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Merseyside motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
737,617 licensed vehicles in Merseyside
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 620,426 +1.6% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 390 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 23,407 3.8% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.0% UK 3.1%
  • Public chargers 1,632 111 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 7.3% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Merseyside?

There were 620,426 licensed cars in Merseyside at the end of June 2026, and 737,617 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 18.0% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 390 for every 1,000 residents (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Merseyside

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Merseyside at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 607,344525,800
2011 605,229521,787
2012 600,923517,816
2013 604,238521,042
2014 613,980529,663
2015 620,716535,176
2016 631,402542,953
2017 643,704553,055
2018 652,200560,376
2019 663,938570,263
2020 664,231570,875
2021 684,939581,553
2022 692,276585,230
2023 701,106592,337
2024 712,788601,846
2025 723,080610,770
2026 737,617620,426

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, Merseyside compared
Year MerseysideNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 378429–
2012 375425–
2013 377428–
2014 382433–
2015 385435473
2016 388438480
2017 393440488
2018 397443490
2019 402448493
2020 403446489
2021 409477493
2022 407472489
2023 406472489
2024 408474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Merseyside

56.5% of cars in Merseyside run on petrol and 28.2% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 36.4% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.2%, and cars that plug in 5.7%.

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 Merseyside, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 76.0%23.7%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 74.0%25.7%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 72.2%27.4%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 70.4%29.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 68.6%30.9%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 66.6%32.8%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 64.6%34.6%0.5%0.1%0.0%
2017 63.4%35.8%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2018 62.6%36.3%0.8%0.1%0.1%
2019 62.3%36.4%1.0%0.1%0.1%
2020 62.0%36.4%1.2%0.2%0.2%
2021 61.5%36.1%1.7%0.3%0.3%
2022 60.9%35.4%2.4%0.6%0.5%
2023 60.3%34.3%3.4%1.0%0.6%
2024 59.4%32.6%5.1%1.6%0.9%
2025 58.1%30.5%7.1%2.6%1.3%
2026 56.5%28.2%9.2%3.8%2.0%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Merseyside

23,407 battery electric cars were licensed in Merseyside at the end of June 2026, 3.8% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 35,614 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 15,781.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.0% are battery electric (17,120 cars). Companies keep 26.9% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 7.3% of its cars overall. There are also 891 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, Merseyside compared, end of March each year
Year MerseysideNorth 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%0.4%
2021 0.3%0.8%0.8%
2022 0.6%1.7%1.5%
2023 1.0%2.9%2.3%
2024 1.6%4.1%3.2%
2025 2.6%5.3%4.4%
2026 3.8%6.6%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Merseyside

There were 1,632 public chargers in Merseyside on 1 July 2026, 383 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 111 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 24.0% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 16.8 privately kept plug-in cars in Merseyside (UK 12.9). A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Merseyside by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 1,316370
Apr 2026 1,512355
Jul 2026 1,632383

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Merseyside compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Merseyside 11126
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Petrol and diesel prices in Merseyside

Unleaded petrol averages 171.4p a litre across 105 filling stations in Merseyside, 0.1p below the UK average. Diesel averages 196.2p, 2.5p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Texaco West End Road Service Station St. Helens 161.9p
  2. Costco Wholesale Haydock Haydock 162.9p
  3. Asda Hunts Cross Superstore Liverpool 164.7p

Every filling station and price in Merseyside

How Merseyside compares

Merseyside compared with the North West, England, the UK
Merseyside 390 3.8% 3.0% 7.3% 111 16.8
North West 430 6.6% 3.1% 11.7% 112 18.9
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 Merseyside

There are 6 DVSA car practical test centres in Merseyside, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 56.5% at Southport (Liverpool).

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 Merseyside

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

Councils in Merseyside
Knowsley 383 4.6% 3.7% 8.5% 57 39.4
St Helens 453 3.8% 3.0% 6.0% 72 29.5
Wirral 455 3.8% 3.1% 5.8% 71 30.3
Sefton 427 3.7% 3.0% 6.7% 61 34.6
Liverpool 304 3.5% 2.5% 9.4% 196 6.7

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 737,617 licensed vehicles in Merseyside 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 37,170 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 Merseyside 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.