There are more and more cars. A phrase often said and heard. And it’s true. Over the last two decades, the number of vehicles on the road has grown at a remarkable rate. The figures speak for themselves: in the previous ten years, the number of cars in the Azores (including different types of vehicles, from light vehicles to motorcycles, etc.) has increased by 43.4%, meaning that in the last decade, 57,533 more vehicles have come into circulation on the islands. Two decades ago, there were 88,137 fewer vehicles. A more detailed analysis of the situation is provided in the report “Safe Car Fleet 2024” by the Insurance and Pension Fund Supervisory Authority. Here, car fleet refers to all registrations with valid insurance on December 31, 2024. In cases where there is more than one registration for the same license plate, only the most recent report date is considered.

These figures do not include vehicles in circulation without valid insurance and cars that are not in circulation but have not been officially deregistered, as well as those that, although located in the region, have insurance with a tax address abroad, as is the case with some companies whose headquarters are not in the Azores, namely some car rental companies, among others. Continuous and accelerated growth. The figures analyzed below are for the year 2024 and are therefore out of date. However, they would always be out of date given the current boom in the automotive sector. For example, the total number of vehicles in circulation in the Azores can now be increased by the 2,720 sold in the first half of this year… But back to the report mentioned above. In 2024, there were 9,004,528 vehicles in Portugal, 3% more than in the previous year.

In the nine islands of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, there were 189,796 vehicles in circulation (2.1% of the national fleet), 3.8% more than in 2023. In Madeira (and Porto Santo), there were 198,794 light vehicles, motorcycles, and other categories (agricultural vehicles, mopeds, industrial machinery, quadricycles, heavy vehicles, tricycles, and trailers), with light vehicles and motorcycles being the most significant categories. In the Azores, in the year under review, there were 158,010 light vehicles and 11,087 motorcycles, which, together with the other categories, made up a total of 189,796 vehicles, as already mentioned. In 2024, compared to 2023, the car fleet grew by 3.8% (6,962 more vehicles). In the last twenty years, between 2004 and 2024, 88,137 more vehicles entered into circulation, which is equivalent to a growth of 86.6%. Naturally, it was on the island of São Miguel that the car fleet was most significant in numerical terms.

The numbers by island.

In São Miguel, at the end of 2024, a total of 100,484 vehicles were authorized to circulate, of which 85,176 were light vehicles and 4,448 were motorcycles. In the municipality of Ponta Delgada, 49,046 light vehicles were registered. A year earlier, there were 46,450. In 2014, there were 33,790. 20 years ago, there were 26,723. In other words, over the last two decades, Ponta Delgada has welcomed 22,323 more light vehicles, an increase of 83.5%, almost double the number. In 2024, there were 3,370 motorcycles in circulation. A decade earlier, there were 1,743. Last year, Ribeira Grande had 19,801 vehicles in all categories, the municipality of Lagoa had 9,606, Vila Franca do Campo had 6,499, Povoação had 3,702, and Nordeste had 3,192. The figures for Santa Maria, necessarily smaller, show a similar trend to that seen on all the islands. Between 2014 and 2024, the number of vehicles in Santa Maria grew by 45.7%, from 3,465 to 5,049. Still among the islands with the smallest populations, Graciosa saw an increase of 45.8% in 10 years. Last year, there were 3,705 vehicles, 1,165 more than in 2014. In 2024, the car fleet on the island of Flores comprised a total of 2,928 vehicles, of which 2,320 were light vehicles and 223 were motorcycles.

The percentage change in the island’s total car fleet compared to 2014 was +41.4%. The municipality of Santa Cruz presents a unique figure in the regional panorama: 20 years ago, there were more vehicles than the 1,337 registered at the end of 2024. There were then 1,489. The “phenomenon” was clearly evident in 2014, when the number of registrations was only 996! In São Jorge, last year, 8,276 vehicles were legally allowed to circulate. A year earlier, there were 8,051, and in 2014, 6,033. The growth recorded between 2014 and 2024 was 33.4%, the lowest among the nine islands of the Azores. Finally, about the islands with the smallest resident population, consider the reality of Corvo, a real case study. Twenty years ago, the Corvo road network served 82 vehicles of all categories. Sixty were light vehicles. In 2014, the number had risen to 108 (87 light vehicles). On December 31 last year, there were already 251 in total, including 174 light vehicles and 35 motorcycles. A growth of 132.4% in ten years! By comparison, on the island of Pico, the increase in the car fleet was much more moderate. Between 2014 and 2024, it grew by 38.7%, from 9,128 to 12,669 vehicles. Compared to 2023, the increase was 2.5% (316 more units).

The municipality with the most registrations was Madalena, with 5,691 vehicles. In Horta, or rather on the island of Faial, the car fleet in 2024 comprised 13,144 vehicles of all categories, 2,894 more than a year earlier and 3,338 more than in 2014, a difference that translates into an increase of 34% in ten years. Finally, the figures for Terceira Island. In 2004, there were 25,326 vehicles on the island, a figure that rose to 31,916 in 2014. At the end of 2024, the Terceira car fleet comprised a total of 43,290 vehicles. Over the last decade, growth was 35.6%. Between 2023 and 2024, the difference was 2.69%. Last year, 27,910 cars were registered in Angra do Heroísmo, of which 1,597 were motorcycles and 23,185 were light vehicles. In the municipality of Praia da Vitória, of the 15,380 registrations, 12,951 were for light vehicles and 775 were for motorcycles.

An “aging” fleet.

One of the characteristics of the Portuguese car fleet, which is fully reflected in the islands, is the high average age of vehicles. While it is true that, given constant technological developments, cars, motorcycles, and similar vehicles now have a longer useful life than in the past, as evidenced by the warranties offered by manufacturers, age, mileage, wear and tear, and outdated technology are undeniable facts. The vehicle fleet in the Azores is, if not old, at least “mature.” This is confirmed by statistics. At the end of 2024, 61.5% of roadworthy vehicles were over ten years old, corresponding to 116,697 vehicles. The national average was even higher, reaching 63.6%. Returning to the figures for the Azores, there were 42,304 vehicles between five and ten years old (22.3% of the total). Therefore, vehicles that could be considered new were a very small percentage: 3.5% were less than one year old (6,595 vehicles); 3.4% were one year old (6,495), and 3.3% were two years old (6,269). The remaining 6.1% were between 3 and 4 years old.

Rui Leite Melo is a journalist for Diário dos Açores, and Paulo Viveiros is the director.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.