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Bradford motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
269,846 licensed vehicles in Bradford
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 232,427 +2.5% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 386 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 6,718 2.9% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.3% 103rd lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 555 99 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 6.4% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Bradford?

There were 232,427 licensed cars in Bradford at the end of March 2026, and 269,846 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 23.8% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 386 for every 1,000 residents, 67th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Bradford

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Bradford at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 221,339187,700
2011 219,795186,487
2012 214,157184,778
2013 213,194183,924
2014 216,568186,823
2015 219,329189,556
2016 224,298193,882
2017 227,954196,667
2018 231,260199,973
2019 236,846203,776
2020 241,835208,564
2021 244,144209,304
2022 248,672212,611
2023 252,461216,192
2024 258,332221,899
2025 263,226226,766
2026 269,846232,427

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, Bradford compared
Year BradfordYorkshire and the HumberUnited Kingdom
2011 357427–
2012 352427–
2013 351429–
2014 354429–
2015 356433473
2016 361442480
2017 366450488
2018 370456490
2019 376464493
2020 377463489
2021 387470493
2022 388469489
2023 390469489
2024 397472490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Bradford

48.7% of cars in Bradford run on petrol and 35.6% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 42.3% in 2019. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 10.4%, and cars that plug in 4.9%.

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 Bradford, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 70.2%29.4%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 68.1%31.4%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 66.0%33.4%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 64.1%35.3%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 62.3%37.0%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2015 60.6%38.5%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2016 58.8%40.2%0.8%0.1%0.1%
2017 57.5%41.3%1.0%0.1%0.1%
2018 56.2%42.2%1.2%0.1%0.1%
2019 55.6%42.3%1.6%0.1%0.2%
2020 55.1%42.2%2.1%0.2%0.3%
2021 54.2%42.2%2.7%0.3%0.4%
2022 53.0%41.4%4.1%0.6%0.6%
2023 52.1%40.4%5.4%0.9%0.8%
2024 51.3%38.9%6.9%1.4%1.1%
2025 50.1%37.3%8.6%2.1%1.4%
2026 48.7%35.6%10.4%2.9%2.0%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Bradford

6,718 battery electric cars were licensed in Bradford at the end of March 2026, 2.9% of all cars, 89th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 11,418 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 4,848.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.3% are battery electric (5,078 cars), 4th lowest of 15 councils in the Yorkshire and the Humber. Companies keep 24.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 6.4% of its cars overall. There are also 388 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, Bradford compared, end of March each year
Year BradfordYorkshire and the HumberUnited 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%0.3%0.3%
2021 0.3%0.6%0.7%
2022 0.6%1.3%1.3%
2023 0.9%2.0%2.1%
2024 1.4%2.8%3.0%
2025 2.1%3.9%4.1%
2026 2.9%5.0%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Bradford

There were 555 public chargers in Bradford on 1 July 2026, 188 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 99 for every 100,000 residents, 88th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 3.5% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 16.4 privately kept plug-in cars in Bradford (UK 11.9), 171st 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 Bradford by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 536180
Apr 2026 550185
Jul 2026 555188

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Bradford compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Bradford 9933
West Yorkshire 10638
Yorkshire and the Humber 11137
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Bradford has 63 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.7% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.7%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Bradford with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Bradford 002 7,267 339 4.7% 7.5%
Bradford 005 4,007 190 4.7% 8.4%
Bradford 001 3,626 155 4.3% 7.1%
Bradford 013 4,045 154 3.8% 5.8%
Bradford 010 5,620 189 3.4% 6.0%
Bradford 017 4,326 148 3.4% 5.3%
Bradford 018 4,511 150 3.3% 5.7%
Bradford 062 5,559 183 3.3% 5.2%
Bradford 003 3,550 107 3.0% 5.3%
Bradford 006 4,704 130 2.8% 4.8%
Lowest electric shares
Bradford 048 2,281 9 0.4% 2.2%
Bradford 064 2,571 14 0.5% 2.7%
Bradford 045 1,791 12 0.7% 2.0%
Bradford 034 3,028 23 0.8% 2.8%
Bradford 052 2,164 19 0.9% 2.0%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 6 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Bradford

Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,519 million miles on roads in Bradford in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Bradford
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 1,328
1994 1,348
1995 1,367
1996 1,393
1997 1,414
1998 1,440
1999 1,446
2000 1,436
2001 1,449
2002 1,485
2003 1,484
2004 1,486
2005 1,495
2006 1,522
2007 1,542
2008 1,528
2009 1,509
2010 1,493
2011 1,497
2012 1,493
2013 1,490
2014 1,541
2015 1,568
2016 1,581
2017 1,574
2018 1,578
2019 1,579
2020 1,304
2021 1,389
2022 1,448
2023 1,477
2024 1,508
2025 1,519

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Bradford, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 1,059283
2022 1,062261
2023 1,056336
2024 1,030294
2025 956266

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Bradford

Unleaded petrol averages 168.9p a litre across 48 filling stations in Bradford, 2.8p below the UK average. Diesel averages 192.2p, 2.4p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Asda Keighley Superstore Keighley 162.7p
  2. MFG Morrisons Keighley Keighley 162.9p
  3. Murco Sun Garage Bingley 163.5p

Every filling station and price in Bradford

How Bradford compares

Bradford compared with West Yorkshire, the Yorkshire and the Humber, England, the UK
Bradford 386 2.9% 2.3% 6.4% 99 16.4
West Yorkshire 410 7.0% 2.6% 13.9% 106 17.7
Yorkshire and the Humber 437 5.0% 2.7% 9.1% 111 17.6
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 West Yorkshire

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

Councils in West Yorkshire
Leeds 381 13.3% 2.9% 27.3% 138 13.7
Kirklees 440 3.3% 2.6% 5.1% 61 32.5
Wakefield 458 3.3% 2.6% 5.6% 98 19.5
Calderdale 438 3.1% 2.5% 5.3% 101 20.8
Bradford 386 2.9% 2.3% 6.4% 99 16.4

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 269,846 licensed vehicles in Bradford 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 11,898 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 Bradford 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.