'passenger car' therefore covers microcars (need no permit to be driven), taxis and hired passenger cars, provided that they have fewer than ten seats. This category may also include pick-ups.; FIRST REGISTRATIONS Data cover registration of brand new vehicles that weigh up to 4.5 tonnes. Data do not include buses.