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Northumberland motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
216,032 licensed vehicles in Northumberland
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 173,864 +1.2% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 501 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 6,453 3.7% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.2% 105th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 790 238 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.4% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Northumberland?

There were 173,864 licensed cars in Northumberland at the end of March 2026, and 216,032 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 17.3% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 501 for every 1,000 residents, 153rd highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Northumberland

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Northumberland at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 177,558148,169
2011 178,630148,826
2012 179,401149,147
2013 179,675149,688
2014 181,720151,332
2015 183,947153,094
2016 187,336155,460
2017 191,257158,193
2018 193,036159,512
2019 196,488161,919
2020 199,695164,830
2021 201,116164,533
2022 204,138165,786
2023 206,093166,970
2024 209,308169,354
2025 213,179171,880
2026 216,032173,864

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, Northumberland compared
Year NorthumberlandNorth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 472401–
2012 473402–
2013 479405–
2014 485411–
2015 490415473
2016 497420480
2017 504426488
2018 508429490
2019 513435493
2020 512436489
2021 517442493
2022 513439489
2023 513438489
2024 515439490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Northumberland

52.9% of cars in Northumberland run on petrol and 33.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 43.9% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.7%, and cars that plug in 5.4%.

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 Northumberland, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 67.2%32.5%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 65.0%34.7%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2012 63.2%36.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 61.4%38.2%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 59.7%39.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2015 58.1%41.3%0.3%0.1%0.0%
2016 56.8%42.5%0.3%0.2%0.1%
2017 55.9%43.3%0.4%0.2%0.1%
2018 55.1%43.9%0.6%0.2%0.1%
2019 55.3%43.4%0.7%0.2%0.2%
2020 55.5%42.9%0.9%0.3%0.2%
2021 55.4%42.3%1.3%0.5%0.3%
2022 55.1%41.2%2.1%0.8%0.6%
2023 54.9%39.8%2.9%1.2%0.7%
2024 54.7%38.0%4.2%1.8%0.9%
2025 53.9%35.9%5.9%2.6%1.2%
2026 52.9%33.5%7.7%3.7%1.7%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Northumberland

6,453 battery electric cars were licensed in Northumberland at the end of March 2026, 3.7% of all cars, 154th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 9,475 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 4,514.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.2% are battery electric (5,304 cars), the highest of 12 councils in the North East. Companies keep 17.8% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.4% of its cars overall. There are also 285 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, Northumberland compared, end of March each year
Year NorthumberlandNorth EastUnited Kingdom
2016 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.2%0.3%
2021 0.5%0.3%0.7%
2022 0.8%0.6%1.3%
2023 1.2%1.0%2.1%
2024 1.8%1.5%3.0%
2025 2.6%2.3%4.1%
2026 3.7%3.3%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Northumberland

There were 790 public chargers in Northumberland on 1 July 2026, 160 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 238 for every 100,000 residents, 57th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 0.4% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 10.1 privately kept plug-in cars in Northumberland (UK 11.9), 92nd 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 Northumberland by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 787157
Apr 2026 794160
Jul 2026 790160

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Northumberland compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Northumberland 23848
North East 15037
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Northumberland has 38 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.7% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.6%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Northumberland with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Northumberland 034 5,465 253 4.6% 8.3%
Northumberland 015 7,709 337 4.4% 6.7%
Northumberland 033 4,576 200 4.4% 7.3%
Northumberland 029 5,297 215 4.1% 5.3%
Northumberland 036 3,577 147 4.1% 6.3%
Northumberland 043 6,387 250 3.9% 6.0%
Northumberland 004 4,814 185 3.8% 6.0%
Northumberland 025 5,550 209 3.8% 5.0%
Northumberland 021 5,445 198 3.6% 5.4%
Northumberland 011 3,498 119 3.4% 5.3%
Lowest electric shares
Northumberland 001 4,118 13 0.3% 1.4%
Northumberland 010 2,685 15 0.6% 0.7%
Northumberland 037 4,410 57 1.3% 2.5%
Northumberland 024 3,434 44 1.3% 1.9%
Northumberland 003 7,229 97 1.3% 2.8%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 2 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Northumberland

Vehicles travelled an estimated 2,163 million miles on roads in Northumberland in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Northumberland
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 1,329
1994 1,371
1995 1,403
1996 1,424
1997 1,443
1998 1,462
1999 1,520
2000 1,499
2001 1,537
2002 1,559
2003 1,567
2004 1,612
2005 1,614
2006 1,661
2007 1,692
2008 1,659
2009 1,637
2010 1,638
2011 1,678
2012 1,664
2013 1,683
2014 1,728
2015 1,785
2016 1,855
2017 1,924
2018 1,949
2019 2,033
2020 1,619
2021 1,825
2022 1,977
2023 2,043
2024 2,083
2025 2,163

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Northumberland, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 397140
2022 456142
2023 430144
2024 409118
2025 345132

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Northumberland

Unleaded petrol averages 171.3p a litre across 51 filling stations in Northumberland, 0.4p below the UK average. Diesel averages 195.9p, 1.3p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Glendale Garage Wooler 164.9p
  2. Asda Tweedmouth Supermarket Tweedmouth 167.7p
  3. Tesco Berwick-Upon-Tweed Superstore Berwick-Upon-Tweed 167.9p

Every filling station and price in Northumberland

How Northumberland compares

Northumberland compared with the North East, England, the UK
Northumberland 501 3.7% 3.2% 4.4% 238 10.1
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 216,032 licensed vehicles in Northumberland 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 9,826 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 Northumberland 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.