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Preston motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
83,289 licensed vehicles in Preston
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 69,543 +2.3% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 396 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 2,700 3.9% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.0% 174th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 129 79 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 7.2% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Preston?

There were 69,543 licensed cars in Preston at the end of June 2026, and 83,289 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 25.6% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 396 for every 1,000 residents, 71st lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Preston

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Preston at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 65,42855,385
2011 64,96254,862
2012 64,21754,180
2013 64,43054,356
2014 64,98254,806
2015 65,77455,450
2016 66,92456,244
2017 68,48157,591
2018 69,22958,214
2019 71,04559,751
2020 71,05560,049
2021 73,38161,594
2022 74,62562,525
2023 77,12464,660
2024 79,21166,482
2025 80,88067,955
2026 83,28969,543

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, Preston compared
Year PrestonNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 392429–
2012 386425–
2013 387428–
2014 391433–
2015 394435473
2016 400438480
2017 406440488
2018 409443490
2019 413448493
2020 412446489
2021 417477493
2022 410472489
2023 408472489
2024 408474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Preston

51.1% of cars in Preston run on petrol and 32.9% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 41.8% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.5%, and cars that plug in 6.1%.

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 Preston, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 71.1%28.6%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 69.2%30.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 67.2%32.4%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 65.2%34.3%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 63.1%36.3%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 61.1%38.0%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2016 59.3%39.7%0.8%0.0%0.1%
2017 57.6%41.1%1.0%0.1%0.1%
2018 56.8%41.7%1.2%0.1%0.1%
2019 56.4%41.7%1.5%0.1%0.2%
2020 55.9%41.8%1.7%0.2%0.3%
2021 55.2%41.5%2.4%0.4%0.4%
2022 54.4%40.7%3.1%0.9%0.6%
2023 53.9%39.6%4.1%1.3%0.8%
2024 53.3%37.7%5.6%1.9%1.1%
2025 52.4%35.4%7.4%2.8%1.5%
2026 51.1%32.9%9.5%3.9%2.2%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Preston

2,700 battery electric cars were licensed in Preston at the end of June 2026, 3.9% of all cars, 170th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 4,242 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,881.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.0% are battery electric (1,933 cars), 17th highest of 35 councils in the North West. Companies keep 28.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 7.2% of its cars overall. There are also 83 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, Preston compared, end of March each year
Year PrestonNorth WestUnited 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%0.2%0.4%
2021 0.4%0.8%0.8%
2022 0.9%1.7%1.5%
2023 1.3%2.9%2.3%
2024 1.9%4.1%3.2%
2025 2.8%5.3%4.4%
2026 3.9%6.6%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Preston

There were 129 public chargers in Preston on 1 July 2026, 64 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 79 for every 100,000 residents, 57th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 0.8% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 24.4 privately kept plug-in cars in Preston (UK 12.9), 92nd 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 Preston by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 12860
Apr 2026 13862
Jul 2026 12964

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Preston compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Preston 7939
Lancashire 11346
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Preston has 17 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.1% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 6.0%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Preston with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Preston 002 9,042 541 6.0% 8.9%
Preston 001 6,497 315 4.8% 7.4%
Preston 010 5,263 230 4.4% 6.9%
Preston 004 3,968 143 3.6% 5.9%
Preston 003 5,211 161 3.1% 4.5%
Preston 006 4,565 122 2.7% 5.1%
Preston 008 3,921 106 2.7% 4.2%
Preston 005 2,706 56 2.1% 3.4%
Preston 013 5,406 109 2.0% 3.2%
Preston 007 4,534 82 1.8% 2.9%
Lowest electric shares
Preston 015 1,549 0 0.0% 1.5%
Preston 011 2,459 0 0.0% 1.5%
Preston 012 4,238 21 0.5% 1.6%
Preston 017 3,083 20 0.6% 2.1%
Preston 016 3,597 35 1.0% 1.9%

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 Preston

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Preston, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 319100
2022 333115
2023 363118
2024 34396
2025 346115

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Preston

Unleaded petrol averages 168.9p a litre across 12 filling stations in Preston, 2.6p below the UK average. Diesel averages 195.0p, 3.7p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Essar Lea Gate Station Preston 164.9p
  2. EG Saddle Inn Preston 166.7p
  3. Gulf Hillcrest Service Station Preston 167.9p

Every filling station and price in Preston

How Preston compares

Preston compared with Lancashire, the North West, England, the UK
Preston 396 3.9% 3.0% 7.2% 79 24.4
Lancashire 468 3.9% 3.2% 5.3% 113 20.7
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 Preston

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Preston, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 56.3% at Preston.

Other centres in Lancashire:

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 Lancashire

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

Councils in Lancashire
Chorley 506 4.7% 4.0% 4.2% 124 24.4
Ribble Valley 546 4.7% 4.2% 3.8% 123 30.3
West Lancashire 491 4.7% 3.7% 6.5% 76 37.0
South Ribble 527 4.4% 3.8% 4.3% 167 17.6
Fylde 533 4.3% 3.6% 4.9% 133 23.0
Wyre 508 4.0% 3.3% 4.8% 136 19.0
Preston 396 3.9% 3.0% 7.2% 79 24.4
Rossendale 476 3.5% 2.9% 5.3% 179 13.1
Lancaster 438 3.3% 2.8% 4.2% 135 13.6
Hyndburn 421 2.9% 2.1% 6.7% 58 24.9
Burnley 393 2.8% 2.2% 6.2% 108 13.0
Pendle 425 2.5% 2.0% 6.0% 63 22.5

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 83,289 licensed vehicles in Preston 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 4,369 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 Preston 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.