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Newcastle upon Tyne motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
122,651 licensed vehicles in Newcastle upon Tyne
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 108,674 +2.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 315 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 4,307 4.0% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.2% 159th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 392 122 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 7.1% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Newcastle upon Tyne?

There were 108,674 licensed cars in Newcastle upon Tyne at the end of June 2026, and 122,651 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 26.6% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 315 for every 1,000 residents, 31st lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Newcastle upon Tyne

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Newcastle upon Tyne at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 98,46085,859
2011 98,35985,646
2012 97,56084,991
2013 98,47885,695
2014 100,06587,143
2015 101,94788,575
2016 103,49390,103
2017 105,94992,096
2018 107,00493,184
2019 108,97195,022
2020 108,90395,527
2021 112,48298,329
2022 113,26599,121
2023 114,916101,021
2024 118,214104,214
2025 120,356106,498
2026 122,651108,674

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, Newcastle upon Tyne compared
Year Newcastle upon TyneNorth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 307401–
2012 303402–
2013 301405–
2014 304411–
2015 308415473
2016 310420480
2017 316426488
2018 316429490
2019 320435493
2020 320436489
2021 329442493
2022 325439489
2023 322438489
2024 325439490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Newcastle upon Tyne

53.3% of cars in Newcastle upon Tyne run on petrol and 31.1% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 40.8% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.2%, 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.

Share of licensed cars by fuel type in Newcastle upon Tyne, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 72.6%27.1%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 70.5%29.2%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 68.4%31.3%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 66.3%33.2%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 64.4%35.0%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 62.6%36.7%0.4%0.1%0.0%
2016 60.7%38.5%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2017 59.2%39.9%0.6%0.2%0.1%
2018 58.1%40.8%0.7%0.2%0.1%
2019 58.1%40.5%0.9%0.2%0.2%
2020 58.1%40.1%1.2%0.3%0.2%
2021 57.6%39.6%1.6%0.5%0.4%
2022 57.0%38.9%2.4%0.9%0.6%
2023 56.4%37.7%3.5%1.4%0.7%
2024 55.7%35.8%5.0%2.1%1.0%
2025 54.7%33.6%7.0%2.9%1.4%
2026 53.3%31.1%9.2%4.0%1.9%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Newcastle upon Tyne

4,307 battery electric cars were licensed in Newcastle upon Tyne at the end of June 2026, 4.0% of all cars, 158th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 6,392 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 3,119.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.2% are battery electric (3,195 cars), 3rd highest of 12 councils in the North East. Companies keep 25.8% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 7.1% of its cars overall. There are also 212 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, Newcastle upon Tyne compared, end of March each year
Year Newcastle upon TyneNorth EastUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.2%0.4%
2021 0.5%0.4%0.8%
2022 0.9%0.7%1.5%
2023 1.4%1.1%2.3%
2024 2.1%1.7%3.2%
2025 2.9%2.5%4.4%
2026 4.0%3.6%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Newcastle upon Tyne

There were 392 public chargers in Newcastle upon Tyne on 1 July 2026, 90 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 122 for every 100,000 residents, 140th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 4.3% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 12.7 privately kept plug-in cars in Newcastle upon Tyne (UK 12.9), 115th 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 Newcastle upon Tyne by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 37678
Apr 2026 39785
Jul 2026 39290

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Newcastle upon Tyne compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Newcastle upon Tyne 12228
Tyne and Wear 14840
North East 15037
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Newcastle upon Tyne has 34 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.3% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 7.3%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Newcastle upon Tyne with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Newcastle upon Tyne 032 6,676 485 7.3% 10.0%
Newcastle upon Tyne 002 5,267 245 4.7% 6.9%
Newcastle upon Tyne 006 4,866 215 4.4% 7.5%
Newcastle upon Tyne 007 4,663 198 4.2% 6.4%
Newcastle upon Tyne 004 4,972 203 4.1% 6.4%
Newcastle upon Tyne 025 2,498 96 3.8% 5.4%
Newcastle upon Tyne 031 6,073 197 3.2% 5.0%
Newcastle upon Tyne 033 2,862 91 3.2% 4.9%
Newcastle upon Tyne 005 3,873 121 3.1% 5.2%
Newcastle upon Tyne 014 5,796 169 2.9% 4.9%
Lowest electric shares
Newcastle upon Tyne 037 897 0 0.0% 0.9%
Newcastle upon Tyne 028 1,838 0 0.0% 1.3%
Newcastle upon Tyne 038 2,590 10 0.4% 1.4%
Newcastle upon Tyne 039 1,148 8 0.7% 2.5%
Newcastle upon Tyne 022 3,402 42 1.2% 2.4%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026. 6 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Newcastle upon Tyne

Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,158 million miles on roads in Newcastle upon Tyne in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Newcastle upon Tyne
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 1,037
1994 1,049
1995 1,064
1996 1,068
1997 1,084
1998 1,095
1999 1,120
2000 1,093
2001 1,111
2002 1,120
2003 1,107
2004 1,129
2005 1,115
2006 1,094
2007 1,104
2008 1,084
2009 1,054
2010 1,038
2011 1,035
2012 1,026
2013 1,026
2014 1,035
2015 1,042
2016 1,054
2017 1,068
2018 1,086
2019 1,108
2020 872
2021 943
2022 1,029
2023 1,081
2024 1,135
2025 1,158

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Newcastle upon Tyne, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 44986
2022 43383
2023 46994
2024 434104
2025 465109

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Newcastle upon Tyne

Unleaded petrol averages 170.0p a litre across 24 filling stations in Newcastle upon Tyne, 1.5p below the UK average. Diesel averages 198.0p, 0.7p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Sainsbury's Heaton Newcastle Newcastle Upon Tyne 166.9p
  2. MFG Morrisons Newcastle Upon Tyne Cowgate Newcastle Upon Tyne 167.7p
  3. Benton Rd Esso Express Newcastle Upon Tyne 167.9p

Every filling station and price in Newcastle upon Tyne

How Newcastle upon Tyne compares

Newcastle upon Tyne compared with Tyne and Wear, the North East, England, the UK
Newcastle upon Tyne 315 4.0% 3.2% 7.1% 122 12.7
Tyne and Wear 379 3.7% 3.0% 5.9% 148 11.6
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 Newcastle upon Tyne

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 48.4% at Gosforth.

Other centres in Tyne and Wear:

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 Tyne and Wear

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

Councils in Tyne and Wear
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
Gateshead 388 3.5% 2.8% 5.7% 198 8.3
Sunderland 404 3.5% 2.9% 5.1% 192 9.0
South Tyneside 399 3.3% 2.6% 5.0% 175 9.5

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 122,651 licensed vehicles in Newcastle upon Tyne 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 6,643 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 Newcastle upon Tyne 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.