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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
161,962 licensed vehicles in Bolton
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 135,244 +1.8% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 408 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 4,262 3.2% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.4% 122nd lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 170 55 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 6.4% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Bolton?

There were 135,244 licensed cars in Bolton at the end of March 2026, and 161,962 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 18.6% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 408 for every 1,000 residents, 81st lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

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 135,819114,033
2011 138,910114,214
2012 130,917112,450
2013 131,400112,761
2014 132,982114,018
2015 134,735115,460
2016 137,566117,746
2017 140,037119,770
2018 141,420120,816
2019 144,224123,171
2020 146,739125,643
2021 146,936125,075
2022 148,145126,260
2023 150,199128,439
2024 153,523131,071
2025 156,302132,826
2026 161,962135,244

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, 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

52.8% of cars in Bolton run on petrol and 29.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 37.3% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 12.0%, and cars that plug in 5.0%.

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 Bolton, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 75.4%24.3%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 73.1%26.4%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 71.5%27.9%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2013 69.5%29.8%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 67.6%31.5%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2015 65.6%33.3%0.8%0.0%0.0%
2016 63.6%35.0%1.1%0.1%0.0%
2017 61.9%36.3%1.5%0.1%0.1%
2018 60.6%37.1%2.0%0.1%0.1%
2019 60.0%37.2%2.4%0.1%0.1%
2020 59.4%37.3%2.8%0.1%0.2%
2021 58.5%37.2%3.5%0.3%0.3%
2022 57.6%36.5%4.5%0.6%0.5%
2023 56.9%35.3%5.8%1.0%0.7%
2024 55.8%33.8%7.6%1.5%1.0%
2025 54.5%31.8%9.8%2.2%1.3%
2026 52.8%29.7%12.0%3.2%1.9%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Bolton

4,262 battery electric cars were licensed in Bolton at the end of March 2026, 3.2% of all cars, 137th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 6,814 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,873.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.4% are battery electric (3,081 cars), 14th lowest of 35 councils in the North West. Companies keep 27.7% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 6.4% of its cars overall. There are also 932 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 0.1%0.2%0.3%
2021 0.3%0.7%0.7%
2022 0.6%1.5%1.3%
2023 1.0%2.6%2.1%
2024 1.5%3.8%3.0%
2025 2.2%5.4%4.1%
2026 3.2%6.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 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 31.3 privately kept plug-in cars in Bolton (UK 11.9), 33rd 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, 2.0% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.8%. 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 4,012 152 3.8% 6.3%
Bolton 007 5,004 184 3.7% 5.3%
Bolton 001 4,841 176 3.6% 6.2%
Bolton 020 4,302 156 3.6% 6.7%
Bolton 030 3,589 130 3.6% 5.5%
Bolton 035 4,683 164 3.5% 5.0%
Bolton 002 4,594 154 3.4% 5.3%
Bolton 028 6,139 198 3.2% 4.7%
Bolton 006 5,212 149 2.9% 4.7%
Bolton 009 3,855 104 2.7% 4.3%
Lowest electric shares
Bolton 011 3,020 17 0.6% 2.2%
Bolton 015 3,548 30 0.8% 2.4%
Bolton 027 2,726 24 0.9% 2.2%
Bolton 022 3,478 31 0.9% 2.7%
Bolton 017 4,125 51 1.2% 2.5%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 5 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 33 filling stations in Bolton, 2.7p below the UK average. Diesel averages 192.2p, 2.4p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Texaco Horwich Service Station Bolton 163.9p
  2. Asda Horwich Superstore Horwich 164.7p
  3. Tesco Bolton Horwich Extra Bolton 164.9p

Every filling station and price in Bolton

How Bolton compares

Bolton compared with Greater Manchester, the North West, England, the UK
Bolton 408 3.2% 2.4% 6.4% 55 31.3
Greater Manchester 389 8.3% 2.5% 17.1% 96 17.8
North West 427 6.2% 2.7% 11.8% 112 17.4
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 Greater Manchester

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

Councils in Greater Manchester
Stockport 466 27.0% 3.0% 50.2% 115 19.7
Bury 429 4.9% 2.8% 18.8% 55 36.8
Salford 330 4.6% 2.4% 16.1% 96 14.7
Trafford 448 4.3% 3.5% 5.1% 189 13.7
Manchester 279 3.5% 1.9% 9.8% 128 8.1
Wigan 455 3.3% 2.7% 4.8% 76 26.2
Bolton 408 3.2% 2.4% 6.4% 55 31.3
Rochdale 403 3.1% 2.4% 6.3% 72 22.0
Oldham 378 2.8% 2.1% 7.4% 71 19.5
Tameside 412 2.8% 2.1% 5.5% 59 25.0

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 161,962 licensed vehicles in Bolton 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 8,006 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 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.