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Manchester motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
208,308 licensed vehicles in Manchester
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 182,439 −4.1% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 279 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 6,466 3.5% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 1.9% 52nd lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 756 128 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 9.8% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Manchester?

There were 182,439 licensed cars in Manchester at the end of March 2026, and 208,308 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 37.6% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 279 for every 1,000 residents, 22nd lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Manchester

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Manchester at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 153,894132,579
2011 153,257131,982
2012 150,337129,757
2013 150,000129,367
2014 153,477132,914
2015 157,506136,922
2016 165,762142,988
2017 171,065147,419
2018 174,724151,237
2019 180,520156,606
2020 183,271159,881
2021 187,936162,694
2022 192,055166,821
2023 195,544170,212
2024 200,796175,258
2025 215,344190,200
2026 208,308182,439

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, Manchester compared
Year ManchesterNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 262429–
2012 255425–
2013 255428–
2014 261433–
2015 264435473
2016 269438480
2017 276440488
2018 282443490
2019 290448493
2020 288446489
2021 299477493
2022 295472489
2023 295472489
2024 300474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Manchester

53.9% of cars in Manchester run on petrol and 29.8% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 37.5% in 2021. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 10.8%, and cars that plug in 5.2%.

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 Manchester, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 77.6%22.1%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 75.5%24.1%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 73.6%26.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 71.5%28.0%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 69.4%30.0%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2015 67.0%32.3%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 64.7%34.3%0.7%0.1%0.0%
2017 62.8%35.9%0.9%0.1%0.1%
2018 61.7%36.8%1.2%0.1%0.1%
2019 61.1%36.9%1.5%0.1%0.2%
2020 60.2%37.3%1.9%0.2%0.2%
2021 59.3%37.5%2.5%0.3%0.3%
2022 58.4%36.9%3.4%0.6%0.5%
2023 57.7%35.8%4.9%0.9%0.6%
2024 56.4%33.9%6.6%2.0%0.8%
2025 51.8%29.9%8.0%8.9%1.1%
2026 53.9%29.8%10.8%3.5%1.6%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Manchester

6,466 battery electric cars were licensed in Manchester at the end of March 2026, 3.5% of all cars, 181st lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 9,415 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 16,926, 10,460 more. DfT notes that big changes like this often happen when a leasing or rental company changes its registered address.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 1.9% are battery electric (3,190 cars), 6th lowest of 35 councils in the North West. Companies keep 50.7% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 9.8% of its cars overall. There are also 508 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, Manchester compared, end of March each year
Year ManchesterNorth 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 0.3%0.7%0.7%
2022 0.6%1.5%1.3%
2023 0.9%2.6%2.1%
2024 2.0%3.8%3.0%
2025 8.9%5.4%4.1%
2026 3.5%6.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Manchester

There were 756 public chargers in Manchester on 1 July 2026, 206 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 128 for every 100,000 residents, 153rd lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 12.2% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 8.1 privately kept plug-in cars in Manchester (UK 11.9), 63rd 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 Manchester by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 674184
Apr 2026 685186
Jul 2026 756206

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Manchester compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Manchester 12835
Greater Manchester 9642
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Manchester has 59 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.7% 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 Manchester with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Manchester 037 2,766 103 3.7% 5.6%
Manchester 043 4,079 139 3.4% 5.3%
Manchester 061 2,043 70 3.4% 5.4%
Manchester 029 3,832 124 3.2% 4.5%
Manchester 033 3,132 100 3.2% 5.1%
Manchester 045 4,039 131 3.2% 5.1%
Manchester 038 2,312 70 3.0% 4.8%
Manchester 042 2,769 80 2.9% 4.5%
Manchester 039 3,083 84 2.7% 4.6%
Manchester 047 3,896 107 2.7% 4.2%
Lowest electric shares
Manchester 057 695 0 0.0% 1.6%
Manchester 063 2,784 6 0.2% 1.3%
Manchester 001 3,212 19 0.6% 2.1%
Manchester 009 3,261 22 0.7% 1.7%
Manchester 059 1,789 15 0.8% 2.9%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 9 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Manchester

Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,755 million miles on roads in Manchester in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Manchester
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 1,534
1994 1,559
1995 1,585
1996 1,589
1997 1,609
1998 1,651
1999 1,676
2000 1,669
2001 1,670
2002 1,694
2003 1,701
2004 1,719
2005 1,670
2006 1,661
2007 1,677
2008 1,641
2009 1,621
2010 1,579
2011 1,602
2012 1,600
2013 1,597
2014 1,636
2015 1,653
2016 1,649
2017 1,678
2018 1,667
2019 1,691
2020 1,358
2021 1,486
2022 1,619
2023 1,678
2024 1,739
2025 1,755

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Manchester, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 714175
2022 701165
2023 638182
2024 720251
2025 712261

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Manchester

Unleaded petrol averages 170.7p a litre across 43 filling stations in Manchester, 1.0p below the UK average. Diesel averages 194.1p, 0.5p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Asda Eastlands Supercentre Manchester 164.7p
  2. Tesco Blackley Manchester Superstore Manchester 164.9p
  3. Tesco Manchester Gorton Extra Manchester 164.9p

Every filling station and price in Manchester

How Manchester compares

Manchester compared with Greater Manchester, the North West, England, the UK
Manchester 279 3.5% 1.9% 9.8% 128 8.1
Greater Manchester 389 8.3% 2.5% 17.1% 96 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 Greater Manchester

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

Councils in Greater Manchester
Stockport 466 27.0% 3.0% 50.2% 115 19.7
Bury 429 4.9% 2.8% 18.8% 55 36.8
Salford 330 4.6% 2.4% 16.1% 96 14.7
Trafford 448 4.3% 3.5% 5.1% 189 13.7
Manchester 279 3.5% 1.9% 9.8% 128 8.1
Wigan 455 3.3% 2.7% 4.8% 76 26.2
Bolton 408 3.2% 2.4% 6.4% 55 31.3
Rochdale 403 3.1% 2.4% 6.3% 72 22.0
Oldham 378 2.8% 2.1% 7.4% 71 19.5
Tameside 412 2.8% 2.1% 5.5% 59 25.0

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 208,308 licensed vehicles in Manchester 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 10,393 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 Manchester 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.