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Chorley motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
79,361 licensed vehicles in Chorley
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 63,798 +1.3% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 506 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 2,991 4.7% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 4.0% 53rd highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 150 124 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.2% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Chorley?

There were 63,798 licensed cars in Chorley at the end of June 2026, and 79,361 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.3% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 506 for every 1,000 residents, 153rd highest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Chorley

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Chorley at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 64,14553,471
2011 64,38053,781
2012 65,00654,282
2013 66,30455,130
2014 67,50156,282
2015 68,71257,173
2016 70,03157,906
2017 71,57859,133
2018 72,87660,150
2019 74,26961,177
2020 74,32261,364
2021 75,66661,927
2022 75,90261,850
2023 76,68762,446
2024 77,44962,839
2025 78,00462,965
2026 79,36163,798

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, Chorley compared
Year ChorleyNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 500429–
2012 498425–
2013 501428–
2014 506433–
2015 509435473
2016 510438480
2017 515440488
2018 520443490
2019 524448493
2020 524446489
2021 525477493
2022 521472489
2023 521472489
2024 520474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Chorley

54.1% of cars in Chorley run on petrol and 30.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 41.7% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.1%, and cars that plug in 6.8%.

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 Chorley, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 70.1%29.6%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 68.2%31.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 66.3%33.3%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 64.4%35.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 62.5%37.0%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 60.8%38.5%0.4%0.1%0.0%
2016 58.9%40.3%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2017 57.8%41.2%0.7%0.2%0.1%
2018 57.0%41.7%0.8%0.2%0.1%
2019 57.2%41.4%1.0%0.2%0.2%
2020 56.9%41.4%1.1%0.3%0.2%
2021 56.9%40.5%1.5%0.5%0.4%
2022 56.5%39.4%2.2%1.0%0.6%
2023 56.3%38.0%3.1%1.6%0.7%
2024 56.1%35.9%4.4%2.3%1.0%
2025 55.3%33.3%6.2%3.2%1.5%
2026 54.1%30.5%8.1%4.7%2.1%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Chorley

2,991 battery electric cars were licensed in Chorley at the end of June 2026, 4.7% of all cars, 74th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 4,337 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,044.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 4.0% are battery electric (2,467 cars), 3rd highest of 35 councils in the North West. Companies keep 17.5% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.2% of its cars overall. There are also 86 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, Chorley compared, end of March each year
Year ChorleyNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.1%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.2%0.4%
2021 0.5%0.8%0.8%
2022 1.0%1.7%1.5%
2023 1.6%2.9%2.3%
2024 2.3%4.1%3.2%
2025 3.2%5.3%4.4%
2026 4.7%6.6%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Chorley

There were 150 public chargers in Chorley on 1 July 2026, 109 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 124 for every 100,000 residents, 146th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 9.5% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 24.4 privately kept plug-in cars in Chorley (UK 12.9), 92nd 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 Chorley by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 13794
Apr 2026 13493
Jul 2026 150109

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Chorley compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Chorley 12490
Lancashire 11346
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Chorley has 14 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 3.3% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 5.5%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Chorley with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Chorley 008 6,213 340 5.5% 7.1%
Chorley 003 6,548 313 4.8% 6.9%
Chorley 004 5,855 281 4.8% 7.3%
Chorley 012 4,840 172 3.6% 5.2%
Chorley 005 5,899 207 3.5% 5.4%
Chorley 002 4,696 154 3.3% 5.2%
Chorley 011 5,609 184 3.3% 5.0%
Chorley 007 4,478 142 3.2% 5.3%
Chorley 013 4,857 155 3.2% 4.5%
Chorley 014 6,257 193 3.1% 4.8%
Lowest electric shares
Chorley 006 4,486 84 1.9% 3.3%
Chorley 009 3,510 74 2.1% 3.1%
Chorley 001 2,542 61 2.4% 3.3%
Chorley 010 4,939 138 2.8% 4.3%
Chorley 014 6,257 193 3.1% 4.8%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026.

Road traffic and collisions in Chorley

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Chorley, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 20563
2022 19962
2023 17864
2024 22059
2025 18961

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Chorley

Unleaded petrol averages 179.0p a litre across 14 filling stations in Chorley, 7.5p above the UK average. Diesel averages 211.6p, 12.9p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Asda Chorley Superstore Chorley 169.7p
  2. MFG Morrisons Chorley Chorley 169.7p
  3. Asda Clayton Green Superstore Chorley 169.9p

Every filling station and price in Chorley

How Chorley compares

Chorley compared with Lancashire, the North West, England, the UK
Chorley 506 4.7% 4.0% 4.2% 124 24.4
Lancashire 468 3.9% 3.2% 5.3% 113 20.7
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 Chorley

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Chorley, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 52.8% at Chorley.

Other centres in Lancashire:

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 Lancashire

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

Councils in Lancashire
Chorley 506 4.7% 4.0% 4.2% 124 24.4
Ribble Valley 546 4.7% 4.2% 3.8% 123 30.3
West Lancashire 491 4.7% 3.7% 6.5% 76 37.0
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
Rossendale 476 3.5% 2.9% 5.3% 179 13.1
Lancaster 438 3.3% 2.8% 4.2% 135 13.6
Hyndburn 421 2.9% 2.1% 6.7% 58 24.9
Burnley 393 2.8% 2.2% 6.2% 108 13.0
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 79,361 licensed vehicles in Chorley 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 4,462 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 Chorley 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.