North East · Metropolitan borough
Gateshead motoring statistics
How many cars and electric cars are registered in Gateshead, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Gateshead compares with the North East. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.
- Licensed cars 83,459 +1.5% on a year earlier
- Private cars per 1,000 people 388 UK 444
- Battery electric cars 2,956 3.5% of cars (UK 5.8%)
- Electric share of private cars 2.8% 140th lowest of 361 councils
- Public chargers 401 198 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
- Company-registered cars 5.7% UK 10.0%
How many cars are there in Gateshead?
There were 83,459 licensed cars in Gateshead at the end of June 2026, and 99,250 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 15.2% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 388 for every 1,000 residents, 67th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).
Licensed vehicles in Gateshead
Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.
| Year | All vehicles | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 92,043 | 72,455 |
| 2011 | 88,360 | 71,691 |
| 2012 | 87,607 | 71,748 |
| 2013 | 85,207 | 72,273 |
| 2014 | 85,652 | 73,547 |
| 2015 | 87,478 | 74,572 |
| 2016 | 88,893 | 75,601 |
| 2017 | 90,609 | 76,867 |
| 2018 | 91,095 | 77,278 |
| 2019 | 92,289 | 78,351 |
| 2020 | 91,967 | 78,287 |
| 2021 | 94,127 | 79,559 |
| 2022 | 94,184 | 79,174 |
| 2023 | 94,653 | 79,593 |
| 2024 | 96,418 | 81,018 |
| 2025 | 97,880 | 82,257 |
| 2026 | 99,250 | 83,459 |
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.
| Year | Gateshead | North East | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 358 | 401 | – |
| 2012 | 358 | 402 | – |
| 2013 | 361 | 405 | – |
| 2014 | 366 | 411 | – |
| 2015 | 371 | 415 | 473 |
| 2016 | 376 | 420 | 480 |
| 2017 | 383 | 426 | 488 |
| 2018 | 387 | 429 | 490 |
| 2019 | 395 | 435 | 493 |
| 2020 | 397 | 436 | 489 |
| 2021 | 406 | 442 | 493 |
| 2022 | 399 | 439 | 489 |
| 2023 | 397 | 438 | 489 |
| 2024 | 400 | 439 | 490 |
Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated
Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Gateshead
55.1% of cars in Gateshead run on petrol and 31.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 39.9% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.4%, and cars that plug in 5.1%.
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.
| Year | Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid | Battery electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 71.5% | 28.2% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 70.1% | 29.6% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 68.3% | 31.4% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 66.5% | 33.1% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 64.6% | 35.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 62.9% | 36.6% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 61.2% | 38.2% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 59.8% | 39.4% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 59.1% | 39.9% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 59.2% | 39.6% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 59.3% | 39.3% | 0.9% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2021 | 58.9% | 38.8% | 1.5% | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| 2022 | 58.4% | 37.9% | 2.3% | 0.7% | 0.4% |
| 2023 | 58.0% | 36.6% | 3.3% | 1.2% | 0.6% |
| 2024 | 57.4% | 35.1% | 4.8% | 1.7% | 0.7% |
| 2025 | 56.5% | 33.1% | 6.4% | 2.5% | 1.1% |
| 2026 | 55.1% | 31.0% | 8.4% | 3.5% | 1.5% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Electric cars in Gateshead
2,956 battery electric cars were licensed in Gateshead at the end of June 2026, 3.5% of all cars, 142nd lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 4,230 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,092.
Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.8% are battery electric (2,232 cars), 5th lowest of 12 councils in the North East. Companies keep 24.5% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.7% of its cars overall. There are also 169 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.
| Year | Gateshead | North East | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.8% |
| 2022 | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | 1.1% | 2.3% |
| 2024 | 1.7% | 1.7% | 3.2% |
| 2025 | 2.5% | 2.5% | 4.4% |
| 2026 | 3.5% | 3.6% | 5.8% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Public EV chargers in Gateshead
There were 401 public chargers in Gateshead on 1 July 2026, 165 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 198 for every 100,000 residents, 91st highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 8.1% from 1 January 2026.
For every public charger there are 8.3 privately kept plug-in cars in Gateshead (UK 12.9), 59th fewest of 361 councils. A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.
Public chargers
| Date | All public chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | 371 | 144 |
| Apr 2026 | 375 | 148 |
| Jul 2026 | 401 | 165 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Chargers per 100,000 residents
| Area | All chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Gateshead | 198 | 81 |
| Tyne and Wear | 148 | 40 |
| North East | 150 | 37 |
| England | 173 | 41 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Electric cars by neighbourhood
Gateshead has 27 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.5% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.7%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.
| Neighbourhood (MSOA) | Private vehicles | Battery electric | Electric share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateshead 001 | 5,118 | 191 | 3.7% | |
| Gateshead 025 | 3,953 | 142 | 3.6% | |
| Gateshead 017 | 4,089 | 139 | 3.4% | |
| Gateshead 016 | 3,586 | 118 | 3.3% | |
| Gateshead 022 | 3,225 | 102 | 3.2% | |
| Gateshead 002 | 5,263 | 156 | 3.0% | |
| Gateshead 013 | 3,007 | 89 | 3.0% | |
| Gateshead 014 | 2,954 | 88 | 3.0% | |
| Gateshead 005 | 3,465 | 96 | 2.8% | |
| Gateshead 019 | 5,363 | 150 | 2.8% | |
| Lowest electric shares | ||||
| Gateshead 008 | 2,000 | 13 | 0.7% | |
| Gateshead 015 | 3,599 | 50 | 1.4% | |
| Gateshead 018 | 2,798 | 47 | 1.7% | |
| Gateshead 023 | 2,684 | 47 | 1.8% | |
| Gateshead 003 | 2,481 | 45 | 1.8% | |
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 Gateshead
Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,174 million miles on roads in Gateshead in 2025.
Traffic on all roads
| Year | Million vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 1,044 |
| 1994 | 1,061 |
| 1995 | 1,076 |
| 1996 | 1,107 |
| 1997 | 1,128 |
| 1998 | 1,144 |
| 1999 | 1,151 |
| 2000 | 1,119 |
| 2001 | 1,119 |
| 2002 | 1,135 |
| 2003 | 1,125 |
| 2004 | 1,110 |
| 2005 | 1,087 |
| 2006 | 1,059 |
| 2007 | 1,081 |
| 2008 | 1,060 |
| 2009 | 1,050 |
| 2010 | 1,018 |
| 2011 | 1,024 |
| 2012 | 1,018 |
| 2013 | 1,023 |
| 2014 | 1,040 |
| 2015 | 993 |
| 2016 | 1,002 |
| 2017 | 1,049 |
| 2018 | 1,067 |
| 2019 | 1,150 |
| 2020 | 914 |
| 2021 | 998 |
| 2022 | 1,069 |
| 2023 | 1,081 |
| 2024 | 1,104 |
| 2025 | 1,174 |
Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated
Reported injury collisions
| Year | Collisions | Killed or seriously injured |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 267 | 59 |
| 2022 | 300 | 53 |
| 2023 | 283 | 74 |
| 2024 | 253 | 50 |
| 2025 | 251 | 53 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
Petrol and diesel prices in Gateshead
Unleaded petrol averages 172.6p a litre across 24 filling stations in Gateshead, 1.1p above the UK average. Diesel averages 202.7p, 4.0p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.
Cheapest petrol
- Costco Wholesale Gateshead Gateshead 163.9p
- Jet Tgc - Felling Gateshead 167.9p
- Jet Tgc - Gateshead Gateshead 167.9p
How Gateshead compares
| Gateshead | 388 | 3.5% | 198 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyne and Wear | 379 | 3.7% | 148 |
| North East | 424 | 3.6% | 150 |
| England | 440 | 6.2% | 173 |
| United Kingdom | 444 | 5.8% | 175 |
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 Gateshead
There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Gateshead, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 37.5% at Gateshead.
Other centres in Tyne and Wear:
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 Tyne and Wear
Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 315 | 4.0% | 122 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Tyneside | 419 | 4.0% | 62 |
| Gateshead | 388 | 3.5% | 198 |
| Sunderland | 404 | 3.5% | 192 |
| South Tyneside | 399 | 3.3% | 175 |
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 99,250 licensed vehicles in Gateshead | 26 October 2026 |
| Plug-in and electric vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 4,486 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 Gateshead 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.
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.