Bengaluru vehicular population crosses 1.2 crore, Karnataka’s 3.3 crore

Bengaluru: In an indicator of Karnataka’s economic resilience and mobility trends, the state’s motor vehicle registration data reveals consistent growth across multiple vehicle categories over the past four years.
The total number of registered vehicles in the state has surged to more than 3.3 crore as of Feb 2025, up from slightly over 2.7 crore in March 2021. Bengaluru’s motor vehicle registration also showed robust growth over the past four years, with the total number of registered vehicles crossing 1.2 crore by Feb 2025. The state capital had slightly above 1 crore vehicles in March 2021.
According to the transport department’s latest data, two-wheelers continue to dominate Bengaluru roads, with registrations surging from 66.7 lakh in March 2021 to 82.4 lakh by Feb 2025 — representing a significant increase of 23.5% over this period.
Cars have also seen substantial growth in the capital, with numbers rising from 20.8 lakh in March 2021 to 25.2 lakh in Feb 2025, marking a 21% increase.

Across the state too, two-wheelers dominated the roads, comprising nearly 71% of all registered vehicles. As of Feb 2025, two-wheeler registrations reached 2.3 crore units. The passenger car segment demonstrated robust growth, with registrations increasing from 37.5 lakh in March 2020 to 48.9 lakh by Feb 2025. This 30% growth over four years underscores the expanding middle-class population and their increasing purchasing power despite global economic fluctuations.

The construction equipment vehicle category witnessed the most dramatic percentage increase, given its low base number, more than quadrupling from 4,816 units in March 2020 to 21,495 units by Feb 2025. This surge aligns with Karnataka’s infrastructure development push and construction boom in urban centres like Bengaluru.
In the transport vehicle segment, motor cabs have shown growth, particularly in the last two years, with numbers jumping from around 3.6 lakh in March 2023 to nearly 4.2 lakh by Feb 2025. This 16.5% increase reflects the expanding ride-hailing services and tourism recovery post-pandemic.
Three-wheelers used for passenger transport have also seen consistent growth, with registrations of three-seater autorickshaws increasing from 7.2 lakh in March 2020 to 8.8 lakh in Feb 2025, highlighting their continued importance in last-mile connectivity.
The data further reveals that non-transport vehicles, which include personal vehicles like cars and two-wheelers, significantly outnumber transport vehicles. While transport vehicles account for approximately 3.4 crore registrations, non-transport vehicles have reached 2.9 crore units, illustrating Karnataka residents’ preference for personal mobility.
Commercial vehicles, represented by trucks and lorries, have shown modest but steady growth in the state capital, increasing from 1.7 lakh in March 2021 to 1.9 lakh by Feb 2025, indicating gradual recovery and expansion in the state’s logistics and goods transport sector.
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**Quotes: Mugshots**
Rajkumar Dugar, Founder & Convenor, Citizens for Citizens (C4C)
The govt has policies on paper, but they aren’t implemented beyond Bengaluru. Why not take projects to other districts? Instead of expanding roads, tunnels and flyovers, which will only lead to more vehicles, we must urgently invest in public transport — better buses, Metro and rail. Without this, the city’s future looks grim
Sanjeev Dyamannavar, transport expert
As Bengaluru expands economically and demographically, the demand for transport is surging. The influx of people, both from across India and within Karnataka, has fuelled real estate, manufacturing and various industries, increasing the need for mobility. But infrastructure is limited; we can’t keep endlessly building roads and flyovers. Public transport, with its higher capacity, must be the answer
Ashish Verma, convenor, IISc Sustainable Transportation Lab
If you look at the data, vehicle ownership skyrocketed post-Covid, accelerating an already growing trend. Today, Bengaluru has around 165 cars per 1,000 people — far from saturation levels seen in wealthy nations like the US or Germany, where it’s between 600-800 per 1,000. No amount of flyovers or tunnels will solve this. Bengaluru needs smarter planning, not just more roads, to avoid an absolute mobility disaster in the coming years
Kishore Jain, chairman, CREDAI
“Post-Covid, we saw a massive surge in housing demand across the country, and Bengaluru was no exception. Infrastructure projects, including Metro expansion, highway development, and civic works by BBMP and BDA, have further fuelled the construction boom. Not just Bengaluru, but cities like Hubli and Mysuru are also seeing unprecedented development, making Karnataka a hotspot for urban transformation