Transport

How many cars are there in Gibraltar?

Short answer

Gibraltar had 40,983 registered vehicles as of Monday 21 September 2026, according to figures given in Parliament by the Minister for the Environment, John Cortes. Almost 89% run on petrol or diesel, although hybrid and electric vehicles are growing.

Detailed answer

The Minister gave the figures on Thursday 8 October 2026 in answer to questions from the Leader of the Opposition.

Registered vehicles by fuel type, September 2026

  • Petrol: 29,034
  • Diesel: 7,383
  • Petrol-electric hybrid: 3,850
  • Electric: 462
  • Diesel-electric hybrid: 245
  • Diesel-LPG hybrid: 9

Compared with 2022, the Minister said, petrol vehicles have fallen by nearly 5,000 and diesel vehicles by 606, while hybrids have risen by more than 2,600 and electric vehicles by 243. He said he would like the change to happen faster, but that the move away from petrol and diesel is clearly under way.

Cars owned by households

The vehicle register counts every registered vehicle, including business vehicles. The Census measures something narrower: the cars, vans and motorcycles available to households living in Gibraltar, including company vehicles available for private use. At the Census on Monday 14 November 2022:

  • Cars or vans: 15,747 (13,010 in 2012; 7,662 in 1991)
  • Motorcycles: 9,537, up 29.2% since 2012
  • Garages and parking spaces: 11,992, up 48.6% since 2012
  • Per household: 1.09 cars, 0.66 motorcycles and 0.83 parking spaces

Despite high vehicle numbers in a small territory, most residents do not drive to work. In 2022 almost half walked to work and about one in four used a motorcycle or scooter.