How Much Do We Really Drive?
We drive to work, go shopping, and pick up our kids, but have you ever stopped to consider just how much we actually drive? The easiest way to gauge this is by looking at your vehicle's annual mileage, which often turns out to be surprisingly minimal. Aside from occasional self-driving holidays or long-distance business trips, most of us don’t spend as much time on the road as we might think. In fact, the global average daily driving distance for passenger cars ranges from 25 to 50 kilometers. But how does this compare across different countries?
Insights from Australian Government Statistics
In December 2020, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released two key reports: “Survey of Motor Vehicle Use in Australia” and “Sub-annual Motor Vehicle Use Estimate.” These documents provide statistics on vehicle usage across Australia from July 2019 to June 2020, encompassing all types of vehicles, including buses, trucks, passenger cars, and motorcycles.
For our analysis, we’ll focus on "Period 1," which covers 123 days from July 1, 2019, to October 31, 2019. We exclude data from subsequent periods due to significant disruptions: the NSW bushfires from November 2019 to February 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown from March 2020 to June 2020.

Key Findings
The reports reveal the average daily driving distances for various vehicle categories:
Passenger Vehicles: 34.1 km
Light Commercial Vehicles (e.g., Utes, small trucks): 45.5 km
All Vehicles Combined: 37.4 km
From the ABS data for ALL vehicles, we see that New South Wales (NSW) has the highest average driving distance at 39.8 km, while Tasmania has the lowest at 32.5 km.

State-by-State Breakdown
Using the ratio of passenger vehicles to all vehicles, we can estimate the daily average driving distance for passenger vehicles by state:
State/Territory | Daily Average Distance (km) |
NSW | 36.8 |
VIC | 34.0 |
QLD | 32.6 |
SA | 31.1 |
WA | 30.3 |
TAS | 29.6 |
NT | 35.5 |
ACT | 34.8 |
Australia (Overall) | 34.0 |
Trends in the US
A similar trend is observed in the United States. According to Statista, the "daily miles of travel per driver" in 2017 was approximately 45.5 km (25.9 miles), including all vehicle types. Assuming the same percentage of passenger vehicles as in Australia, the daily average for U.S. passenger vehicles would be around 42 km. Notably, this figure has been on a downward trend since 2002, and if this continues, it may drop below 40 km
The Decline in Europe and Beyond
The UK has also seen a decrease in yearly driving distance for passenger cars, dropping from 16,192 km (9,200 miles) in 2002 to 11,968 km (6,800 miles) in 2020, resulting in an average daily distance of 32.8 km. The EU shows a similar decline, with an average of 32.9 km, where Italy records the least at 25.8 km and Austria the most at 37.7 km.
While data for Canada and Japan is scarce, estimates suggest that Canadians drive approximately 37.9 km daily, while Japanese drivers average around 25.4 km. Though these figures may be slightly outdated, they still fall within the global average range of 25 to 50 km.
Conclusion
In summary, the average daily driving distances for passenger vehicles by country are as follows:
Australia: 34 km
US: 42 km
UK: 32.8 km
EU: 32.9 km
Canada: 37.9 km
Japan: 25.4 km
As driving habits evolve, it’s essential to consider how these trends impact our environment and transportation policies. Understanding our driving patterns can lead to more sustainable choices for the future.
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