Cyprus Has One of the Highest Car Ownership Rates in the EU

Cyprus is among the European Union countries with the highest number of passenger cars per capita. According to Eurostat, in 2025 there were 670 passenger cars per 1,000 residents on the island. At the same time, despite the growing popularity of electric and hybrid vehicles in Europe, Cypriot drivers continue to favour petrol-powered cars.

Cyprus among European leaders in car ownership

Cyprus has one of the highest car ownership rates in the EU. Only Italy has a higher figure, with 709 cars per 1,000 residents. Over the past five years, the number of vehicles in Cyprus has continued to grow rapidly. Between 2020 and 2025, the number of passenger cars increased by 16%, one of the highest growth rates in the European Union. This can be explained by several factors:

1. high dependence on private vehicles;
2. limited development of public transport;
3. continuous population growth driven by the arrival of foreign professionals and investors;
4. rapid development of the property market and new residential areas.

Cars remain the primary means of transport for most residents of the island, particularly outside the major cities.

Petrol cars continue to dominate

Despite the Europe-wide transition towards greener transport, Cyprus remains highly dependent on petrol-powered vehicles. In 2025:

1. 84.2% of all newly registered cars in Cyprus were petrol-powered;
2. the share of hybrid vehicles and cars powered by alternative energy sources continued to increase gradually.

Growing interest in hybrid and electric models is linked both to the expanding range of models offered by manufacturers and to government programmes supporting the purchase of environmentally friendly vehicles. In recent years, the Cypriot authorities have also been actively developing the network of charging stations and implementing electric vehicle subsidy schemes. However, the share of such vehicles remains significantly lower than in several Northern European countries.

What is happening in the European car market?

According to Eurostat, by the end of 2025 there were more than 260 million passenger cars in the European Union, 6.5% more than in 2020. The largest car markets in Europe were:

1. Germany — more than 49 million cars;
2. Italy — more than 41 million cars;
3. France — almost 40 million cars.

Electric vehicles continue to grow rapidly in popularity. By the end of 2025, their number in EU countries had reached almost 7.6 million, an increase of 31.5% compared with the end of 2024. Nevertheless, petrol-powered cars continue to lead the market. In 2025, they accounted for 65.7% of all new registrations in the European Union, while vehicles powered by alternative fuels represented 20.5% of the market.

Demand for private cars remains high in Cyprus

Eurostat also notes that Cyprus was among the countries with the fastest-growing car fleets in recent years. The largest increases in the number of cars between 2020 and 2025 were recorded in:

1. Romania — 21%;
2. Croatia — 18%;
3. Lithuania — 16%;
4. Cyprus — 16%;
5. Portugal — 15%;
6. Ireland — 14%;
7. Bulgaria — 14%.

Experts believe that demand for cars in Cyprus will remain high in the coming years. This is supported by the continued development of residential areas, economic growth and the increasing number of foreign residents. At the same time, the government continues to encourage the transition to greener transport, although petrol-powered vehicles remain the undisputed leaders of the Cypriot market.

A wide selection of cars is available on the DOMCar portal.