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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
50,721 licensed vehicles in Hartlepool
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 43,385 +1.7% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 418 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 1,362 3.1% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.5% 90th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 89 91 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.4% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Hartlepool?

There were 43,385 licensed cars in Hartlepool at the end of June 2026, and 50,721 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 23.4% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 418 for every 1,000 residents, 85th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

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 40,71535,158
2011 40,62135,198
2012 40,73335,346
2013 41,37835,906
2014 42,33136,680
2015 42,63737,046
2016 43,54637,852
2017 44,47838,621
2018 45,00639,139
2019 45,89139,827
2020 46,05740,063
2021 47,05940,635
2022 47,28740,743
2023 47,99441,283
2024 49,10542,098
2025 49,87542,645
2026 50,72143,385

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.

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

51.4% of cars in Hartlepool run on petrol and 36.9% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 44.0% in 2021. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.7%, and cars that plug in 4.6%.

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.

Share of licensed cars by fuel type in Hartlepool, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 71.3%28.4%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 69.2%30.5%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2012 67.4%32.3%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 65.3%34.4%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 63.3%36.3%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2015 61.5%38.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2016 59.4%40.1%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2017 58.0%41.3%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2018 56.9%42.4%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2019 56.2%42.9%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2020 55.3%43.7%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2021 54.4%44.0%1.0%0.2%0.2%
2022 53.9%43.6%1.4%0.5%0.3%
2023 53.6%42.7%2.1%0.8%0.4%
2024 52.9%41.3%3.4%1.3%0.6%
2025 52.0%39.5%5.1%2.1%0.9%
2026 51.4%36.9%6.7%3.1%1.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Hartlepool

1,362 battery electric cars were licensed in Hartlepool at the end of June 2026, 3.1% of all cars, 82nd lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 2,002 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 902.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.5% are battery electric (1,029 cars), 3rd lowest of 12 councils in the North East. Companies keep 24.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.4% of its cars overall. There are also 39 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%0.4%
2021 0.2%0.4%0.8%
2022 0.5%0.7%1.5%
2023 0.8%1.1%2.3%
2024 1.3%1.7%3.2%
2025 2.1%2.5%4.4%
2026 3.1%3.6%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 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 18.1 privately kept plug-in cars in Hartlepool (UK 12.9), 167th 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 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, 1.4% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.2%. 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 9,919 419 4.2% 6.6%
Hartlepool 011 4,337 123 2.8% 4.4%
Hartlepool 001 5,883 140 2.4% 3.8%
Hartlepool 015 5,222 96 1.8% 3.3%
Hartlepool 010 3,403 57 1.7% 2.4%
Hartlepool 002 4,337 49 1.1% 2.4%
Hartlepool 007 2,686 29 1.1% 2.0%
Hartlepool 009 2,823 28 1.0% 2.0%
Hartlepool 012 2,850 20 0.7% 1.3%
Hartlepool 003 3,148 20 0.6% 1.9%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 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 168.4p a litre across 9 filling stations in Hartlepool, 3.1p below the UK average. Diesel averages 194.9p, 3.8p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Hartlepool Service Station Hartlepool 164.6p
  2. Asda Hartlepool Superstore Hartlepool 164.7p
  3. MFG Morrisons Hartlepool County Durham 164.7p

Every filling station and price in Hartlepool

How Hartlepool compares

Hartlepool compared with the North East, England, the UK
Hartlepool 418 3.1% 2.5% 5.4% 91 18.1
North East 424 3.6% 3.0% 5.8% 150 12.8
England 440 6.2% 3.2% 10.7% 173 13.4
United Kingdom4445.8%3.1%10.0%17512.9

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 June 2026.

Driving test centres in Hartlepool

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Hartlepool, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 51.0% at Hartlepool.

Other centres in the North East:

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 the North East

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

Councils in the North East
Northumberland 505 4.1% 3.6% 4.4% 238 11.3
Newcastle upon Tyne 315 4.0% 3.2% 7.1% 122 12.7
North Tyneside 419 4.0% 3.3% 6.3% 62 32.9
Stockton-on-Tees 453 3.8% 3.1% 5.0% 133 16.0
County Durham 453 3.7% 3.1% 5.3% 149 13.9
Gateshead 388 3.5% 2.8% 5.7% 198 8.3
Sunderland 404 3.5% 2.9% 5.1% 192 9.0
Darlington 460 3.3% 2.9% 14.8% 143 14.4
South Tyneside 399 3.3% 2.6% 5.0% 175 9.5
Hartlepool 418 3.1% 2.5% 5.4% 91 18.1
Redcar and Cleveland 469 2.7% 2.2% 4.9% 103 15.6
Middlesbrough 385 2.6% 2.0% 5.7% 91 13.8

Data stories to read next

All insights

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 50,721 licensed vehicles in Hartlepool 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 2,055 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 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.