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North West motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
4,530,937 licensed vehicles in North West
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 3,747,989 +1.3% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 427 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 234,097 6.2% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.7% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 8,678 112 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 11.8% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in the North West?

There were 3,747,989 licensed cars in the North West at the end of March 2026, and 4,530,937 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 18.8% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 427 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in the North West

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in the North West at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 3,749,2433,156,032
2011 3,604,9323,049,000
2012 3,558,2933,007,562
2013 3,566,0543,015,671
2014 3,621,9923,063,902
2015 3,673,9643,107,766
2016 3,749,1173,162,323
2017 3,787,9463,189,711
2018 3,828,5813,225,476
2019 3,902,5833,282,132
2020 3,951,6423,335,380
2021 4,224,6573,512,855
2022 4,263,0743,541,689
2023 4,312,6603,584,230
2024 4,388,5083,646,383
2025 4,455,2503,700,909
2026 4,530,9373,747,989

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 West compared
Year North WestEnglandUnited Kingdom
2011 429457–
2012 425455–
2013 428458–
2014 433463–
2015 435466473
2016 438471480
2017 440478488
2018 443480490
2019 448483493
2020 446477489
2021 477482493
2022 472478489
2023 472477489
2024 474478490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in the North West

52.3% of cars in the North West run on petrol and 28.9% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 38.6% in 2021. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.8%, and cars that plug in 9.6%.

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 West, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 71.2%28.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 71.1%28.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 69.6%30.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 67.8%31.7%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 65.9%33.5%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 64.1%35.2%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 62.3%36.8%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2017 61.3%37.7%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2018 60.2%38.5%0.9%0.1%0.1%
2019 60.0%38.4%1.2%0.1%0.2%
2020 59.8%38.3%1.4%0.2%0.2%
2021 57.6%38.6%2.1%0.7%0.9%
2022 57.0%37.1%2.8%1.5%1.4%
2023 56.2%35.4%3.8%2.6%1.7%
2024 55.1%33.3%5.2%3.8%2.2%
2025 53.6%31.2%6.8%5.4%2.6%
2026 52.3%28.9%8.8%6.2%3.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in the North West

234,097 battery electric cars were licensed in the North West at the end of March 2026, 6.2% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 359,586 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 198,841.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.7% are battery electric (90,790 cars). Companies keep 61.2% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 11.8% of its cars overall. There are also 12,620 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 West compared, end of March each year
Year North WestEnglandUnited 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%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.4%0.3%
2021 0.7%0.7%0.7%
2022 1.5%1.4%1.3%
2023 2.6%2.3%2.1%
2024 3.8%3.2%3.0%
2025 5.4%4.4%4.1%
2026 6.2%5.8%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in the North West

There were 8,678 public chargers in the North West on 1 July 2026, 3,098 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 112 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 19.4% from 1 January 2025.

For every public charger there are 17.4 privately kept plug-in cars in the North West (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 West by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2025 7,2712,263
Apr 2025 7,3952,358
Jul 2025 7,8042,543
Oct 2025 8,1422,724
Jan 2026 8,1202,853
Apr 2026 8,3762,929
Jul 2026 8,6783,098

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

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

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Petrol and diesel prices in North West

Unleaded petrol averages 171.3p a litre across 819 filling stations in North West, 0.4p below the UK average. Diesel averages 194.3p, 0.3p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Costco Wholesale Liverpool Liverpool 158.9p
  2. Costco Wholesale Manchester Manchester 158.9p
  3. Costco Wholesale Oldham Oldham 159.9p

Every filling station and price in North West

How the North West compares

North West compared with England, the UK
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 the North West

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

Councils in the North West
Stockport 466 27.0% 3.0% 50.2% 115 19.7
Cheshire West and Chester 506 16.0% 3.5% 28.9% 111 26.8
Halton 458 5.8% 3.0% 9.8% 67 32.5
Bury 429 4.9% 2.8% 18.8% 55 36.8
Cheshire East 529 4.7% 3.9% 5.4% 123 29.3
Salford 330 4.6% 2.4% 16.1% 96 14.7
Chorley 503 4.3% 3.6% 4.1% 124 24.4
Ribble Valley 543 4.3% 3.8% 3.8% 123 27.3
Trafford 448 4.3% 3.5% 5.1% 189 13.7
Warrington 510 4.3% 3.6% 4.9% 160 18.7
West Lancashire 488 4.3% 3.3% 6.5% 76 18.2
Knowsley 380 4.1% 3.2% 8.5% 57 35.7
South Ribble 524 4.0% 3.3% 4.3% 167 15.7
Fylde 530 3.9% 3.3% 4.8% 133 21.9
Preston 393 3.6% 2.7% 7.2% 79 20.2
Wyre 504 3.6% 3.0% 4.9% 136 16.9
Manchester 279 3.5% 1.9% 9.8% 128 8.1
St Helens 452 3.5% 2.6% 6.0% 72 26.1
Wirral 453 3.4% 2.8% 5.9% 71 29.9
Liverpool 302 3.3% 2.2% 9.5% 196 6.4
Sefton 425 3.3% 2.7% 6.8% 61 33.9
Wigan 455 3.3% 2.7% 4.8% 76 26.2
Bolton 408 3.2% 2.4% 6.4% 55 31.3
Blackburn with Darwen 391 3.1% 2.3% 6.6% 79 23.7
Rochdale 403 3.1% 2.4% 6.3% 72 22.0
Rossendale 474 3.1% 2.5% 5.3% 179 11.3
Lancaster 436 3.0% 2.5% 4.2% 135 12.4
Oldham 378 2.8% 2.1% 7.4% 71 19.5
Tameside 412 2.8% 2.1% 5.5% 59 25.0
Hyndburn 418 2.7% 1.9% 6.7% 58 24.0
Blackpool 384 2.6% 1.8% 6.6% 111 9.8
Burnley 389 2.6% 1.9% 6.1% 108 11.6
Westmorland and Furness 512 2.6% 2.2% 4.7% 266 6.9
Pendle 420 2.4% 1.7% 6.0% 63 20.2
Cumberland 504 2.3% 1.9% 4.7% 157 10.1

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 4,530,937 licensed vehicles in North West 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 376,014 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 West 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.