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Halton motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
80,223 licensed vehicles in Halton
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 66,748 +1.7% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 458 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 3,851 5.8% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.0% 136th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 88 67 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 9.8% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Halton?

There were 66,748 licensed cars in Halton at the end of March 2026, and 80,223 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.2% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 458 for every 1,000 residents, 125th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Halton

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Halton at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 65,75355,988
2011 66,54856,515
2012 68,13256,518
2013 69,12157,033
2014 70,08057,787
2015 70,57358,331
2016 70,40759,162
2017 71,02559,661
2018 72,62461,224
2019 74,10762,312
2020 74,93063,261
2021 74,96362,946
2022 75,76563,172
2023 76,53163,648
2024 77,76664,784
2025 78,81665,613
2026 80,22366,748

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, Halton compared
Year HaltonNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 449429–
2012 452425–
2013 456428–
2014 460433–
2015 463435473
2016 466438480
2017 472440488
2018 482443490
2019 487448493
2020 486446489
2021 492477493
2022 489472489
2023 492472489
2024 495474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Halton

54.5% of cars in Halton run on petrol and 29.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 40.1% in 2019. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.2%, and cars that plug in 7.5%.

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 Halton, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 73.1%26.6%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 70.8%28.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 68.6%31.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 66.5%33.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 65.1%34.5%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 63.4%36.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2016 61.6%37.8%0.3%0.1%0.1%
2017 60.2%39.2%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2018 59.2%40.1%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2019 59.0%40.1%0.6%0.1%0.2%
2020 59.1%39.8%0.7%0.2%0.2%
2021 59.1%39.1%1.0%0.4%0.3%
2022 58.7%38.2%1.5%1.0%0.4%
2023 58.5%36.6%2.3%1.7%0.5%
2024 57.3%34.8%3.9%3.0%0.7%
2025 55.9%32.3%6.1%4.3%1.1%
2026 54.5%29.5%8.2%5.8%1.7%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Halton

3,851 battery electric cars were licensed in Halton at the end of March 2026, 5.8% of all cars, 23rd highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 4,981 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,802.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.0% are battery electric (1,783 cars), 11th highest of 35 councils in the North West. Companies keep 53.7% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 9.8% of its cars overall. There are also 324 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, Halton compared, end of March each year
Year HaltonNorth 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 0.2%0.2%0.3%
2021 0.4%0.7%0.7%
2022 1.0%1.5%1.3%
2023 1.7%2.6%2.1%
2024 3.0%3.8%3.0%
2025 4.3%5.4%4.1%
2026 5.8%6.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Halton

There were 88 public chargers in Halton on 1 July 2026, 11 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 67 for every 100,000 residents, 33rd lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 10.0% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 32.5 privately kept plug-in cars in Halton (UK 11.9), 28th 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 Halton by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 8010
Apr 2026 8610
Jul 2026 8811

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Halton compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Halton 678
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Halton has 16 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.1% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 5.7%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Halton with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Halton 009 7,135 404 5.7% 8.1%
Halton 001 5,542 261 4.7% 7.3%
Halton 002 6,086 238 3.9% 6.8%
Halton 005 4,214 104 2.5% 4.0%
Halton 016 4,186 101 2.4% 3.8%
Halton 011 4,022 92 2.3% 3.3%
Halton 003 3,762 84 2.2% 3.3%
Halton 006 3,542 75 2.1% 3.0%
Halton 012 5,831 114 2.0% 2.9%
Halton 010 2,857 54 1.9% 3.0%
Lowest electric shares
Halton 004 3,164 26 0.8% 2.3%
Halton 007 3,160 35 1.1% 2.1%
Halton 015 2,796 38 1.4% 2.1%
Halton 013 4,021 69 1.7% 2.4%
Halton 014 2,907 51 1.8% 2.8%

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

Road traffic and collisions in Halton

Vehicles travelled an estimated 665 million miles on roads in Halton in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Halton
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 497
1994 507
1995 517
1996 535
1997 553
1998 570
1999 571
2000 586
2001 582
2002 591
2003 612
2004 612
2005 607
2006 617
2007 622
2008 614
2009 611
2010 596
2011 605
2012 612
2013 613
2014 629
2015 637
2016 638
2017 623
2018 681
2019 689
2020 553
2021 589
2022 639
2023 634
2024 644
2025 665

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Halton, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 14827
2022 15740
2023 15840
2024 12336
2025 13040

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Halton

Unleaded petrol averages 170.6p a litre across 11 filling stations in Halton, 1.1p below the UK average. Diesel averages 194.0p, 0.6p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Asda Widnes Superstore Widnes 166.7p
  2. MFG Morrisons Widnes Appleton Ward 166.9p
  3. Tesco Widnes Extra Widnes 166.9p

Every filling station and price in Halton

How Halton compares

Halton compared with the North West, England, the UK
Halton 458 5.8% 3.0% 9.8% 67 32.5
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 80,223 licensed vehicles in Halton 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 5,330 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 Halton 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.