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Birmingham motoring statistics

How many cars and electric cars are registered in Birmingham, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Birmingham compares with the West Midlands. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.

Last updated
Records analysed
498,743 licensed vehicles in Birmingham
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 443,635 +2.2% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 345 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 11,427 2.6% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 1.8% 38th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 1,600 135 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 8.0% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Birmingham?

There were 443,635 licensed cars in Birmingham at the end of March 2026, and 498,743 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 12.5% fewer cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 345 for every 1,000 residents, 40th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Birmingham

Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.

Licensed cars and vehicles in Birmingham at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 600,118507,051
2011 702,612583,116
2012 690,786573,710
2013 651,160544,953
2014 665,122556,254
2015 688,431573,940
2016 727,645604,067
2017 781,273643,260
2018 803,592662,216
2019 791,461654,817
2020 768,045636,621
2021 459,811407,380
2022 465,321411,654
2023 473,211417,241
2024 481,860426,277
2025 488,906433,947
2026 498,743443,635

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Licensed vehicles by type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Cars per 1,000 residents

All licensed cars at the end of June, divided by the ONS mid-year population. Company fleets registered locally push this up.

Cars per 1,000 residents at mid-year, Birmingham compared
Year BirminghamWest MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2011 547506–
2012 525502–
2013 500503–
2014 508500–
2015 521506473
2016 537513480
2017 569523488
2018 578524490
2019 562519493
2020 541515489
2021 360485493
2022 359480489
2023 359479489
2024 362476490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Birmingham

58.7% of cars in Birmingham run on petrol and 26.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 53.4% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.9%, and cars that plug in 4.2%.

Cars by fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Fuel mix over time

Share of licensed cars at the end of March each year.

Share of licensed cars by fuel type in Birmingham, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 61.4%37.8%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2011 52.9%46.0%0.9%0.0%0.0%
2012 50.4%48.4%0.9%0.0%0.0%
2013 50.0%48.8%0.9%0.0%0.0%
2014 48.3%50.5%0.9%0.0%0.0%
2015 46.7%51.7%0.9%0.0%0.4%
2016 45.2%52.7%0.9%0.0%0.9%
2017 43.8%53.4%1.0%0.1%1.4%
2018 43.6%52.9%1.3%0.1%1.8%
2019 45.3%50.2%1.6%0.3%2.3%
2020 47.7%45.9%2.4%0.8%2.8%
2021 60.2%36.3%2.4%0.3%0.4%
2022 61.1%34.1%3.3%0.5%0.6%
2023 61.4%32.2%4.3%0.8%0.7%
2024 61.0%30.3%5.9%1.3%0.9%
2025 60.1%28.4%7.8%1.9%1.2%
2026 58.7%26.5%9.9%2.6%1.6%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Birmingham

11,427 battery electric cars were licensed in Birmingham at the end of March 2026, 2.6% of all cars, 57th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 18,669 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 8,392.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 1.8% are battery electric (7,393 cars), 2nd lowest of 30 councils in the West Midlands. Companies keep 35.3% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 8.0% of its cars overall. There are also 277 battery electric vans.

Battery electric share of licensed cars

End of March each year. Fleet re-registrations can move a single area’s line sharply.

Battery electric share of licensed cars, Birmingham compared, end of March each year
Year BirminghamWest MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2016 0.0%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.3%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.8%0.4%0.3%
2021 0.3%0.6%0.7%
2022 0.5%1.1%1.3%
2023 0.8%1.3%2.1%
2024 1.3%1.7%3.0%
2025 1.9%2.5%4.1%
2026 2.6%3.4%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Birmingham

There were 1,600 public chargers in Birmingham on 1 July 2026, 406 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 135 for every 100,000 residents, 168th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 1.7% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 8.1 privately kept plug-in cars in Birmingham (UK 11.9), 63rd fewest of 361 councils. A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Birmingham by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 1,628398
Apr 2026 1,640433
Jul 2026 1,600406

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Birmingham compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Birmingham 13534
West Midlands (county) 19437
West Midlands 16446
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Birmingham has 132 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.4% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 5.0%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Birmingham with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Birmingham 004 5,863 292 5.0% 8.5%
Birmingham 003 5,280 214 4.1% 6.6%
Birmingham 073 4,190 173 4.1% 6.9%
Birmingham 002 4,080 162 4.0% 6.8%
Birmingham 075 3,247 131 4.0% 6.3%
Birmingham 012 4,671 153 3.3% 5.5%
Birmingham 015 3,798 124 3.3% 5.9%
Birmingham 064 3,503 117 3.3% 6.0%
Birmingham 123 2,615 87 3.3% 4.5%
Birmingham 079 2,610 83 3.2% 6.3%
Lowest electric shares
Birmingham 083 2,201 0 0.0% 0.7%
Birmingham 058 3,031 0 0.0% 1.3%
Birmingham 051 3,329 0 0.0% 0.5%
Birmingham 034 2,770 0 0.0% 1.0%
Birmingham 121 2,058 5 0.2% 1.2%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 26 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Birmingham

Vehicles travelled an estimated 3,738 million miles on roads in Birmingham in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Birmingham
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 3,485
1994 3,532
1995 3,588
1996 3,575
1997 3,630
1998 3,674
1999 3,697
2000 3,659
2001 3,643
2002 3,700
2003 3,701
2004 3,635
2005 3,609
2006 3,591
2007 3,641
2008 3,520
2009 3,474
2010 3,433
2011 3,501
2012 3,534
2013 3,475
2014 3,588
2015 3,594
2016 3,632
2017 3,672
2018 3,701
2019 3,743
2020 2,998
2021 3,216
2022 3,584
2023 3,618
2024 3,657
2025 3,738

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Birmingham, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 2,137362
2022 2,383418
2023 2,199436
2024 2,296482
2025 2,307441

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Birmingham

Unleaded petrol averages 171.5p a litre across 95 filling stations in Birmingham, 0.2p below the UK average. Diesel averages 194.9p, 0.3p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Costco Wholesale Birmingham Birmingham 161.9p
  2. Witton Road Birmingham 164.6p
  3. Asda Barnes Hill Superstore Birmingham 165.7p

Every filling station and price in Birmingham

How Birmingham compares

Birmingham compared with the West Midlands metropolitan county, the West Midlands, England, the UK
Birmingham 345 2.6% 1.8% 8.0% 135 8.1
West Midlands (county) 391 3.1% 2.0% 7.4% 194 7.0
West Midlands 455 3.4% 2.5% 6.1% 164 11.6
England 437 5.8% 2.9% 10.6% 173 12.4
United Kingdom4415.4%2.8%9.9%17511.9

Private cars per 1,000 people use the ONS mid-2024 population. Chargers are counted at the latest date; plug-in cars at the end of March 2026.

Councils in the West Midlands metropolitan county

Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.

Councils in the West Midlands metropolitan county
Solihull 495 7.2% 3.1% 13.1% 278 9.4
Dudley 470 3.0% 2.3% 5.0% 104 15.9
Walsall 416 2.7% 2.0% 5.8% 66 21.3
Wolverhampton 400 2.7% 1.9% 5.9% 69 20.0
Birmingham 345 2.6% 1.8% 8.0% 135 8.1
Coventry 384 2.5% 1.9% 6.9% 717 1.7
Sandwell 380 2.4% 1.6% 6.5% 88 16.7

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 498,743 licensed vehicles in Birmingham 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 19,180 plug-in vehicles 15 September 2026
Public chargers Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics Department for Transport 1 July 2026 121,171 public chargers (UK) 15 September 2026
Population Mid-year population estimates Office for National Statistics Mid-2024 404 areas 15 September 2026
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 15 September 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Birmingham run from the end of 2009.
  • Vehicles are counted at the registered keeper’s postcode: for company cars that is the company’s address, not where the car is driven.
  • Battery electric and plug-in counts come from table VEH0142; petrol, diesel and hybrid counts from VEH0105. “Other fuels” is VEH0105’s other-fuel count less plug-in cars.
  • Charger counts are based on Zapmap data and are official statistics in development. In June 2026 one operator removed about 1,270 private chargers wrongly listed as public, so April and July are not strictly comparable.
  • Neighbourhood figures cover England and Wales only; Scottish data zones and Northern Irish super data zones cannot be placed in councils without lookups we do not hold.
How we calculate these figures All data sources

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.