Nearly three quarters (72%) of households had access to a car or van in 2001, compared with 68% in 1991, 59% in 1981 and 52% in 1972. The rate of increase in car ownership, although continuing, was slower in the 1990s than in any of the previous three decades. Since 1998 no overall change occurred in the number of households without a car or van (28%).

• From 1972, the number of households with access to a single car or van varied little, with 43% of households in 1972 having access to a car or van and 44% in 2001. Over the same period the number of households with access to two cars or vans rose from 8% in 1972 to 23% in 2001and with 3 or more cars from 1% in 1972 to 5% in 2001.

• The proportion of households headed by economically inactive individuals without access to a car or van (51%) was more than twice that of households headed by an economically active individual within other NS-SEC groups.
• Within households headed by economically active individuals, those headed by semi-routine and routine workers were least likely to have access to a car or van (25% of semi-routine worker households and 23% of routine worker households, compared with 4% of large employer/higher managerial households, 5% of higher professional worker households and 5% of small employers and own account worker households).
• Households headed by individuals in the large employer/higher managerial group and those in the small employers/own account worker group were the most likely to own two or more cars or vans (65% and 59% respectively), compared with between 48% and 20% of other economically active households.