Nation
Northern Ireland motoring statistics
How many cars and electric cars are registered in Northern Ireland, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Northern Ireland compares with the rest of the UK. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.
- Licensed cars 1,091,265 +1.9% on a year earlier
- Private cars per 1,000 people 504 UK 444
- Battery electric cars 33,881 3.1% of cars (UK 5.8%)
- Electric share of private cars 1.4% UK 3.1%
- Public chargers 1,156 60 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
- Company-registered cars 9.7% UK 10.0%
How many cars are there in Northern Ireland?
There were 1,091,265 licensed cars in Northern Ireland at the end of June 2026, and 1,357,685 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.8% more cars than in 2015. Privately kept cars work out at 504 for every 1,000 residents (UK 444).
Licensed vehicles in Northern Ireland
Counts at the end of March each year, 2015 to 2026.
| Year | All vehicles | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,094,073 | 910,608 |
| 2016 | 1,122,858 | 933,036 |
| 2017 | 1,158,337 | 958,251 |
| 2018 | 1,178,859 | 973,145 |
| 2019 | 1,204,540 | 990,940 |
| 2020 | 1,200,153 | 989,543 |
| 2021 | 1,248,618 | 1,017,388 |
| 2022 | 1,253,597 | 1,017,067 |
| 2023 | 1,274,392 | 1,031,416 |
| 2024 | 1,296,673 | 1,047,462 |
| 2025 | 1,328,860 | 1,070,489 |
| 2026 | 1,357,685 | 1,091,265 |
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.
| Year | Northern Ireland | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 491 | 473 |
| 2016 | 500 | 480 |
| 2017 | 511 | 488 |
| 2018 | 516 | 490 |
| 2019 | 522 | 493 |
| 2020 | 521 | 489 |
| 2021 | 534 | 493 |
| 2022 | 532 | 489 |
| 2023 | 537 | 489 |
| 2024 | 543 | 490 |
Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated
Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Northern Ireland
38.4% of cars in Northern Ireland run on petrol and 49.1% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 56.7% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.1%, and cars that plug in 4.7%.
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.
| Year | Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid | Battery electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 46.3% | 53.4% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 44.9% | 54.6% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 43.7% | 55.7% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 42.8% | 56.4% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 42.5% | 56.5% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 41.9% | 56.7% | 0.9% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2021 | 41.2% | 56.6% | 1.4% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 2022 | 40.6% | 55.9% | 2.1% | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| 2023 | 40.2% | 54.7% | 2.9% | 1.1% | 0.6% |
| 2024 | 39.8% | 53.1% | 4.1% | 1.6% | 0.9% |
| 2025 | 39.0% | 51.3% | 5.5% | 2.3% | 1.2% |
| 2026 | 38.4% | 49.1% | 7.1% | 3.1% | 1.5% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Electric cars in Northern Ireland
33,881 battery electric cars were licensed in Northern Ireland at the end of June 2026, 3.1% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 50,786 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 24,925.
Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 1.4% are battery electric (13,423 cars). Companies keep 58.6% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 9.7% of its cars overall. There are also 1,544 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.
| Year | Northern Ireland | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | 1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | 2.3% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | 3.2% |
| 2025 | 2.3% | 4.4% |
| 2026 | 3.1% | 5.8% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Public EV chargers in Northern Ireland
There were 1,156 public chargers in Northern Ireland on 1 July 2026, 372 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 60 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 11.9% from 1 January 2025.
For every public charger there are 18.7 privately kept plug-in cars in Northern Ireland (UK 12.9). A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.
Public chargers
| Date | All public chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 1,033 | 254 |
| Apr 2025 | 1,036 | 296 |
| Jul 2025 | 1,053 | 300 |
| Oct 2025 | 1,131 | 315 |
| Jan 2026 | 1,108 | 322 |
| Apr 2026 | 1,145 | 355 |
| Jul 2026 | 1,156 | 372 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Chargers per 100,000 residents
| Area | All chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 60 | 19 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Petrol and diesel prices in Northern Ireland
Unleaded petrol averages 163.6p a litre across 305 filling stations in Northern Ireland, 7.9p below the UK average. Diesel averages 191.2p, 7.5p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.
Cheapest petrol
- Solo G.e.m. Retailing Ltd Ta Steady Eddies Dromore 155.9p
- Texaco Lurgan Craigavon 155.9p
- Morgan Fuels Killean Newry 155.9p
How Northern Ireland compares
| Northern Ireland | 504 | 3.1% | 60 |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 444 | 5.8% | 175 |
| United Kingdom | 444 | 5.8% | 175 |
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.
Councils in Northern Ireland
Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.
| Belfast | 347 | 6.6% | 78 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim and Newtownabbey | 523 | 4.3% | 66 |
| Lisburn and Castlereagh | 547 | 3.6% | 67 |
| Ards and North Down | 558 | 2.9% | 49 |
| Mid and East Antrim | 548 | 2.2% | 54 |
| Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon | 537 | 2.1% | 46 |
| Newry, Mourne and Down | 540 | 1.8% | 56 |
| Causeway Coast and Glens | 539 | 1.6% | 66 |
| Derry City and Strabane | 491 | 1.6% | 44 |
| Mid Ulster | 536 | 1.4% | 52 |
| Fermanagh and Omagh | 568 | 1.1% | 71 |
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 1,357,685 licensed vehicles in Northern Ireland | 26 October 2026 |
| Plug-in and electric vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 52,964 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 for Northern Ireland start in September 2014, so UK and Northern Ireland trends begin in 2015.
- 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.
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.