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Lancashire motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
784,827 licensed vehicles in Lancashire
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 635,836 +1.5% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 465 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 22,615 3.6% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.9% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 1,469 113 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.3% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Lancashire?

There were 635,836 licensed cars in Lancashire at the end of March 2026, and 784,827 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 17.4% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 465 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Lancashire

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Lancashire at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 650,769541,728
2011 652,871543,252
2012 649,836541,308
2013 651,021542,086
2014 660,372549,176
2015 668,012554,880
2016 681,451564,277
2017 693,524572,124
2018 701,318578,350
2019 714,611587,217
2020 724,438597,232
2021 729,096596,076
2022 738,556601,237
2023 748,821608,302
2024 762,326617,899
2025 772,464626,397
2026 784,827635,836

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, Lancashire compared
Year LancashireNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 464429–
2012 462425–
2013 464428–
2014 468433–
2015 469435473
2016 473438480
2017 479440488
2018 481443490
2019 486448493
2020 483446489
2021 487477493
2022 481472489
2023 480472489
2024 480474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Lancashire

53.0% of cars in Lancashire run on petrol and 33.2% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 41.2% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.9%, and cars that plug in 5.4%.

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 Lancashire, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 71.1%28.6%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 69.2%30.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 67.2%32.4%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 65.4%34.2%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 63.5%36.0%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 61.7%37.6%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 60.0%39.2%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2017 58.7%40.4%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2018 57.7%41.2%0.8%0.1%0.1%
2019 57.4%41.2%1.0%0.1%0.2%
2020 57.1%41.1%1.2%0.2%0.2%
2021 56.7%40.9%1.6%0.4%0.3%
2022 56.1%40.1%2.3%0.7%0.5%
2023 55.7%39.0%3.1%1.1%0.7%
2024 55.2%37.4%4.4%1.7%0.9%
2025 54.3%35.4%6.1%2.4%1.3%
2026 53.0%33.2%7.9%3.6%1.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Lancashire

22,615 battery electric cars were licensed in Lancashire at the end of March 2026, 3.6% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 34,296 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 15,256.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.9% are battery electric (17,212 cars). Companies keep 23.9% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.3% of its cars overall. There are also 680 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, Lancashire compared, end of March each year
Year LancashireNorth 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 0.7%1.5%1.3%
2023 1.1%2.6%2.1%
2024 1.7%3.8%3.0%
2025 2.4%5.4%4.1%
2026 3.6%6.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Lancashire

There were 1,469 public chargers in Lancashire on 1 July 2026, 601 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 113 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 5.3% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 17.8 privately kept plug-in cars in Lancashire (UK 11.9). A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Lancashire by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 1,551572
Apr 2026 1,521579
Jul 2026 1,469601

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Lancashire compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Lancashire 11346
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Road traffic and collisions in Lancashire

Vehicles travelled an estimated 7,641 million miles on roads in Lancashire in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Lancashire
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 5,705
1994 5,814
1995 5,935
1996 6,078
1997 6,185
1998 6,326
1999 6,484
2000 6,370
2001 6,432
2002 6,603
2003 6,572
2004 6,735
2005 6,712
2006 6,805
2007 6,755
2008 6,771
2009 6,719
2010 6,668
2011 6,721
2012 6,617
2013 6,711
2014 6,879
2015 7,055
2016 7,049
2017 7,067
2018 7,138
2019 7,342
2020 5,779
2021 6,577
2022 7,055
2023 7,167
2024 7,332
2025 7,641

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Lancashire, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 2,068683
2022 2,159776
2023 2,186712
2024 2,126670
2025 2,146720

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Lancashire

Unleaded petrol averages 171.2p a litre across 160 filling stations in Lancashire, 0.5p below the UK average. Diesel averages 194.8p, 0.2p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Esso Asda North End S/Stn Express Petrol Preston 161.9p
  2. Tesco Rossendale Haslingden Superstore Rossendale 161.9p
  3. Tesco Rawtenstall Lancashire 161.9p

Every filling station and price in Lancashire

How Lancashire compares

Lancashire compared with the North West, England, the UK
Lancashire 465 3.6% 2.9% 5.3% 113 17.8
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 Lancashire

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

Councils in Lancashire
Chorley 503 4.3% 3.6% 4.1% 124 24.4
Ribble Valley 543 4.3% 3.8% 3.8% 123 27.3
West Lancashire 488 4.3% 3.3% 6.5% 76 18.2
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
Rossendale 474 3.1% 2.5% 5.3% 179 11.3
Lancaster 436 3.0% 2.5% 4.2% 135 12.4
Hyndburn 418 2.7% 1.9% 6.7% 58 24.0
Burnley 389 2.6% 1.9% 6.1% 108 11.6
Pendle 420 2.4% 1.7% 6.0% 63 20.2

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 784,827 licensed vehicles in Lancashire 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 35,414 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
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Lancashire 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.
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.