It has been almost five years since there the vehicle population was this big. According to the latest Vehicles in Operation market analysis from Experian Automotive, there were 247.9 million cars and light trucks on the road during the second quarter.

The last time the VIO figure was this high was the third quarter of 2008, Experian said.

Driving these high numbers were stronger new-car sales and lower scrappage rates.

“During the recession, new-vehicle sales dropped, causing challenges for aftermarket companies,” said Marty Miller, senior manager for Experian Automotive.

“However, the recent uptick in new vehicle sales, combined with more aging vehicles on the road, means these challenges will only be in the short term,” he continued. “As these new vehicles begin to age and enter the prime aftermarket repair years, growth opportunities will rebound.”

So, which segment commanded the largest share of vehicles on the road?

That would be the full-size pickup at 14.9 percent. Second was the standard midrange car (11.9 percent), followed by small economy cars (9.1 percent).

Breaking the VIO data down by OEM, General Motors had the largest slice of the pie (26.6 percent), with Ford second at 18.9 percent. Toyota (12.6 percent) and Chrysler (12.5 percent) rounded out the top four.

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