Last Year, Cumulative Eco-Friendly Vehicle Registrations Reach 2,120,290... Share Surpasses 8%

One Car Owned per 1.98 People
Internal Combustion Engine Cars Decrease by 0.4% Year-on-Year
Imported Cars Market Share Increases to 13.0%

Last year, the cumulative number of internal combustion engine vehicles using gasoline and other fuels decreased for the first time compared to the previous year. On the other hand, eco-friendly vehicles accounted for one out of every three newly registered cars, surpassing 2 million in total cumulative registrations, with their share exceeding 8% of all registered vehicles.

An electric vehicle charging station in Seoul / Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 19th, as of the end of December last year, the cumulative number of registered vehicles reached 25,949,201, an increase of 1.7% (446,123 vehicles) compared to the end of 2022. This means there is one car for every 1.98 people.

By fuel type, internal combustion engine vehicles recorded a cumulative total of 23,646,885, down 0.4% (85,191 vehicles) from the previous year. Gasoline vehicles increased by 2.0% (245,143 vehicles), but diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles decreased by 2.6% (258,009 vehicles) and 3.8% (72,325 vehicles), respectively.

Eco-friendly vehicles (electric, hydrogen, hybrid) reached a cumulative total of 2,120,290 by the end of last year, with their share gradually increasing. Eco-friendly vehicles, which accounted for only 2.0% of total vehicle registrations in 2018, grew to 2.5% in 2019, 3.4% in 2020, 4.7% in 2021, 6.2% in 2022, and 8.2% in 2023.

Among these, electric vehicles increased by 39.5% (154,045 vehicles) from the previous year to a cumulative total of 543,900, hybrid vehicles rose by 31.7% (371,625 vehicles) to a total of 1,542,132, and hydrogen vehicles increased by 15.6% (4,635 vehicles) to a cumulative total of 34,258.

By electric vehicle type, passenger cars accounted for 411,084 units, or 75.6%, followed by cargo vehicles at 124,463, passenger vans at 7,992, and special purpose vehicles at 361. Market share by manufacturer was highest for Hyundai Motor Company at 41.6%, followed by Kia at 27.7%, and Tesla at 11.7%.

Along with eco-friendly vehicles, the market share of imported cars has also steadily increased. The share of imported cars among all registered vehicles grew annually from 8.4% in 2017, 9.3% in 2018, 10.2% in 2019, 11.0% in 2020, 11.8% in 2021, to 12.5% in 2022. Last year, it reached 13.0% (3,385,101 vehicles).

Im Wol-si, Director of the Automobile Operation and Insurance Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "Since vehicle registration statistics are used for various policy guidance directly related to citizens' lives, we will continue to provide reliable and customized statistics."