Road traffic volumes, 2013

Passenger cars accounted for well over three-quarters of the total driving of the Norwegian vehicles last year, with 33.9 billion kilometres. After passenger cars, small vans were driven the most in 2013, with 5.2 billion kilometres. This was 0.5 per cent less than in 2012. Large vans drove almost 59 million kilometres longer in 2013; 3.9 per cent more than the year before. The larger trucks and buses drove less in 2013 compared with the previous year, with minibuses contributing to the decline. Among the larger lorries, only road tractors for semi-trailers were driven more in 2013 than the year before.

Average mileages decreased

An average road tractor was driven 64 661 kilometres in 2013; about 2 300 kilometres less than in 2012. This was the highest average yearly mileage of all road vehicles. The next highest yearly average was for taxis, which averaged 59 520 kilometres; 1 000 kilometres more than the year before. Passenger cars were driven 12 560 kilometres on average; 2.3 per cent less than the year before.

New cars are driven the most

The average mileage for passenger cars saw little decrease in the first 10 years after purchase. For trucks and buses, the average mileage fell significantly after the first 5 years. Heavy lorries drove an average of almost 58 000 kilometres in the first 5 years, and 40 000 kilometres in the following 5 years.

Diesel-powered road vehicles still increasing

The diesel-powered vehicles’ share of the total road traffic volumes increased. From 2012 to 2013, there was an increase of 2 percentage points, representing 64.6 per cent. The average yearly mileage for diesel-powered cars is also significantly higher. While petrol-powered passenger cars were driven 10 000 kilometres on average in 2013, diesel cars were driven more than 16 000 kilometres.

The number of electric vehicles is increasing rapidly

The number of electric vehicles is increasing rapidly in Norway, but these still account for only about 1 per cent of the vehicle fleet. In 2013, electric cars were driven a total of 106.6 million kilometres. This was 66 per cent more than in 2012. This amounted to only 0.2 per cent of the total kilometres driven. The average yearly mileage for electric vehicles was 5 721 kilometres.

Cars in Rogaland driven the least

Cars registered in Rogaland were driven 11 757 kilometres on average in 2013, which was the lowest in the country. The highest average mileage was for cars registered in North Trondelag, with 13 451 kilometres.