{"id":10231,"date":"2025-02-10T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acea.auto\/?post_type=facts&#038;p=10231"},"modified":"2025-03-24T15:09:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T14:09:51","slug":"passenger-cars-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important","status":"publish","type":"facts","link":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/fact\/passenger-cars-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Passenger cars: what they are and why they are so important"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro block-container\"><p>For over a hundred years, the private car has transformed modern society by providing independence and freedom of mobility. Cars are our number one source of mobility, taking the average European more than 12,000 kilometres a year.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"cntnt block-container\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-passenger-cars\">What are passenger cars?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The European classification system defines passenger cars as \u201cvehicles designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers and comprising no more than eight seats in addition to the driver\u2019s seat, and having a maximum mass not exceeding 3.5 tonnes\u201d.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They are classified as the \u2018M1\u2019 category.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There are many different kinds of cars including sports, luxury, family-oriented, small cars and sports utility vehicles (SUVs).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-are-cars-so-important\">Why are cars so important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For over a hundred years, the private car has transformed modern society by providing independence and freedom of mobility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mobility is becoming more and more important due to ever-increasing distances between home, work, educational institutions, shopping, and leisure facilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cars are our number one source of mobility, taking the average European more than 12,000 kilometres a year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Over 82% of inland journeys are made by car \u2013 be it private car, taxi, or carsharing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Without individual mobility, adequate participation in social and economic life would not be possible in many cases, particularly for people living in remote areas, the elderly, and those with disabilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>People living in urban areas may rely on taxis, carsharing, or on-demand services instead of, or as a complement to, their own private car.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Passenger car travel enables home care and medical assistance, as well as a range of other emergency services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Job-related mobility is of particular importance, with about a half of all vehicle kilometres travelled in the EU being related to employment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The budgets of the EU member states receive \u20ac380 billion per year from the sale and use of passenger cars.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\t\t<blockquote class=\"shareable-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content\">Cars are our number one source of mobility, taking the average European more than 12,000 kilometres a year. Over 82% of inland journeys are made by car \u2013 be it private car, taxi, or carsharing.<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"share-links\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share-buttons\"><a class=\"twitter resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet\/?text=Cars%20are%20our%20number%20one%20source%20of%20mobility%2C%20taking%20the%20average%20European%20more%20than%2012%2C000%20kilometres%20a%20year.%20Over%2082%25%20of%20inland%20journeys%20are%20made%20by%20car%20%E2%80%93%20be%20it%20private%20car%2C%20taxi%2C%20or%20carsharing.&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fpassenger-cars-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--twitter resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon twitter\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><a class=\"linkedin resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fpassenger-cars-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F&amp;title=Cars%20are%20our%20number%20one%20source%20of%20mobility%2C%20taking%20the%20average%20European%20more%20than%2012%2C000%20kilometres%20a%20year.%20Over%2082%25%20of%20inland%20journeys%20are%20made%20by%20car%20%E2%80%93%20be%20it%20private%20car%2C%20taxi%2C%20or%20carsharing.&amp;summary=&amp;source=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fpassenger-cars-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--linkedin resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon linkedin\"><\/i>\n                    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href=\"whatsapp:\/\/send?text=Cars%20are%20our%20number%20one%20source%20of%20mobility%2C%20taking%20the%20average%20European%20more%20than%2012%2C000%20kilometres%20a%20year.%20Over%2082%25%20of%20inland%20journeys%20are%20made%20by%20car%20%E2%80%93%20be%20it%20private%20car%2C%20taxi%2C%20or%20carsharing.%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fpassenger-cars-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F\" data-action=\"share\/whatsapp\/share\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--whatsapp resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon whatsapp\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><a class=\"email resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"mailto:?subject=Cars%20are%20our%20number%20one%20source%20of%20mobility%2C%20taking%20the%20average%20European%20more%20than%2012%2C000%20kilometres%20a%20year.%20Over%2082%25%20of%20inland%20journeys%20are%20made%20by%20car%20%E2%80%93%20be%20it%20private%20car%2C%20taxi%2C%20or%20carsharing.&amp;body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fpassenger-cars-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F\" target=\"_self\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--email resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon email\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><a class=\"print resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"javascript:;\" onclick=\"window.print()\" target=\"_self\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--print resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon print\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-in-figures\">In figures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>249 million<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 There are 249 million passenger cars on the EU\u2019s roads today.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>12.5 years<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The average age of cars in the EU is 12.5 years now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>24<\/strong>&nbsp;new cars were registered per 1,000 inhabitants in the EU in 2023.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>10.6 million<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 In 2024, 10.6 million passenger cars were sold in the EU, an increase of 0.8% compared to the previous year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>98&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013 There are 98 car assembly plants in Europe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>12.2 million<\/strong>&nbsp;passenger cars were made in the European Union in 2023.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>4,553,344 <\/strong>European cars were exported worldwide in 2024, worth nearly \u20ac155 billion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>20%<\/strong>&nbsp;of all cars produced around the world are built in Europe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>45.2% <\/strong>\u2013 Conventional fuel types still dominated EU car sales, accounting for 45.2% of all new registrations in 2024.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>20.8%<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Electrically-powered vehicles (battery electric and plug-in hybrid) together represent 20.8% of new car sales in the EU, but only 3.9% of all passenger cars on the road today.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>-14.7%&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013 In 2023, average new car emissions were 107.8g CO2\/km, a 14.7% decrease since 2013.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\t\t<blockquote class=\"shareable-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content\">4,553,344 European cars were exported worldwide in 2024, worth nearly \u20ac155 billion.<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"share-links\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share-buttons\"><a class=\"twitter resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet\/?text=4%2C553%2C344%20European%20cars%20were%20exported%20worldwide%20in%202024%2C%20worth%20nearly%20%E2%82%AC155%20billion.&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fpassenger-cars-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--twitter resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon twitter\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><a 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class=\"widget-content\"><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"template":"","priority-tags":[738,831,767,766,765,764,768,769,778,832,797,770,774,815,813,817,819,830,792,835,795,761],"vehicles":[838,851],"class_list":["post-10231","facts","type-facts","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","priority-tags-green-clean","priority-tags-production-of-vehicles","priority-tags-battery-electric-vehicles","priority-tags-electrically-chargeable-vehicles","priority-tags-electric-vehicles","priority-tags-alternatively-powered-vehicles","priority-tags-plug-in-hybrid-electric-vehicles","priority-tags-fuel-cell-electric-vehicles","priority-tags-smart-efficient","priority-tags-registrations-of-vehicles","priority-tags-multimodal-transport","priority-tags-hybrid-electric-vehicles","priority-tags-renewable-fuels","priority-tags-consumer-demand","priority-tags-global-competitive","priority-tags-vehicle-fleet","priority-tags-international-trade","priority-tags-market-and-economy","priority-tags-mobility-solutions","priority-tags-taxation","priority-tags-transport-policy","priority-tags-powertrain-options","vehicles-passenger-cars","vehicles-all-vehicles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/facts\/10231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/facts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/facts"}],"version-history":[{"count":59,"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/facts\/10231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52839,"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/facts\/10231\/revisions\/52839"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"priority-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/priority-tags?post=10231"},{"taxonomy":"vehicles","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vehicles?post=10231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}