North West · County
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.
- Licensed cars 640,480 +1.6% on a year earlier
- Private cars per 1,000 people 468 UK 444
- Battery electric cars 24,971 3.9% of cars (UK 5.8%)
- Electric share of private cars 3.2% UK 3.1%
- Public chargers 1,469 113 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
- Company-registered cars 5.3% UK 10.0%
How many cars are there in Lancashire?
There were 640,480 licensed cars in Lancashire at the end of June 2026, and 793,672 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 17.7% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 468 for every 1,000 residents (UK 444).
Licensed vehicles in Lancashire
Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.
| Year | All vehicles | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 655,542 | 544,244 |
| 2011 | 655,511 | 543,624 |
| 2012 | 653,595 | 542,432 |
| 2013 | 659,093 | 546,522 |
| 2014 | 668,528 | 553,517 |
| 2015 | 674,569 | 558,189 |
| 2016 | 685,428 | 565,103 |
| 2017 | 700,332 | 575,572 |
| 2018 | 708,685 | 581,765 |
| 2019 | 721,615 | 591,049 |
| 2020 | 719,712 | 591,100 |
| 2021 | 740,855 | 601,936 |
| 2022 | 745,560 | 604,204 |
| 2023 | 757,022 | 612,429 |
| 2024 | 770,152 | 622,136 |
| 2025 | 780,208 | 630,199 |
| 2026 | 793,672 | 640,480 |
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 | Lancashire | North West | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 464 | 429 | – |
| 2012 | 462 | 425 | – |
| 2013 | 464 | 428 | – |
| 2014 | 468 | 433 | – |
| 2015 | 469 | 435 | 473 |
| 2016 | 473 | 438 | 480 |
| 2017 | 479 | 440 | 488 |
| 2018 | 481 | 443 | 490 |
| 2019 | 486 | 448 | 493 |
| 2020 | 483 | 446 | 489 |
| 2021 | 487 | 477 | 493 |
| 2022 | 481 | 472 | 489 |
| 2023 | 480 | 472 | 489 |
| 2024 | 480 | 474 | 490 |
Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated
Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Lancashire
52.8% of cars in Lancashire run on petrol and 32.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 41.1% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.3%, and cars that plug in 5.9%.
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 | 70.7% | 28.9% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 68.7% | 30.9% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 66.8% | 32.8% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 65.0% | 34.5% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 63.1% | 36.3% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 61.4% | 37.9% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 59.7% | 39.5% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 58.5% | 40.5% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 57.7% | 41.1% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 57.4% | 41.1% | 1.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 57.1% | 41.1% | 1.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2021 | 56.7% | 40.6% | 1.8% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| 2022 | 56.1% | 39.8% | 2.5% | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| 2023 | 55.7% | 38.6% | 3.4% | 1.3% | 0.7% |
| 2024 | 55.1% | 36.9% | 4.8% | 1.8% | 1.0% |
| 2025 | 54.1% | 34.8% | 6.5% | 2.7% | 1.4% |
| 2026 | 52.8% | 32.5% | 8.3% | 3.9% | 2.0% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Electric cars in Lancashire
24,971 battery electric cars were licensed in Lancashire at the end of June 2026, 3.9% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 37,902 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 16,967.
Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.2% are battery electric (19,496 cars). Companies keep 21.9% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.3% of its cars overall. There are also 813 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 | Lancashire | 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 | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | 1.7% | 1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | 2.9% | 2.3% |
| 2024 | 1.8% | 4.1% | 3.2% |
| 2025 | 2.7% | 5.3% | 4.4% |
| 2026 | 3.9% | 6.6% | 5.8% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 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 20.7 privately kept plug-in cars in Lancashire (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 | 1,551 | 572 |
| Apr 2026 | 1,521 | 579 |
| Jul 2026 | 1,469 | 601 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Chargers per 100,000 residents
| Area | All chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Lancashire | 113 | 46 |
| North West | 112 | 40 |
| England | 173 | 41 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
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
| 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
| Year | Collisions | Killed or seriously injured |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,068 | 683 |
| 2022 | 2,159 | 776 |
| 2023 | 2,186 | 712 |
| 2024 | 2,126 | 670 |
| 2025 | 2,146 | 720 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
Petrol and diesel prices in Lancashire
Unleaded petrol averages 171.4p a litre across 117 filling stations in Lancashire, 0.1p below the UK average. Diesel averages 198.7p, the same as the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.
Cheapest petrol
- Texaco Highshot Haslengden Service Station, Manchester Road, Haslingden, Rossendale, Lancashire, BB4 5PD Rossendale 161.9p
- Shell Rossendale Service Station Rossendale 162.9p
- Texaco Sandybank Garage Rossendale 162.9p
How Lancashire compares
| Lancashire | 468 | 3.9% | 113 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Lancashire
There are 4 DVSA car practical test centres in Lancashire, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 59.2% at Heysham.
- Heysham 59.2% pass rate, 2025/26
- Preston 56.3% pass rate, 2025/26
- Chorley 52.8% pass rate, 2025/26
- Nelson 51.7% 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 Lancashire
Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.
| Chorley | 506 | 4.7% | 124 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ribble Valley | 546 | 4.7% | 123 |
| West Lancashire | 491 | 4.7% | 76 |
| South Ribble | 527 | 4.4% | 167 |
| Fylde | 533 | 4.3% | 133 |
| Wyre | 508 | 4.0% | 136 |
| Preston | 396 | 3.9% | 79 |
| Rossendale | 476 | 3.5% | 179 |
| Lancaster | 438 | 3.3% | 135 |
| Hyndburn | 421 | 2.9% | 58 |
| Burnley | 393 | 2.8% | 108 |
| Pendle | 425 | 2.5% | 63 |
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 | 793,672 licensed vehicles in Lancashire | 26 October 2026 |
| Plug-in and electric vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 39,201 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 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.
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.