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Oldham motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
119,676 licensed vehicles in Oldham
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 103,657 +2.3% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 381 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 3,197 3.1% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.3% 71st lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 178 71 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 7.5% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Oldham?

There were 103,657 licensed cars in Oldham at the end of June 2026, and 119,676 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 21.9% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 381 for every 1,000 residents, 55th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Oldham

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Oldham at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 98,57385,049
2011 97,21283,522
2012 96,09582,334
2013 96,31582,745
2014 97,83584,265
2015 99,15485,577
2016 101,14187,155
2017 103,58388,897
2018 104,82890,141
2019 107,11592,427
2020 106,78992,863
2021 109,81294,971
2022 110,60895,706
2023 112,56397,433
2024 114,72499,470
2025 117,007101,332
2026 119,676103,657

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.

Cars per 1,000 residents at mid-year, Oldham compared
Year OldhamNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 371429–
2012 364425–
2013 363428–
2014 366433–
2015 368435473
2016 371438480
2017 375440488
2018 376443490
2019 382448493
2020 383446489
2021 392477493
2022 391472489
2023 393472489
2024 395474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Oldham

54.5% of cars in Oldham run on petrol and 29.4% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 38.1% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 10.7%, and cars that plug in 5.1%.

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.

Share of licensed cars by fuel type in Oldham, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 74.4%25.3%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 73.1%26.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 71.4%28.2%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 69.7%29.8%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 67.7%31.7%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 65.9%33.4%0.5%0.1%0.0%
2016 64.3%34.9%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2017 62.9%36.1%0.8%0.1%0.1%
2018 61.5%37.1%1.0%0.1%0.1%
2019 60.6%37.8%1.3%0.1%0.1%
2020 59.9%38.1%1.5%0.1%0.2%
2021 59.1%38.0%2.1%0.3%0.3%
2022 58.3%37.3%3.0%0.6%0.5%
2023 57.6%36.1%4.3%1.0%0.7%
2024 56.8%34.1%6.3%1.5%1.0%
2025 55.6%31.9%8.4%2.2%1.4%
2026 54.5%29.4%10.7%3.1%2.0%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Oldham

3,197 battery electric cars were licensed in Oldham at the end of June 2026, 3.1% of all cars, 82nd lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 5,261 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,271.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.3% are battery electric (2,224 cars), 7th lowest of 35 councils in the North West. Companies keep 30.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 7.5% of its cars overall. There are also 110 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, Oldham compared, end of March each year
Year OldhamNorth WestUnited 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%0.1%0.2%
2020 0.1%0.2%0.4%
2021 0.3%0.8%0.8%
2022 0.6%1.7%1.5%
2023 1.0%2.9%2.3%
2024 1.5%4.1%3.2%
2025 2.2%5.3%4.4%
2026 3.1%6.6%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Oldham

There were 178 public chargers in Oldham on 1 July 2026, 105 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 71 for every 100,000 residents, 40th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 2.2% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 21.6 privately kept plug-in cars in Oldham (UK 12.9), 123rd most 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 Oldham by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 182101
Apr 2026 176101
Jul 2026 178105

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Oldham compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Oldham 7142
Greater Manchester 9642
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Oldham has 34 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.9% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.0%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Oldham with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Oldham 021 3,558 142 4.0% 5.9%
Oldham 013 4,238 155 3.7% 5.9%
Oldham 006 3,741 126 3.4% 6.0%
Oldham 020 3,639 120 3.3% 5.6%
Oldham 003 3,244 97 3.0% 5.4%
Oldham 005 3,286 97 3.0% 4.8%
Oldham 015 3,652 104 2.8% 4.9%
Oldham 004 3,179 82 2.6% 4.5%
Oldham 007 3,670 97 2.6% 4.6%
Oldham 008 2,941 69 2.3% 4.0%
Lowest electric shares
Oldham 024 2,491 0 0.0% 1.7%
Oldham 022 3,909 12 0.3% 2.0%
Oldham 014 2,338 7 0.3% 1.5%
Oldham 016 2,699 13 0.5% 1.2%
Oldham 036 2,506 15 0.6% 2.2%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026. 1 neighbourhood is left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Oldham

Vehicles travelled an estimated 728 million miles on roads in Oldham in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Oldham
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 502
1994 509
1995 517
1996 523
1997 527
1998 531
1999 543
2000 539
2001 643
2002 664
2003 660
2004 678
2005 671
2006 667
2007 671
2008 664
2009 665
2010 653
2011 646
2012 648
2013 651
2014 677
2015 690
2016 689
2017 697
2018 697
2019 714
2020 594
2021 662
2022 707
2023 726
2024 725
2025 728

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Oldham, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 23461
2022 19956
2023 20762
2024 21667
2025 19982

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Oldham

Unleaded petrol averages 170.2p a litre across 17 filling stations in Oldham, 1.3p below the UK average. Diesel averages 195.9p, 2.8p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Costco Wholesale Oldham Oldham 164.9p
  2. MFG Morrisons Manchester Failsworth Failsworth 168.9p
  3. MFG Morrisons Oldham Chadderton 168.9p

Every filling station and price in Oldham

How Oldham compares

Oldham compared with Greater Manchester, the North West, England, the UK
Oldham 381 3.1% 2.3% 7.5% 71 21.6
Greater Manchester 391 7.8% 2.9% 15.5% 96 19.1
North West 430 6.6% 3.1% 11.7% 112 18.9
England 440 6.2% 3.2% 10.7% 173 13.4
United Kingdom4445.8%3.1%10.0%17512.9

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 June 2026.

Driving test centres in Oldham

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Oldham, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 46.8% at Chadderton.

Other centres in Greater Manchester:

DVSA publishes pass rates by centre name, with no address, so centres are placed here by the place name in the name DVSA uses. See pass rates at every test centre.

Councils in Greater Manchester

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

Councils in Greater Manchester
Stockport 467 24.6% 3.4% 45.3% 115 21.8
Bury 432 5.6% 3.2% 18.8% 55 40.3
Salford 332 4.9% 2.8% 15.3% 96 15.9
Trafford 450 4.7% 3.8% 5.2% 189 14.5
Manchester 282 3.7% 2.1% 9.9% 128 8.3
Wigan 457 3.7% 3.1% 4.8% 76 28.7
Bolton 411 3.5% 2.8% 6.3% 55 34.2
Rochdale 406 3.4% 2.7% 6.2% 72 26.0
Oldham 381 3.1% 2.3% 7.5% 71 21.6
Tameside 414 3.1% 2.4% 5.5% 59 27.9

Data stories to read next

All insights

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 119,676 licensed vehicles in Oldham 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 5,441 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
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 26 October 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Oldham 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.