North West · County
Greater Manchester motoring statistics
How many cars and electric cars are registered in Greater Manchester, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Greater Manchester compares with the North West. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.
- Licensed cars 1,392,617 −3.9% on a year earlier
- Private cars per 1,000 people 391 UK 444
- Battery electric cars 108,344 7.8% of cars (UK 5.8%)
- Electric share of private cars 2.9% UK 3.1%
- Public chargers 2,873 96 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
- Company-registered cars 15.5% UK 10.0%
How many cars are there in Greater Manchester?
There were 1,392,617 licensed cars in Greater Manchester at the end of June 2026, and 1,642,570 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 24.6% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 391 for every 1,000 residents (UK 444).
Licensed vehicles in Greater Manchester
Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.
| Year | All vehicles | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,315,488 | 1,117,950 |
| 2011 | 1,267,393 | 1,080,924 |
| 2012 | 1,253,030 | 1,069,673 |
| 2013 | 1,266,456 | 1,081,726 |
| 2014 | 1,290,183 | 1,103,094 |
| 2015 | 1,307,682 | 1,118,228 |
| 2016 | 1,332,830 | 1,136,112 |
| 2017 | 1,332,465 | 1,138,098 |
| 2018 | 1,350,401 | 1,155,115 |
| 2019 | 1,378,316 | 1,181,207 |
| 2020 | 1,366,277 | 1,176,044 |
| 2021 | 1,645,219 | 1,384,584 |
| 2022 | 1,644,607 | 1,390,562 |
| 2023 | 1,667,850 | 1,414,742 |
| 2024 | 1,699,422 | 1,441,806 |
| 2025 | 1,713,295 | 1,449,793 |
| 2026 | 1,642,570 | 1,392,617 |
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 | Greater Manchester | North West | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 403 | 429 | – |
| 2012 | 396 | 425 | – |
| 2013 | 398 | 428 | – |
| 2014 | 404 | 433 | – |
| 2015 | 406 | 435 | 473 |
| 2016 | 408 | 438 | 480 |
| 2017 | 406 | 440 | 488 |
| 2018 | 409 | 443 | 490 |
| 2019 | 415 | 448 | 493 |
| 2020 | 412 | 446 | 489 |
| 2021 | 483 | 477 | 493 |
| 2022 | 476 | 472 | 489 |
| 2023 | 477 | 472 | 489 |
| 2024 | 479 | 474 | 490 |
Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated
Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Greater Manchester
51.3% of cars in Greater Manchester run on petrol and 26.1% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 37.0% in 2021. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 10.3%, and cars that plug in 11.8%.
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.
| Year | Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid | Battery electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 73.1% | 26.5% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 72.6% | 26.9% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 70.9% | 28.6% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 69.1% | 30.3% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 67.2% | 32.1% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 65.2% | 33.9% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 63.5% | 35.4% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 63.0% | 35.7% | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 62.0% | 36.4% | 1.3% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 61.7% | 36.3% | 1.6% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 61.2% | 36.4% | 1.9% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2021 | 56.3% | 37.0% | 3.0% | 1.4% | 2.1% |
| 2022 | 55.3% | 34.6% | 3.9% | 3.1% | 2.7% |
| 2023 | 53.9% | 31.9% | 5.1% | 5.4% | 3.2% |
| 2024 | 52.0% | 29.2% | 6.5% | 7.7% | 4.2% |
| 2025 | 50.4% | 27.1% | 8.1% | 9.2% | 4.8% |
| 2026 | 51.3% | 26.1% | 10.3% | 7.8% | 4.1% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Electric cars in Greater Manchester
108,344 battery electric cars were licensed in Greater Manchester at the end of June 2026, 7.8% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 164,905 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 133,743, 25,399 more. DfT notes that big changes like this often happen when a leasing or rental company changes its registered address.
Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.9% are battery electric (33,611 cars). Companies keep 69.0% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 15.5% of its cars overall. There are also 7,188 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 | Greater Manchester | North West | United 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% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| 2022 | 3.1% | 1.7% | 1.5% |
| 2023 | 5.4% | 2.9% | 2.3% |
| 2024 | 7.7% | 4.1% | 3.2% |
| 2025 | 9.2% | 5.3% | 4.4% |
| 2026 | 7.8% | 6.6% | 5.8% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Public EV chargers in Greater Manchester
There were 2,873 public chargers in Greater Manchester on 1 July 2026, 1,262 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 96 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 8.8% from 1 January 2026.
For every public charger there are 19.1 privately kept plug-in cars in Greater Manchester (UK 12.9). 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 | 2,641 | 1,166 |
| Apr 2026 | 2,759 | 1,229 |
| Jul 2026 | 2,873 | 1,262 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Chargers per 100,000 residents
| Area | All chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 96 | 42 |
| North West | 112 | 40 |
| England | 173 | 41 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Petrol and diesel prices in Greater Manchester
Unleaded petrol averages 171.0p a litre across 218 filling stations in Greater Manchester, 0.5p below the UK average. Diesel averages 196.9p, 1.8p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.
Cheapest petrol
- Costco Wholesale Manchester Manchester 158.9p
- Texaco Limes Service Station Manchester 161.9p
- Essar S&S Station Ltd Manchester 162.9p
How Greater Manchester compares
| Greater Manchester | 391 | 7.8% | 96 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North West | 430 | 6.6% | 112 |
| 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 Greater Manchester
There are 9 DVSA car practical test centres in Greater Manchester, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 56.0% at Bredbury (Manchester).
- Bredbury (Manchester) 56.0% pass rate, 2025/26
- Bolton (Manchester) 51.8% pass rate, 2025/26
- Sale (Manchester) 51.4% pass rate, 2025/26
- Rochdale (Manchester) 48.3% pass rate, 2025/26
- West Didsbury (Manchester) 47.7% pass rate, 2025/26
- Chadderton 46.8% pass rate, 2025/26
- Bury (Manchester) 46.3% pass rate, 2025/26
- Cheetham Hill (Manchester) 44.7% pass rate, 2025/26
- Atherton (Manchester) 44.3% pass rate, 2025/26
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 Greater Manchester
Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.
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 | 1,642,570 licensed vehicles in Greater Manchester | 26 October 2026 |
| Plug-in and electric vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 173,620 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 |
- Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Greater Manchester 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.
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.