Insee Première · April 2021 · n° 1855

In 2017, households spent 11% of their disposable income on cars

In 2017, households spent an average of €4,700 on transport, representing 14% of their disposable income. Since 2005, this share has been decreasing. The main part of this expenditure went to the car: an average of 11% of household disposable income was spent on individual transport, mainly for car. The purchase of vehicles represented 31% of transport expenditure, ahead of fuel (24%); collective transport represented 11%.

Households living in the Paris functional area, and to a lesser extent those in other large functional areas, spent more on public transport and more often did without a car. Transport expenditure was highest in the commuting areas.

The poorest 10% of households spent 21% of their disposable income on transport, whereas the wealthiest 10% spent 11%. The poorest households often did without a car, but they faced non-reducible expenses. Being in a couple and having children also increased the transport budget.