As of the end of the first half of this year, the cumulative number of registered cars in Korea surpassed 26.4 million. During the same period, the cumulative registration of eco-friendly vehicles exceeded 3 million, and the proportion of electric vehicles among newly registered cars in the first half reached 11%. In contrast, the number of internal combustion engine vehicles decreased by nearly 250,000 in six months.
On the 28th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that as of the end of June this year, the cumulative number of registered cars in Korea was 26,408,000, an increase of 110,000 (0.4%) compared to the end of the previous year. The average number of cars per person in the country is 0.52, with 0.45 in the metropolitan area and 0.59 in non-metropolitan areas.
By fuel type, there are 12,420,000 gasoline cars, 8,852,000 diesel cars, 1,849,000 LPG cars, 2,292,000 hybrids, 775,000 electric vehicles, 39,000 hydrogen vehicles, and 181,000 others registered. Eco-friendly vehicles such as hybrids, electric, and hydrogen cars total 3,106,000, marking an increase of 359,000 (13.1%) compared to the end of the previous year.
Specifically, hybrids increased by 267,000 (13.2%), electric vehicles by 91,000 (13.2%), and hydrogen vehicles by 1,000 (3.2%). In contrast, the total number of internal combustion engine vehicles decreased to 23,122,000, down by 249,000 (0.1%) during the same period, with diesel vehicles accounting for a decrease of around 248,000.
By vehicle type, there are 21,914,000 passenger cars, 648,000 vans, 3,701,000 trucks, and 145,000 special vehicles. By size, there are 13,785,000 medium-sized vehicles, 7,217,000 large vehicles, 3,190,000 small vehicles, and 2,216,000 mini-sized vehicles.
A total of 846,000 vehicles were newly registered in the first half of the year, with eco-friendly vehicles accounting for 389,000 (46%), surpassing gasoline vehicles (332,000, 39%). The number of new electric vehicle registrations was 94,000, making up 11% of the total. Hybrid vehicles accounted for 294,000, and hydrogen vehicles amounted to 1,000 in newly registered vehicles.
Regionally, the number of registrations increased in 15 cities and provinces nationwide, excluding Seoul (down 17,000) and Daegu (down 1,500). The increase was particularly notable in Gyeonggi (up 96,000) and Jeollanam-do (up 36,000).
Domestic cars accounted for 22,820,000, or 86.4% of the total, while imported cars made up 3,590,000, or 13.6%. The share of domestic cars decreased by 0.1 percentage points compared to the end of the previous year. Notably, the proportion of domestic cars among electric vehicles is 69.9%, down 1 percentage point from the end of last year (70.9%). The increased sales of models like the Tesla Model Y are believed to have influenced this.
Bae So-myung, head of the automotive operation insurance division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "We will continuously provide statistical information to analyze the data of the structural transition period of the automotive market closely and support the establishment of future strategies for the automotive industry and the rational choices of the public."