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Bolton motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
163,331 licensed vehicles in Bolton
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 136,150 +2.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 411 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 4,731 3.5% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.8% 140th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 170 55 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 6.3% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Bolton?

There were 136,150 licensed cars in Bolton at the end of June 2026, and 163,331 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 18.4% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 411 for every 1,000 residents, 81st lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Bolton

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Bolton at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 139,059115,026
2011 138,320113,958
2012 131,211112,410
2013 132,577113,341
2014 134,361114,794
2015 135,713115,842
2016 138,663118,235
2017 140,802120,158
2018 142,368121,456
2019 145,474124,013
2020 145,457124,088
2021 148,269125,814
2022 149,037126,846
2023 151,913129,330
2024 154,911132,002
2025 157,461133,516
2026 163,331136,150

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, Bolton compared
Year BoltonNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 411429–
2012 402425–
2013 402428–
2014 405433–
2015 407435473
2016 412438480
2017 415440488
2018 417443490
2019 421448493
2020 420446489
2021 425477493
2022 423472489
2023 423472489
2024 426474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Bolton

52.4% of cars in Bolton run on petrol and 29.1% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 37.4% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 12.5%, and cars that plug in 5.5%.

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 Bolton, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 74.7%24.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 72.6%26.8%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 71.1%28.3%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2013 69.1%30.2%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2014 67.2%31.9%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2015 65.1%33.8%0.9%0.0%0.0%
2016 63.1%35.4%1.2%0.1%0.0%
2017 61.5%36.5%1.6%0.1%0.1%
2018 60.6%37.0%2.0%0.1%0.1%
2019 59.9%37.2%2.5%0.1%0.2%
2020 59.2%37.4%2.8%0.2%0.2%
2021 58.3%37.1%3.7%0.3%0.4%
2022 57.4%36.3%4.8%0.6%0.6%
2023 56.6%35.1%6.2%1.1%0.8%
2024 55.6%33.3%8.1%1.6%1.0%
2025 54.1%31.3%10.3%2.4%1.4%
2026 52.4%29.1%12.5%3.5%2.0%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Bolton

4,731 battery electric cars were licensed in Bolton at the end of June 2026, 3.5% of all cars, 142nd lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 7,504 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 3,207.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.8% are battery electric (3,529 cars), 15th lowest of 35 councils in the North West. Companies keep 25.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 6.3% of its cars overall. There are also 1,078 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, Bolton compared, end of March each year
Year BoltonNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.1%0.1%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.2%0.4%
2021 0.3%0.8%0.8%
2022 0.6%1.7%1.5%
2023 1.1%2.9%2.3%
2024 1.6%4.1%3.2%
2025 2.4%5.3%4.4%
2026 3.5%6.6%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Bolton

There were 170 public chargers in Bolton on 1 July 2026, 91 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 55 for every 100,000 residents, 12th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 4.9% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 34.2 privately kept plug-in cars in Bolton (UK 12.9), 29th most 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 Bolton by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 16283
Apr 2026 16592
Jul 2026 17091

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Bolton compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Bolton 5529
Greater Manchester 9642
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Bolton has 35 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.2% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.3%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Bolton with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Bolton 014 4,071 174 4.3% 7.0%
Bolton 001 4,926 206 4.2% 7.0%
Bolton 020 4,347 181 4.2% 7.5%
Bolton 007 5,090 208 4.1% 5.9%
Bolton 030 3,573 141 3.9% 5.8%
Bolton 035 4,723 186 3.9% 5.7%
Bolton 002 4,593 169 3.7% 5.8%
Bolton 028 6,219 229 3.7% 5.3%
Bolton 006 5,258 176 3.3% 5.5%
Bolton 009 3,872 120 3.1% 4.8%
Lowest electric shares
Bolton 023 3,047 5 0.2% 2.0%
Bolton 011 3,055 16 0.5% 2.5%
Bolton 025 3,153 18 0.6% 2.7%
Bolton 016 2,760 18 0.7% 2.4%
Bolton 027 2,752 27 1.0% 2.3%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026. 3 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Bolton

Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,327 million miles on roads in Bolton in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Bolton
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 1,094
1994 1,113
1995 1,134
1996 1,171
1997 1,193
1998 1,228
1999 1,252
2000 1,241
2001 1,256
2002 1,282
2003 1,283
2004 1,290
2005 1,270
2006 1,261
2007 1,275
2008 1,250
2009 1,254
2010 1,186
2011 1,234
2012 1,226
2013 1,229
2014 1,267
2015 1,277
2016 1,256
2017 1,266
2018 1,269
2019 1,288
2020 1,085
2021 1,176
2022 1,267
2023 1,299
2024 1,305
2025 1,327

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Bolton, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 34686
2022 32379
2023 28687
2024 31093
2025 28998

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Bolton

Unleaded petrol averages 169.0p a litre across 30 filling stations in Bolton, 2.5p below the UK average. Diesel averages 195.3p, 3.4p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Texaco Horwich Service Station Bolton 164.9p
  2. MFG Morrisons Bolton Atlas Bolton 166.9p
  3. Asda Horwich Superstore Horwich 167.7p

Every filling station and price in Bolton

How Bolton compares

Bolton compared with Greater Manchester, the North West, England, the UK
Bolton 411 3.5% 2.8% 6.3% 55 34.2
Greater Manchester 391 7.8% 2.9% 15.5% 96 19.1
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 Bolton

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

Other centres in Greater Manchester:

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 Greater Manchester

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

Councils in Greater Manchester
Stockport 467 24.6% 3.4% 45.3% 115 21.8
Bury 432 5.6% 3.2% 18.8% 55 40.3
Salford 332 4.9% 2.8% 15.3% 96 15.9
Trafford 450 4.7% 3.8% 5.2% 189 14.5
Manchester 282 3.7% 2.1% 9.9% 128 8.3
Wigan 457 3.7% 3.1% 4.8% 76 28.7
Bolton 411 3.5% 2.8% 6.3% 55 34.2
Rochdale 406 3.4% 2.7% 6.2% 72 26.0
Oldham 381 3.1% 2.3% 7.5% 71 21.6
Tameside 414 3.1% 2.4% 5.5% 59 27.9

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 163,331 licensed vehicles in Bolton 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 8,934 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 Bolton 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.