My Garage

Popular searches

England · Region of England

North East motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
1,529,273 licensed vehicles in North East
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 1,244,275 +1.4% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 424 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 45,159 3.6% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.0% UK 3.1%
  • Public chargers 4,147 150 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.8% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in the North East?

There were 1,244,275 licensed cars in the North East at the end of June 2026, and 1,529,273 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.5% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 424 for every 1,000 residents (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in the North East

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in the North East at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 1,237,5571,041,490
2011 1,234,1601,040,684
2012 1,270,1821,043,697
2013 1,279,8291,054,329
2014 1,303,6631,071,887
2015 1,318,8871,083,624
2016 1,337,5921,098,797
2017 1,360,8241,117,780
2018 1,381,0791,128,872
2019 1,398,0481,146,576
2020 1,393,7641,148,553
2021 1,436,4481,170,608
2022 1,447,8411,178,313
2023 1,462,8031,192,230
2024 1,486,0541,211,073
2025 1,505,5741,227,343
2026 1,529,2731,244,275

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, the North East compared
Year North EastEnglandUnited Kingdom
2011 401457–
2012 402455–
2013 405458–
2014 411463–
2015 415466473
2016 420471480
2017 426478488
2018 429480490
2019 435483493
2020 436477489
2021 442482493
2022 439478489
2023 438477489
2024 439478490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in the North East

53.3% of cars in the North East run on petrol and 32.8% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 41.7% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.2%, and cars that plug in 5.3%.

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 the North East, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 70.9%28.8%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 68.9%30.8%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2012 66.8%32.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 64.9%34.7%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 62.9%36.6%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 61.2%38.3%0.3%0.1%0.0%
2016 59.4%39.9%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2017 58.2%41.0%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2018 57.4%41.7%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2019 57.2%41.6%0.8%0.2%0.1%
2020 57.1%41.4%0.9%0.2%0.2%
2021 56.7%41.0%1.4%0.4%0.3%
2022 56.4%40.0%2.3%0.7%0.5%
2023 56.0%38.8%3.2%1.1%0.6%
2024 55.4%37.2%4.6%1.7%0.8%
2025 54.5%35.2%6.3%2.5%1.1%
2026 53.3%32.8%8.2%3.6%1.6%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in the North East

45,159 battery electric cars were licensed in the North East at the end of June 2026, 3.6% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 65,570 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 30,928.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.0% are battery electric (35,274 cars). Companies keep 21.9% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.8% of its cars overall. There are also 4,651 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, the North East compared, end of March each year
Year North EastEnglandUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.4%0.4%
2021 0.4%0.9%0.8%
2022 0.7%1.6%1.5%
2023 1.1%2.5%2.3%
2024 1.7%3.5%3.2%
2025 2.5%4.7%4.4%
2026 3.6%6.2%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in the North East

There were 4,147 public chargers in the North East on 1 July 2026, 1,023 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 150 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 18.4% from 1 January 2025.

For every public charger there are 12.8 privately kept plug-in cars in the North East (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 the North East by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2025 3,504693
Apr 2025 3,438742
Jul 2025 3,552807
Oct 2025 3,560823
Jan 2026 3,834893
Apr 2026 3,986950
Jul 2026 4,1471,023

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, the North East compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
North East 15037
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Petrol and diesel prices in North East

Unleaded petrol averages 169.9p a litre across 263 filling stations in North East, 1.6p below the UK average. Diesel averages 197.7p, 1.0p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. G W Holmes & Son Bishop Auckland 162.7p
  2. Sainsbury's Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland 162.9p
  3. Costco Wholesale Gateshead Gateshead 163.9p

Every filling station and price in North East

How the North East compares

North East compared with England, the UK
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 the North East

There are 11 DVSA car practical test centres in the North East, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 55.5% at Alnwick.

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 the North East

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

Councils in the North East
Northumberland 505 4.1% 3.6% 4.4% 238 11.3
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
Stockton-on-Tees 453 3.8% 3.1% 5.0% 133 16.0
County Durham 453 3.7% 3.1% 5.3% 149 13.9
Gateshead 388 3.5% 2.8% 5.7% 198 8.3
Sunderland 404 3.5% 2.9% 5.1% 192 9.0
Darlington 460 3.3% 2.9% 14.8% 143 14.4
South Tyneside 399 3.3% 2.6% 5.0% 175 9.5
Hartlepool 418 3.1% 2.5% 5.4% 91 18.1
Redcar and Cleveland 469 2.7% 2.2% 4.9% 103 15.6
Middlesbrough 385 2.6% 2.0% 5.7% 91 13.8

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 1,529,273 licensed vehicles in North East 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 71,280 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 the North East 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.