SUV madness in Vienna: Over half of new cars are off-road vehicles!

SUV madness in Vienna: Over half of new cars are off-road vehicles!

Vienna has set a new trend: SUVs and off-road vehicles account for over half of new car registrations. Loud meinkreis.at The SUV share is an impressive 50.8 percent in the first half of 2025. This represents a new high, because of a total of 27,223 new cars in Vienna, an incredible 13,852 are SUVs.

The distribution of SUVs in the different districts is particularly striking. The Liesing district had the most new cars registered with 3,294 vehicles, while Josefstadt recorded the lowest number with only 73 newly registered SUVs. This increase reflects an ongoing trend, as SUVs have become an integral part of Austrian road traffic since 2010 the press reported. Almost every second new car in Austria is now an SUV.

The growing SUV phenomenon

This development is no coincidence. An analysis by Statistics Austria for the VCÖ shows that a total of 107,432 SUVs and off-road vehicles were registered in Austria last year, with Vienna leading the way with 23,887 vehicles. Compared to 2010, when the SUV share was only 12.9 percent, this share has more than tripled. Since 2023 at the latest, the average SUV share of new cars in Austria has been 44.5 percent.

Although the popularity of SUVs remains unbroken, there are also critical voices. The VCÖ points out that the higher fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions of SUVs should not be underestimated. This also applies to electric SUVs, which have high energy consumption compared to conventional models. Calculations show that one liter of additional consumption per 100 kilometers can lead to additional fuel consumption of around 150 liters per year. For the environment, this adds up to around 370 kg of additional CO₂ emissions.

Security implications

Another aspect that should not be ignored is road safety. Studies show that pedestrians, especially children, are at higher risk of serious injury or even death in accidents involving large SUVs. The VCÖ is therefore calling for greater consideration of energy consumption in vehicle subsidies and to raise awareness of the risks associated with these large vehicles.

However, new registrations show that two thirds of new cars are registered to companies, and SUVs are particularly popular among these. Last but not least, the market for electric cars in this segment is also significant, as according to the IEA, almost a billion tons of CO₂ were emitted by SUVs last year - a huge number that should give food for thought.

The SUV trend makes it clear that Vienna is more than just a beautiful city with a rich history: it is a hotspot for large vehicles. It remains to be seen whether the preference for SUVs will continue to be strong. What is certain, however, is that the statistics speak for themselves.