Thailand’s Motor Vehicle Ownership in 2020

The number of automobiles owned in Thailand was 18.59 million units as of the end of 2019, an increase of 813,000 units compared to the end of the previous year. The ownership rate of automobiles rose to 279 units per 1,000 people. Passenger vehicles accounted for 9.98 million units of all automobiles followed by vans / pickup trucks with 6.77 million and trucks with 1.15 million units.

Looking at the number of passenger vehicles owned by powertrain type, gasoline vehicles accounted for 6.12 million units and diesel vehicles for 2.85 million units, internal combustion engine vehicles accounting for almost 90% of the total. However, in recent years, the number of electric vehicles (BEV, PHEV, HEV) owned has been on the rise, reaching 149,000 units as of the end of 2019, an increase of 27,000 units from the end of the previous year. Electric passenger vehicles accounted for 1.5% of the total. The number of HEVs owned was 148,000 units, driven by Toyota which has been adding HEVs to its local lineup, and the number of BEVs was 802 units. As of the end of September 2020, there were 169,000 HEVs and 1,842 BEVs on the roads, raising their share to 1.6%.

As of the end of 2019, the number of motorcycles on the roads was 21.4 million units, and their ownership rate stood at 322 units per 1,000 people. After a slight drop in 2016, motorcycle ownership has continued to increase. Looking at electric motorcycle ownership, there were 4,493 hybrid motorcycles and 1,716 battery electric motorcycles in Thailand and their number has been on the rise in recent years.

In the capital Bangkok, there were 6.67 million automobiles and 3.89 million motorcycles as of the end of 2019. In the rest of the country, number of automobiles and motorcycles owned was 11.92 million and 17.5 million units respectively. The largest number of automobiles and motorcycle owned was in northeast Thailand with 3.41 million and 4.96 million units respectively.