There are countries in the world where there are a lot of vehicles – so much so that the ratio of cars to owners tends to an equal sign. In these countries, no one thinks about whether a car is a luxury or a means of transportation – it just has to be there to keep up with the collective. The smaller and richer the country, the more its citizens love to own cars. So yes, Europe takes the leading positions in this list, though it doesn’t mean there are only European Marques, but also a lot of American car brands can be seen on the street.
Passenger cars can often emphasize the social and economic status of their owners. Therefore, citizens of rich countries buy new cars many times more often than in poor countries, where each car is bought, sold, and resold many times without increasing the car fleet as a whole.
The number of cars per capita is a litmus test of citizens’ well-being. The higher this level, the more likely to buy a car. The more extensive the vehicle fleet becomes, the more likely the public infrastructure changes, the greater the mobility of people, and the better their economic situation.
Note, that the following ranking of the most motorized countries does not include motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds.
1. San Marino
The state of San Marino is only 62 square kilometers and has 33 thousand inhabitants passionately obsessed with cars. This country, which is the first in our rating, has more cars, than citizens — 1263 to 1000. In San Marino, you can see all the possible car brands, from the ordinary ones to the most luxurious, such as Bugatti, Porsche, and Lamborghini, with their exquisite logos, about which you can read on 1000 logos.
2. Monaco
Another tiny state is Monaco, bordering on France by land and located on the Mediterranean coast. The area of the Principality is only two square kilometers. Monaco is a country of millionaires, with a population of 37 thousand citizens and 899 cars on 1000. The chicest cars can be seen on the streets but here they look so ordinary!
Monaco is also home to “Grand Prix Formula 1”, so many of the citizens own sports cars. However, in everyday life citizens of the tiny country choose Mercedes, Audi, Porsche, and Smart to travel.
3. Liechtenstein
A tiny country nestled in Central Europe, bordering Austria and Switzerland, has managed to accommodate 37 thousand inhabitants on an area of 160 square kilometers.
The roads in the Principality are only 380 kilometers, but they are maintained in exemplary order because the money for them is allocated personally from the pocket of the Prince of Liechtenstein. The country ranks first in the world in terms of growth of gross domestic product per capita, the standard of living is also the highest in the world.
The fourth and fifth positions in this ranking are taken by Iceland with 717 for 1000 inhabitants, and Australia, with the same ratio. The situation in Iceland can be explained by the fact that due to its severe climate and undeveloped rail transportation it is just impossible to live without a car. As for Australia, it is a very large country where cities are separated from each other by hundreds and thousands of kilometers. There’s not much riding back and forth on a bicycle or public transport all the time.