Average Mileage In Ireland 2012

Today we uploaded over 140,000 DPC Compliant mileage readings via batch upload. As of Monday 20th February 2012 at 15:14 the National Mileage Register contains 6,163,878 mileage readings.

Average Mileage In Ireland 2012

Tempus Fugit so we thought it high time to update our earlier statistical article for the average mileage in Ireland by fuel type. For this post we collated readings submitted from vehicles from Jan 1st to February 20th 2012.

Here is our data in tabular format:

Year* Petrol Miles Diesel Miles Petrol Kilometers** Diesel Kilometers**
2011 10619 12948 14135 17095
2010 19135 24535 29603 40619
2009 28422 41096 47274 65272
2008 43115 59886 67100 96445
2007 49909 60755 77523 115852
2006 56006 82704 87770 129878
2005 65213 96740 103098 144093
2004 72899 108187
2003 83303 115202
2002 89393 127226
2001 94306 137861

As always this sort of data is best viewed visually:

Discussion

Compared to our previous article we can see that in 2012 petrol cars have averaged 9,470 miles per year, significantly lower (-761 miles) than our 2010 result of 10,232 miles. Diesel cars in 2012 have averaged 13,190 miles per year, also significantly less (-419 miles) than our 2010 figure of 13,610 miles***

The 2010 and 2012 figures for petrol cars compares quite favourably with SEI figures (9,923), however, yet again we see that the figures for diesel vehicles are much lower than SEI would predict (14,799). Our previous post indicated that post 2008 diesel car data is reducing the average diesel mileage per year, this process is still in effect, this can be shown graphically:

The trend for motorists to choose diesel cars over petrol cars for taxation reasons has somewhat explained the lowering of average diesel mileage, however, it would not explain the lower average petrol figures.  We could suggest several reasons for the observed lowering of average mileage, but there is one factor that we might all agree on.

The ongoing recession certainly has changed our attitudes to motoring, its very possible that we are simply driving less for financial reasons……Pecuniae obediunt omnia.

Statistical Notes

*The data presented here derives from a snapshot of car mileage data derived primarily from privately taxed vehicles and is only valid for the period of Feb 2012.

**Before 2005 only a minority of Irish vehicles displayed their odometers in kilometers, thus producing a much smaller sample. In the interests of statistical consistency this data has been omitted.

***For simplicity we assumed that most Irish vehicles are initially registered from Jan-March and that readings taken in Jan/Feb 2012 represent an incremental years worth of mileage. Any variance in results due to this assumption should decrease as vehicles get older..

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3 Comments

  1. Mark Paulson
    Posted March 8, 2012 at 12:11 pm | Permalink

    The cost of petrol is too higher now and this stops all the ppl going up north to buy their stuff. I do less trips at the weekend and try to use my bike more so I suppose it makes a bit of sense. Petrol is too expensive now to drive for pleasure.

  2. Posted March 12, 2012 at 5:52 pm | Permalink

    Mark I agree. It’s costing over 90 Euro to fill my motor every time:-( Hopefully commodity electric vehicles will soon be availble, I look forward to watching lovely wind turbines spin and not petrol pump dials…

  3. Posted April 27, 2012 at 11:27 am | Permalink

    This week its costing me 100 euro a fill. grrr