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Blackpool motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
70,321 licensed vehicles in Blackpool
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 59,531 +1.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 386 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 1,678 2.8% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.1% 45th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 160 111 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 6.4% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Blackpool?

There were 59,531 licensed cars in Blackpool at the end of June 2026, and 70,321 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 7.5% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 386 for every 1,000 residents, 64th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Blackpool

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Blackpool at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 64,60155,376
2011 63,96854,755
2012 63,23054,243
2013 63,39154,410
2014 63,85754,740
2015 64,09455,003
2016 64,90455,682
2017 65,79656,248
2018 66,43356,736
2019 67,03957,278
2020 66,34156,851
2021 68,22658,101
2022 68,16557,820
2023 68,33857,961
2024 68,98958,519
2025 69,59758,927
2026 70,32159,531

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Licensed vehicles by type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 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, Blackpool compared
Year BlackpoolNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 385429–
2012 381425–
2013 381428–
2014 385433–
2015 388435473
2016 392438480
2017 396440488
2018 400443490
2019 402448493
2020 402446489
2021 412477493
2022 408472489
2023 405472489
2024 406474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Blackpool

56.3% of cars in Blackpool run on petrol and 30.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 34.8% in 2021. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.7%, and cars that plug in 4.1%.

Cars by fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 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 Blackpool, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 78.8%20.9%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 77.4%22.2%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 76.0%23.5%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 74.6%24.9%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 72.7%26.7%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 70.7%28.5%0.5%0.1%0.0%
2016 68.5%30.5%0.7%0.1%0.0%
2017 67.0%31.9%0.8%0.2%0.0%
2018 65.6%33.0%1.0%0.2%0.1%
2019 64.8%33.5%1.2%0.3%0.1%
2020 63.7%34.3%1.5%0.3%0.1%
2021 62.4%34.8%2.1%0.4%0.2%
2022 61.2%34.8%2.9%0.6%0.3%
2023 60.1%34.4%3.9%0.9%0.4%
2024 58.7%33.5%5.6%1.3%0.6%
2025 57.5%32.3%7.1%2.0%0.8%
2026 56.3%30.7%8.7%2.8%1.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Blackpool

1,678 battery electric cars were licensed in Blackpool at the end of June 2026, 2.8% of all cars, 53rd lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 2,424 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,160.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.1% are battery electric (1,143 cars), 4th lowest of 35 councils in the North West. Companies keep 31.9% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 6.4% of its cars overall. There are also 74 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, Blackpool compared, end of March each year
Year BlackpoolNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.3%0.1%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.2%0.4%
2021 0.4%0.8%0.8%
2022 0.6%1.7%1.5%
2023 0.9%2.9%2.3%
2024 1.3%4.1%3.2%
2025 2.0%5.3%4.4%
2026 2.8%6.6%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Blackpool

There were 160 public chargers in Blackpool on 1 July 2026, 42 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 111 for every 100,000 residents, 113th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 10.3% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 11.1 privately kept plug-in cars in Blackpool (UK 12.9), 94th 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 Blackpool by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 14528
Apr 2026 15640
Jul 2026 16042

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Blackpool compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Blackpool 11129
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Blackpool has 19 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.8% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 2.9%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Blackpool with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Blackpool 018 5,153 147 2.9% 4.4%
Blackpool 014 3,707 91 2.5% 3.4%
Blackpool 004 4,125 95 2.3% 3.1%
Blackpool 009 3,746 87 2.3% 3.6%
Blackpool 002 4,490 99 2.2% 3.6%
Blackpool 003 4,182 92 2.2% 3.2%
Blackpool 005 3,289 74 2.2% 3.0%
Blackpool 001 4,118 76 1.8% 2.6%
Blackpool 017 4,100 74 1.8% 3.2%
Blackpool 012 4,098 68 1.7% 2.6%
Lowest electric shares
Blackpool 008 1,984 0 0.0% 0.6%
Blackpool 013 1,843 6 0.3% 2.3%
Blackpool 011 2,769 11 0.4% 1.2%
Blackpool 010 1,814 7 0.4% 1.0%
Blackpool 016 3,205 26 0.8% 1.9%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026. 2 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Blackpool

Vehicles travelled an estimated 336 million miles on roads in Blackpool in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Blackpool
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 335
1994 338
1995 343
1996 346
1997 348
1998 351
1999 357
2000 352
2001 355
2002 358
2003 352
2004 353
2005 351
2006 337
2007 341
2008 342
2009 337
2010 331
2011 334
2012 331
2013 326
2014 335
2015 339
2016 337
2017 333
2018 332
2019 333
2020 279
2021 303
2022 317
2023 328
2024 334
2025 336

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Blackpool, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 330109
2022 328106
2023 27990
2024 320113
2025 29193

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Blackpool

Unleaded petrol averages 168.7p a litre across 9 filling stations in Blackpool, 2.8p below the UK average. Diesel averages 195.2p, 3.5p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Texaco J Cunliffe Ltd Blackpool 165.9p
  2. Sainsbury's Blackpool Blackpool 165.9p
  3. Tesco Blackpool Marton Express Blackpool 166.9p

Every filling station and price in Blackpool

How Blackpool compares

Blackpool compared with the North West, England, the UK
Blackpool 386 2.8% 2.1% 6.4% 111 11.1
North West 430 6.6% 3.1% 11.7% 112 18.9
England 440 6.2% 3.2% 10.7% 173 13.4
United Kingdom4445.8%3.1%10.0%17512.9

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 June 2026.

Driving test centres in Blackpool

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Blackpool, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 51.8% at Blackpool.

Other centres in the North West:

DVSA publishes pass rates by centre name, with no address, so centres are placed here by the place name in the name DVSA uses. See pass rates at every test centre.

Councils in the North West

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

Councils in the North West
Stockport 467 24.6% 3.4% 45.3% 115 21.8
Cheshire West and Chester 510 20.0% 4.0% 34.8% 111 27.4
Halton 460 6.3% 3.4% 9.9% 67 36.3
Bury 432 5.6% 3.2% 18.8% 55 40.3
Cheshire East 532 5.2% 4.3% 5.4% 123 28.8
Salford 332 4.9% 2.8% 15.3% 96 15.9
Warrington 512 4.8% 4.0% 4.9% 160 19.7
Chorley 506 4.7% 4.0% 4.2% 124 24.4
Ribble Valley 546 4.7% 4.2% 3.8% 123 30.3
Trafford 450 4.7% 3.8% 5.2% 189 14.5
West Lancashire 491 4.7% 3.7% 6.5% 76 37.0
Knowsley 383 4.6% 3.7% 8.5% 57 39.4
South Ribble 527 4.4% 3.8% 4.3% 167 17.6
Fylde 533 4.3% 3.6% 4.9% 133 23.0
Wyre 508 4.0% 3.3% 4.8% 136 19.0
Preston 396 3.9% 3.0% 7.2% 79 24.4
St Helens 453 3.8% 3.0% 6.0% 72 29.5
Wirral 455 3.8% 3.1% 5.8% 71 30.3
Manchester 282 3.7% 2.1% 9.9% 128 8.3
Sefton 427 3.7% 3.0% 6.7% 61 34.6
Wigan 457 3.7% 3.1% 4.8% 76 28.7
Bolton 411 3.5% 2.8% 6.3% 55 34.2
Liverpool 304 3.5% 2.5% 9.4% 196 6.7
Rossendale 476 3.5% 2.9% 5.3% 179 13.1
Blackburn with Darwen 394 3.4% 2.6% 6.6% 79 21.7
Rochdale 406 3.4% 2.7% 6.2% 72 26.0
Lancaster 438 3.3% 2.8% 4.2% 135 13.6
Oldham 381 3.1% 2.3% 7.5% 71 21.6
Tameside 414 3.1% 2.4% 5.5% 59 27.9
Hyndburn 421 2.9% 2.1% 6.7% 58 24.9
Blackpool 386 2.8% 2.1% 6.4% 111 11.1
Burnley 393 2.8% 2.2% 6.2% 108 13.0
Westmorland and Furness 516 2.8% 2.4% 4.7% 266 7.9
Cumberland 508 2.6% 2.2% 4.7% 157 11.8
Pendle 425 2.5% 2.0% 6.0% 63 22.5

Data stories to read next

All insights

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 70,321 licensed vehicles in Blackpool 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 2,527 plug-in vehicles 26 October 2026
Public chargers Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics Department for Transport 1 July 2026 121,171 public chargers (UK) 26 October 2026
Population Mid-year population estimates Office for National Statistics Mid-2024 404 areas 26 October 2026
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 26 October 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Blackpool 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.