My Garage

Popular searches

North East · Unitary authority

Hartlepool motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
50,128 licensed vehicles in Hartlepool
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 43,063 +1.3% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 415 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 1,216 2.8% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.2% 84th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 89 91 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.4% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Hartlepool?

There were 43,063 licensed cars in Hartlepool at the end of March 2026, and 50,128 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 23.1% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 415 for every 1,000 residents, 84th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Hartlepool

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Hartlepool at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 40,46334,988
2011 40,35535,057
2012 40,57735,368
2013 40,86535,639
2014 41,63336,326
2015 42,21136,862
2016 43,14337,654
2017 44,12438,462
2018 44,54438,876
2019 45,47339,584
2020 46,26040,400
2021 46,52440,412
2022 46,88540,572
2023 47,53941,048
2024 48,44541,740
2025 49,44942,516
2026 50,12843,063

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, Hartlepool compared
Year HartlepoolNorth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 382401–
2012 383402–
2013 388405–
2014 397411–
2015 402415473
2016 410420480
2017 418426488
2018 424429490
2019 431435493
2020 435436489
2021 439442493
2022 433439489
2023 430438489
2024 429439490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Hartlepool

51.5% of cars in Hartlepool run on petrol and 37.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 44.0% in 2021. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.3%, and cars that plug in 4.1%.

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 Hartlepool, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 71.7%28.0%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 69.7%30.0%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2012 67.8%31.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 65.7%34.0%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 63.7%35.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2015 61.7%37.8%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2016 59.9%39.6%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2017 58.2%41.1%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2018 56.8%42.5%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2019 56.3%42.9%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2020 55.4%43.6%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2021 54.6%44.0%0.9%0.2%0.2%
2022 53.9%43.9%1.3%0.5%0.3%
2023 53.7%43.0%1.9%0.8%0.4%
2024 53.0%41.8%3.1%1.2%0.6%
2025 52.2%40.1%4.6%1.9%0.8%
2026 51.5%37.7%6.3%2.8%1.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Hartlepool

1,216 battery electric cars were licensed in Hartlepool at the end of March 2026, 2.8% of all cars, 81st lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 1,773 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 799.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.2% are battery electric (882 cars), 3rd lowest of 12 councils in the North East. Companies keep 27.5% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.4% of its cars overall. There are also 31 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, Hartlepool compared, end of March each year
Year HartlepoolNorth EastUnited Kingdom
2016 0.0%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.1%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.1%0.2%0.3%
2021 0.2%0.3%0.7%
2022 0.5%0.6%1.3%
2023 0.8%1.0%2.1%
2024 1.2%1.5%3.0%
2025 1.9%2.3%4.1%
2026 2.8%3.3%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Hartlepool

There were 89 public chargers in Hartlepool on 1 July 2026, 20 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 91 for every 100,000 residents, 76th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 2.3% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 14.9 privately kept plug-in cars in Hartlepool (UK 11.9), 169th 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 Hartlepool by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 8717
Apr 2026 9318
Jul 2026 8920

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Hartlepool compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Hartlepool 9120
North East 15037
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Hartlepool has 11 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.3% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.7%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Hartlepool with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Hartlepool 014 9,786 366 3.7% 5.9%
Hartlepool 011 4,295 107 2.5% 3.8%
Hartlepool 001 5,804 117 2.0% 3.3%
Hartlepool 015 5,202 82 1.6% 2.9%
Hartlepool 010 3,365 50 1.5% 2.1%
Hartlepool 007 2,619 28 1.1% 1.9%
Hartlepool 009 2,786 27 1.0% 1.7%
Hartlepool 002 4,285 40 0.9% 2.1%
Hartlepool 012 2,817 16 0.6% 1.2%
Hartlepool 003 3,098 16 0.5% 1.6%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 1 neighbourhood is left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Hartlepool

Vehicles travelled an estimated 430 million miles on roads in Hartlepool in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Hartlepool
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 342
1994 347
1995 353
1996 360
1997 372
1998 375
1999 385
2000 377
2001 383
2002 389
2003 390
2004 386
2005 380
2006 378
2007 373
2008 369
2009 359
2010 349
2011 350
2012 362
2013 361
2014 364
2015 372
2016 380
2017 383
2018 397
2019 406
2020 322
2021 360
2022 397
2023 411
2024 421
2025 430

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Hartlepool, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 11631
2022 12543
2023 8932
2024 7432
2025 9246

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Hartlepool

Unleaded petrol averages 169.0p a litre across 9 filling stations in Hartlepool, 2.7p below the UK average. Diesel averages 191.8p, 2.8p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Hartlepool Service Station Hartlepool 164.6p
  2. Asda Hartlepool Superstore Hartlepool 164.7p
  3. Tesco Hartlepool Extra Hartlepool 164.9p

Every filling station and price in Hartlepool

How Hartlepool compares

Hartlepool compared with the North East, England, the UK
Hartlepool 415 2.8% 2.2% 5.4% 91 14.9
North East 422 3.3% 2.7% 5.9% 150 11.8
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 East

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

Councils in the North East
Newcastle upon Tyne 312 3.8% 2.8% 8.0% 122 11.2
North Tyneside 417 3.7% 3.0% 6.3% 62 28.7
Northumberland 501 3.7% 3.2% 4.4% 238 10.1
Stockton-on-Tees 450 3.4% 2.7% 5.0% 133 14.7
County Durham 450 3.3% 2.8% 5.3% 149 12.9
Gateshead 385 3.2% 2.5% 5.7% 198 7.9
Sunderland 402 3.2% 2.5% 5.2% 192 8.3
Darlington 456 3.0% 2.6% 14.9% 143 13.2
South Tyneside 398 3.0% 2.3% 5.1% 175 11.1
Hartlepool 415 2.8% 2.2% 5.4% 91 14.9
Middlesbrough 382 2.5% 1.8% 5.7% 91 12.3
Redcar and Cleveland 465 2.4% 1.9% 4.9% 103 14.0

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 50,128 licensed vehicles in Hartlepool 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 1,816 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 Hartlepool 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.