2,231 used cars were licensed for the first time in Malta in the third quarter of 2026. The count is from the National Statistics Office (NSO) release Motor Vehicles: Q3/2026, published on 13 November 2026. That is 256 more than the 1,975 in Q3 2025, a rise of 13.0%. It is also the highest quarter in the NSO table, which starts in Q1 2023.
Used cars outnumbered new ones in the quarter, 2,231 against 1,967. So 53.1% of the cars put on Maltese roads for the first time were second-hand.
Quick Answer
- 2,231 used cars were licensed for the first time in Malta in Q3 2026, up 13.0% on Q3 2025 (NSO, 13 November 2026).
- It is the highest quarterly count since the NSO table starts in Q1 2023, and 53.1% of all cars licensed for the first time.
- January to September 2026: 6,226 used cars, up 9.7% on the same months of 2025.
- The NSO does not record which country the cars came from.
Where does this number come from?
The NSO publishes a Motor Vehicles release every quarter, using data from Transport Malta. The Q3 2026 edition is news release 207/2026. Its Table 4 counts newly licensed "used" motor vehicles by category, and this post uses the passenger-car column.
The release's headline figure is wider. It counts 2,840 used motor vehicles of every kind, 39.3% of the 7,235 licensed for the first time, including motorcycles, goods vehicles and buses. Passenger cars make up 2,231 of those 2,840.
In the NSO's definition, newly licensed means licensed for the first time to be used on Maltese roads. Transfers between owners are not counted. So a used car in this count is a second-hand car going on Maltese roads for the first time, which in practice means one brought in from abroad. A car sold by one Maltese owner to another does not appear.
How has the count moved since 2025?
Used-car licensings have been higher than a year earlier in each of the last six quarters. Q3 2026's rise of 13.0% is the largest of the six. The count was also up 9.4% on Q2 2026, when 2,040 used cars were licensed.
Source: NSO news release 207/2026, Tables 3 and 4 (passenger cars), read on 14 November 2026
| Quarter | Used cars | New cars | Used share | Used cars a year earlier | Change |
|---|
| Q1 2025 | 1,829 | 1,283 | 58.8% | 1,927 | −5.1% |
| Q2 2025 | 1,871 | 1,684 | 52.6% | 1,830 | +2.2% |
| Q3 2025 | 1,975 | 1,708 | 53.6% | 1,879 | +5.1% |
| Q4 2025 | 1,892 | 1,862 | 50.4% | 1,752 | +8.0% |
| Q1 2026 | 1,955 | 1,744 | 52.9% | 1,829 | +6.9% |
| Q2 2026 | 2,040 | 2,166 | 48.5% | 1,871 | +9.0% |
| Q3 2026 | 2,231 | 1,967 | 53.1% | 1,975 | +13.0% |
January to September 2026 adds up to 6,226 used cars, 551 more than the 5,675 in the same months of 2025. The whole of 2025 came to 7,567, so 2026 needs 1,342 more in Q4 to pass it. The fourth quarters in the NSO table ran from 1,752 to 1,892.
The third quarter has been strong for used cars before. In 2023 and 2024, Q3 was the only quarter in which used cars outnumbered new ones.
What does a used car from Japan pay in Malta?
A national count says nothing about what one car will cost. These are the charges set in law. Each depends on the car itself, so check them against a specific listing.
- Customs duty. 0% for a car built in Japan with proof of Japanese origin, under the EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. A car built elsewhere pays 10%. Duty is worked out on the CIF value (cost, insurance and freight): the car's price plus insurance and sea freight to Malta.
- Import VAT. 18% of the CIF value plus any duty, under the VAT Act (Cap. 406).
- Registration tax. Transport Malta works it out from the registration value it sets, the car's CO2 figure and its length, under the Motor Vehicles Registration and Licensing Act (Cap. 368). A hybrid is taxed on its CO2 figure cut by 30%. Electric and plug-in hybrid cars pay 0%. A used car from outside the EU that is 5 years old or more pays at least a minimum set by its age and CO2 figure.
- Checks before registration. The car needs a Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) from a technical service recognised by Transport Malta, then an inspection by Transport Malta's Technical Unit. A used car from outside the EU must also pass a roadworthiness test before registration, even with a valid test certificate from elsewhere, under S.L. 65.15.
Where does Carbarn fit?
Carbarn (Carbarn LLC) is a used-car exporter in Yokohama, Japan. On carbarn.mt it lists cars from its own Japan stock, priced in euros with sea freight to Marsaxlokk or Valletta and the JEVIC odometer certificate included. JEVIC, the Japan Export Vehicle Inspection Center, certifies the odometer reading before the car is loaded. Buyers can also bid on lots at Japanese auction houses through the live auction page.
Each listed car shows its auction sheet (the auction house's own condition report), a Carbarn inspection report and an estimate of import VAT and registration tax. Transport Malta sets the final registration value. Cars sail by RoRo with K-Line, 40 to 45 days at sea. Customs, the SVA, Transport Malta's checks, registration tax and plates are the buyer's side, usually through a clearing agent. The steps are set out on the how to buy and import rules and regulations pages.
What doesn't this figure show?
- No country of origin. The NSO doesn't say where the used cars came from, so they are not all Japanese cars.
- Licensings, not arrivals. A car counts when it is licensed, not when it lands at Marsaxlokk or Valletta.
- A wide car category. The NSO's passenger cars include taxis, hire cars, ambulances, motor homes and microcars.
- No prices, models or condition. The tables have no make, model code, odometer km or price.
- Subject to revision. The NSO notes that its data may be revised, so earlier quarters can change in later releases.
Method and sources
All counts come from NSO news release 207/2026, Motor Vehicles: Q3/2026, published on 13 November 2026. Used and new passenger cars are the "Passenger car" column of Tables 4 and 3, and all-car totals are from Table 2. Earlier quarters are as shown in this release. Shares, sums and changes were worked out from those tables on 14 November 2026. The definition of newly licensed vehicles is note 5 of the release's methodological notes. The duty, VAT and registration tax rules come from the sources linked above, checked on 14 November 2026. No Japan Customs, Eurostat or dealer figures are used.
