Land Transport Department Reports 191,547 New Vehicle Registrations, Down 16.55%
New vehicle registrations in Thailand dropped 16.55% to 191,547 units in April 2026, with motorcycles making up over 71% of all new registrations and electric vehicles accounting for nearly 14% of new cars.
The Land Transport Department reported that new vehicle registrations totaled 191,547 units in April 2026, down 16.55% from the previous month, while emphasizing its commitment to public service. Somphong Paiturpongse, the department's director-general, stated that the agency's primary mission is to regulate and oversee Thailand's land transport system to ensure quality and safety, while also providing comprehensive public services including vehicle registration, annual tax payment through multiple channels such as online platforms (eservice.dlt.go.th, DLT Vehicle Tax Plus, kiosks, and service counters), drive-thru tax payment, the DLT Smart Queue app for appointment booking, and an e-learning driver's license training system at dlt-elearning.com.
As of April 30, 2026, the country had a cumulative total of 45,789,589 registered vehicles, comprising 44,415,476 motor vehicles and 1,374,113 commercial transport vehicles. Electric vehicles numbered 1,199,140 units or 2.62% of all vehicles (including 665,034 HEVs, 447,398 BEVs, and 86,708 PHEVs), showing a 2.24% increase overall.
In April 2026, 3,747,025 vehicles underwent registration and tax transactions, down 16.39% from the previous month, with 2,918,410 primarily paying annual vehicle tax. Of these tax payments, 84.07% were processed at transport offices, 11.13% through drive-thru facilities, and 3.77% through online channels. New vehicle registrations numbered 191,547 units, down 16.55%, with motorcycles comprising 71.52% and passenger cars (up to 7 seats) accounting for 22.01%.
Electric vehicles among new registrations totaled 26,498 units or 13.83% of all new vehicles, down 8.40%, consisting of 12,704 HEVs, 12,514 BEVs, and 1,280 PHEVs, predominantly passenger cars (23,887 units) followed by motorcycles (2,500 units).
Cumulatively, 35,309,188 driver's licenses and transport operator permits have been issued nationwide, comprising 33,501,316 automobile driver's licenses and 1,807,872 commercial transport operator permits. In April 2026, 180,912 new licenses and permits were issued, down 3.40%, with Bangkok issuing the most at 34,802, followed by Chonburi with 8,573 and Chiang Mai with 7,065. International driving permits numbered 17,900, of which 7,952 (44.42%) were processed through the Pao Tang application.
The department encourages the public to utilize online channels for vehicle tax payment and license application bookings for convenience and time savings. Citizens with questions about vehicle taxes can call hotline 1584, available 24/7. Additional transport statistics are available on the Land Transport Department's statistics website at web.dlt.go.th/statistics/.
