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Cumberland motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
194,216 licensed vehicles in Cumberland
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 148,345 +0.9% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 504 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 3,480 2.3% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 1.9% 52nd lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 439 157 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.7% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Cumberland?

There were 148,345 licensed cars in Cumberland at the end of March 2026, and 194,216 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 14.6% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 504 for every 1,000 residents, 146th highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Cumberland

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Cumberland at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 162,172129,420
2011 162,803129,944
2012 162,179129,424
2013 162,989130,100
2014 165,722132,321
2015 168,204134,071
2016 171,003135,743
2017 174,205137,952
2018 175,079138,354
2019 176,585138,815
2020 178,076140,400
2021 179,562140,138
2022 182,710141,318
2023 184,874142,276
2024 188,477144,817
2025 191,723146,949
2026 194,216148,345

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, Cumberland compared
Year CumberlandNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 474429–
2012 473425–
2013 479428–
2014 487433–
2015 492435473
2016 496438480
2017 508440488
2018 509443490
2019 511448493
2020 509446489
2021 517477493
2022 515472489
2023 516472489
2024 521474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Cumberland

50.4% of cars in Cumberland run on petrol and 36.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 45.9% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.6%, and cars that plug in 3.8%.

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 Cumberland, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 66.2%33.6%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 64.4%35.3%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 62.3%37.4%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 60.3%39.3%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 58.4%41.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 56.9%42.6%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 55.2%44.1%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2017 53.9%45.4%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2018 53.1%45.9%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2019 53.0%45.9%0.9%0.1%0.1%
2020 52.8%45.8%1.1%0.1%0.1%
2021 52.5%45.4%1.5%0.2%0.2%
2022 52.3%44.2%2.5%0.4%0.3%
2023 51.9%43.0%3.5%0.7%0.5%
2024 51.6%41.4%4.8%1.1%0.7%
2025 51.1%39.2%6.6%1.7%1.0%
2026 50.4%36.7%8.6%2.3%1.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Cumberland

3,480 battery electric cars were licensed in Cumberland at the end of March 2026, 2.3% of all cars, 22nd lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 5,607 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,428.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 1.9% are battery electric (2,683 cars), 6th lowest of 35 councils in the North West. Companies keep 22.9% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.7% of its cars overall. There are also 136 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, Cumberland compared, end of March each year
Year CumberlandNorth 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 0.2%0.7%0.7%
2022 0.4%1.5%1.3%
2023 0.7%2.6%2.1%
2024 1.1%3.8%3.0%
2025 1.7%5.4%4.1%
2026 2.3%6.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Cumberland

There were 439 public chargers in Cumberland on 1 July 2026, 132 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 157 for every 100,000 residents, 148th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 1.6% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 10.1 privately kept plug-in cars in Cumberland (UK 11.9), 92nd 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 Cumberland by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 432138
Apr 2026 448138
Jul 2026 439132

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Cumberland compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Cumberland 15747
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Cumberland has 33 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.6% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 2.6%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Cumberland with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Carlisle 007 6,894 178 2.6% 4.2%
Allerdale 007 5,837 144 2.5% 3.6%
Allerdale 006 5,835 142 2.4% 3.9%
Carlisle 013 7,992 186 2.3% 3.5%
Allerdale 002 5,956 133 2.2% 3.6%
Copeland 007 6,686 146 2.2% 3.6%
Carlisle 002 4,524 95 2.1% 3.2%
Carlisle 004 7,575 158 2.1% 3.5%
Carlisle 005 5,007 103 2.1% 3.0%
Allerdale 012 3,828 77 2.0% 3.4%
Lowest electric shares
Allerdale 009 4,211 12 0.3% 1.5%
Copeland 008 6,132 41 0.7% 2.2%
Carlisle 006 3,590 30 0.8% 1.3%
Allerdale 005 3,425 27 0.8% 1.3%
Carlisle 008 3,273 28 0.9% 1.6%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 4 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Cumberland

Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,590 million miles on roads in Cumberland in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Cumberland
Year Million vehicle miles
2023 1,545
2024 1,564
2025 1,590

Source:DfT 2023 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Cumberland, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 37292
2022 447156
2023 427130
2024 411114
2025 388115

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Cumberland

Unleaded petrol averages 170.0p a litre across 44 filling stations in Cumberland, 1.7p below the UK average. Diesel averages 194.9p, 0.3p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Tesco Whitehaven Superstore Whitehaven 163.9p
  2. MFG Morrisons Whitehaven Whitehaven 164.9p
  3. Asda Carlisle Superstore Carlisle 166.7p

Every filling station and price in Cumberland

How Cumberland compares

Cumberland compared with the North West, England, the UK
Cumberland 504 2.3% 1.9% 4.7% 157 10.1
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 the North West

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

Councils in the North West
Stockport 466 27.0% 3.0% 50.2% 115 19.7
Cheshire West and Chester 506 16.0% 3.5% 28.9% 111 26.8
Halton 458 5.8% 3.0% 9.8% 67 32.5
Bury 429 4.9% 2.8% 18.8% 55 36.8
Cheshire East 529 4.7% 3.9% 5.4% 123 29.3
Salford 330 4.6% 2.4% 16.1% 96 14.7
Chorley 503 4.3% 3.6% 4.1% 124 24.4
Ribble Valley 543 4.3% 3.8% 3.8% 123 27.3
Trafford 448 4.3% 3.5% 5.1% 189 13.7
Warrington 510 4.3% 3.6% 4.9% 160 18.7
West Lancashire 488 4.3% 3.3% 6.5% 76 18.2
Knowsley 380 4.1% 3.2% 8.5% 57 35.7
South Ribble 524 4.0% 3.3% 4.3% 167 15.7
Fylde 530 3.9% 3.3% 4.8% 133 21.9
Preston 393 3.6% 2.7% 7.2% 79 20.2
Wyre 504 3.6% 3.0% 4.9% 136 16.9
Manchester 279 3.5% 1.9% 9.8% 128 8.1
St Helens 452 3.5% 2.6% 6.0% 72 26.1
Wirral 453 3.4% 2.8% 5.9% 71 29.9
Liverpool 302 3.3% 2.2% 9.5% 196 6.4
Sefton 425 3.3% 2.7% 6.8% 61 33.9
Wigan 455 3.3% 2.7% 4.8% 76 26.2
Bolton 408 3.2% 2.4% 6.4% 55 31.3
Blackburn with Darwen 391 3.1% 2.3% 6.6% 79 23.7
Rochdale 403 3.1% 2.4% 6.3% 72 22.0
Rossendale 474 3.1% 2.5% 5.3% 179 11.3
Lancaster 436 3.0% 2.5% 4.2% 135 12.4
Oldham 378 2.8% 2.1% 7.4% 71 19.5
Tameside 412 2.8% 2.1% 5.5% 59 25.0
Hyndburn 418 2.7% 1.9% 6.7% 58 24.0
Blackpool 384 2.6% 1.8% 6.6% 111 9.8
Burnley 389 2.6% 1.9% 6.1% 108 11.6
Westmorland and Furness 512 2.6% 2.2% 4.7% 266 6.9
Pendle 420 2.4% 1.7% 6.0% 63 20.2
Cumberland 504 2.3% 1.9% 4.7% 157 10.1

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 194,216 licensed vehicles in Cumberland 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 5,801 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 Cumberland 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.