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
1,512,655 licensed vehicles in North East
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 1,237,012 +1.4% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 422 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 40,866 3.3% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.7% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 4,147 150 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.9% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in the North East?

There were 1,237,012 licensed cars in the North East at the end of March 2026, and 1,512,655 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.4% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 422 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

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 1,226,6801,036,389
2011 1,229,3721,040,385
2012 1,265,2001,042,320
2013 1,264,8481,045,726
2014 1,286,7661,062,752
2015 1,306,5591,077,219
2016 1,330,6011,096,786
2017 1,349,4121,112,866
2018 1,366,8001,122,195
2019 1,385,8041,139,512
2020 1,404,6391,160,865
2021 1,412,9191,159,678
2022 1,436,7301,172,832
2023 1,450,4391,186,771
2024 1,469,9611,203,875
2025 1,489,5571,220,179
2026 1,512,6551,237,012

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, 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

53.5% of cars in the North East run on petrol and 33.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 41.8% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.8%, and cars that plug in 4.8%.

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 the North East, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 71.3%28.4%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 69.3%30.4%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2012 67.1%32.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 65.3%34.3%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 63.3%36.3%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 61.5%38.0%0.3%0.1%0.0%
2016 59.8%39.6%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2017 58.4%40.9%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2018 57.3%41.8%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2019 57.2%41.7%0.7%0.2%0.1%
2020 57.1%41.5%0.9%0.2%0.2%
2021 56.7%41.3%1.3%0.3%0.3%
2022 56.4%40.3%2.0%0.6%0.4%
2023 56.1%39.1%3.0%1.0%0.6%
2024 55.5%37.7%4.2%1.5%0.7%
2025 54.6%35.8%5.9%2.3%1.0%
2026 53.5%33.5%7.8%3.3%1.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in the North East

40,866 battery electric cars were licensed in the North East at the end of March 2026, 3.3% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 59,418 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 27,967.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.7% are battery electric (30,993 cars). Companies keep 24.2% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.9% of its cars overall. There are also 4,398 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%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.4%0.3%
2021 0.3%0.7%0.7%
2022 0.6%1.4%1.3%
2023 1.0%2.3%2.1%
2024 1.5%3.2%3.0%
2025 2.3%4.4%4.1%
2026 3.3%5.8%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 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 11.8 privately kept plug-in cars in the North East (UK 11.9). 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 170.4p a litre across 300 filling stations in North East, 1.3p below the UK average. Diesel averages 194.1p, 0.5p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Tesco Houghton Le Spring Houghton Le Spring 159.9p
  2. Costco Wholesale Gateshead Gateshead 160.9p
  3. Esso Hedworth Services Jarrow 161.5p

Every filling station and price in North East

How the North East compares

North East compared with England, the UK
North East 422 3.3% 2.7% 5.9% 150 11.8
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 the North East

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

Councils in the North East
Newcastle upon Tyne 312 3.8% 2.8% 8.0% 122 11.2
North Tyneside 417 3.7% 3.0% 6.3% 62 28.7
Northumberland 501 3.7% 3.2% 4.4% 238 10.1
Stockton-on-Tees 450 3.4% 2.7% 5.0% 133 14.7
County Durham 450 3.3% 2.8% 5.3% 149 12.9
Gateshead 385 3.2% 2.5% 5.7% 198 7.9
Sunderland 402 3.2% 2.5% 5.2% 192 8.3
Darlington 456 3.0% 2.6% 14.9% 143 13.2
South Tyneside 398 3.0% 2.3% 5.1% 175 11.1
Hartlepool 415 2.8% 2.2% 5.4% 91 14.9
Middlesbrough 382 2.5% 1.8% 5.7% 91 12.3
Redcar and Cleveland 465 2.4% 1.9% 4.9% 103 14.0

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 1,512,655 licensed vehicles in North East 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 64,763 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
  • 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.