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Yorkshire and the Humber · Unitary authority

North Yorkshire motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
470,018 licensed vehicles in North Yorkshire
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 352,714 +0.9% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 526 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 13,404 3.8% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.0% 136th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 1,113 175 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.3% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in North Yorkshire?

There were 352,714 licensed cars in North Yorkshire at the end of March 2026, and 470,018 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 17.0% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 526 for every 1,000 residents, 104th highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in North Yorkshire

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in North Yorkshire at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 381,999301,386
2011 385,766303,633
2012 389,244305,594
2013 392,837307,929
2014 400,119312,970
2015 405,468316,853
2016 413,354321,821
2017 420,235325,856
2018 424,156327,646
2019 431,028331,410
2020 435,507335,121
2021 438,827334,775
2022 447,265338,246
2023 452,044340,556
2024 458,868345,238
2025 465,199349,557
2026 470,018352,714

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, North Yorkshire compared
Year North YorkshireYorkshire and the HumberUnited Kingdom
2011 508427–
2012 509427–
2013 516429–
2014 524429–
2015 528433473
2016 534442480
2017 540450488
2018 543456490
2019 547464493
2020 543463489
2021 548470493
2022 545469489
2023 546469489
2024 548472490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in North Yorkshire

51.8% of cars in North Yorkshire run on petrol and 33.4% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 44.3% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.9%, and cars that plug in 6.4%.

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 North Yorkshire, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 66.1%33.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 64.1%35.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 62.4%37.2%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 60.5%39.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 58.7%40.7%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 57.2%42.2%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 55.8%43.4%0.5%0.0%0.1%
2017 55.1%44.0%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2018 54.6%44.3%0.8%0.1%0.2%
2019 54.8%43.8%1.0%0.1%0.2%
2020 54.9%43.2%1.2%0.2%0.3%
2021 54.8%42.5%1.6%0.4%0.4%
2022 54.4%41.3%2.4%0.9%0.7%
2023 54.2%39.8%3.3%1.5%1.0%
2024 53.7%38.0%4.5%2.0%1.3%
2025 52.8%35.7%6.2%2.8%1.9%
2026 51.8%33.4%7.9%3.8%2.6%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in North Yorkshire

13,404 battery electric cars were licensed in North Yorkshire at the end of March 2026, 3.8% of all cars, 142nd highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 22,542 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 9,960.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.0% are battery electric (9,899 cars), 2nd highest of 15 councils in the Yorkshire and the Humber. Companies keep 26.1% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.3% of its cars overall. There are also 429 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, North Yorkshire compared, end of March each year
Year North YorkshireYorkshire and the HumberUnited Kingdom
2016 0.0%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%0.3%0.3%
2021 0.4%0.6%0.7%
2022 0.9%1.3%1.3%
2023 1.5%2.0%2.1%
2024 2.0%2.8%3.0%
2025 2.8%3.9%4.1%
2026 3.8%5.0%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in North Yorkshire

There were 1,113 public chargers in North Yorkshire on 1 July 2026, 275 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 175 for every 100,000 residents, 120th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 6.1% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 14.2 privately kept plug-in cars in North Yorkshire (UK 11.9), 158th 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 North Yorkshire by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 1,185286
Apr 2026 1,160286
Jul 2026 1,113275

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, North Yorkshire compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
North Yorkshire 17543
Yorkshire and the Humber 11137
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

North Yorkshire has 77 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.4% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.8%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in North Yorkshire with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Harrogate 020 6,375 306 4.8% 8.2%
Harrogate 016 6,739 300 4.5% 7.4%
Harrogate 021 4,272 188 4.4% 7.7%
Harrogate 007 5,416 227 4.2% 6.6%
Harrogate 008 5,072 207 4.1% 6.7%
Selby 002 7,058 290 4.1% 6.4%
Harrogate 012 4,567 180 3.9% 6.5%
Harrogate 005 6,135 233 3.8% 6.0%
Harrogate 019 3,936 149 3.8% 6.9%
Harrogate 017 4,799 176 3.7% 5.9%
Lowest electric shares
Scarborough 008 3,104 5 0.2% 0.5%
Scarborough 007 2,346 16 0.7% 1.7%
Scarborough 006 2,644 24 0.9% 1.8%
Scarborough 010 3,225 32 1.0% 2.2%
Hambleton 013 2,952 33 1.1% 2.2%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 3 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in North Yorkshire

Vehicles travelled an estimated 5,532 million miles on roads in North Yorkshire in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in North Yorkshire
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 3,884
1994 4,005
1995 4,099
1996 4,221
1997 4,301
1998 4,391
1999 4,427
2000 4,375
2001 4,486
2002 4,653
2003 4,676
2004 4,792
2005 4,936
2006 5,163
2007 5,215
2008 5,035
2009 4,974
2010 4,929
2011 4,928
2012 4,849
2013 4,940
2014 5,067
2015 5,160
2016 5,407
2017 5,439
2018 5,584
2019 5,612
2020 4,425
2021 4,950
2022 5,301
2023 5,385
2024 5,461
2025 5,532

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in North Yorkshire, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 1,012308
2022 877283
2023 1,129389
2024 1,043336
2025 1,159403

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in North Yorkshire

Unleaded petrol averages 170.7p a litre across 106 filling stations in North Yorkshire, 1.0p below the UK average. Diesel averages 194.0p, 0.6p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Asda Harrogate Superstore Harrogate 161.7p
  2. Tesco Harrogate Harrogate 161.9p
  3. MFG Morrisons Skipton Skipton 163.9p

Every filling station and price in North Yorkshire

How North Yorkshire compares

North Yorkshire compared with the Yorkshire and the Humber, England, the UK
North Yorkshire 526 3.8% 3.0% 5.3% 175 14.2
Yorkshire and the Humber 437 5.0% 2.7% 9.1% 111 17.6
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 Yorkshire and the Humber

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

Councils in the Yorkshire and the Humber
Leeds 381 13.3% 2.9% 27.3% 138 13.7
Doncaster 470 4.3% 3.1% 6.8% 97 25.5
North Yorkshire 526 3.8% 3.0% 5.3% 175 14.2
York 395 3.8% 3.0% 5.0% 116 15.4
Rotherham 465 3.6% 2.9% 5.0% 132 17.0
Sheffield 380 3.6% 2.7% 7.4% 91 17.4
Barnsley 465 3.5% 2.6% 5.1% 83 25.9
East Riding of Yorkshire 528 3.5% 3.0% 4.3% 113 21.0
Kirklees 440 3.3% 2.6% 5.1% 61 32.5
Wakefield 458 3.3% 2.6% 5.6% 98 19.5
Calderdale 438 3.1% 2.5% 5.3% 101 20.8
North Lincolnshire 515 3.0% 2.3% 4.7% 105 18.4
Bradford 386 2.9% 2.3% 6.4% 99 16.4
North East Lincolnshire 444 2.6% 2.0% 5.3% 70 22.0
Kingston upon Hull 357 2.5% 1.8% 6.1% 89 10.8

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 470,018 licensed vehicles in North Yorkshire 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 23,298 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
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 15 September 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in North Yorkshire 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.