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Ribble Valley motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
47,921 licensed vehicles in Ribble Valley
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 37,137 +1.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 543 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 1,582 4.3% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.8% 35th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 81 123 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 3.8% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in the Ribble Valley?

There were 37,137 licensed cars in the Ribble Valley at the end of March 2026, and 47,921 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.2% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 543 for every 1,000 residents, 69th highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in the Ribble Valley

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in the Ribble Valley at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 38,43631,157
2011 38,54331,300
2012 38,77031,375
2013 38,99431,526
2014 39,57631,927
2015 40,25132,335
2016 40,85632,816
2017 41,52333,243
2018 42,22033,739
2019 43,11234,313
2020 43,87035,059
2021 44,40735,191
2022 45,47535,650
2023 46,01835,939
2024 46,92636,550
2025 47,33936,761
2026 47,92137,137

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, the Ribble Valley compared
Year Ribble ValleyNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 549429–
2012 549425–
2013 553428–
2014 557433–
2015 557435473
2016 561438480
2017 566440488
2018 572443490
2019 578448493
2020 572446489
2021 576477493
2022 567472489
2023 560472489
2024 558474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in the Ribble Valley

54.0% of cars in the Ribble Valley run on petrol and 31.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 44.0% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.7%, and cars that plug in 6.7%.

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 the Ribble Valley, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 65.6%34.0%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 64.0%35.6%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 62.5%37.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 61.0%38.5%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 59.1%40.3%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 57.7%41.7%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 56.5%42.8%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2017 55.4%43.7%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2018 54.9%44.0%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2019 55.2%43.4%0.8%0.2%0.2%
2020 55.6%42.7%1.0%0.3%0.2%
2021 55.7%41.8%1.4%0.5%0.4%
2022 55.5%40.4%2.1%0.9%0.7%
2023 55.8%38.6%2.8%1.4%1.0%
2024 55.9%36.2%4.0%2.0%1.3%
2025 55.2%33.7%5.8%2.9%1.8%
2026 54.0%31.0%7.7%4.3%2.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in the Ribble Valley

1,582 battery electric cars were licensed in the Ribble Valley at the end of March 2026, 4.3% of all cars, 80th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 2,493 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,052.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.8% are battery electric (1,352 cars), 2nd highest of 35 councils in the North West. Companies keep 14.5% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 3.8% of its cars overall. There are also 29 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, the Ribble Valley compared, end of March each year
Year Ribble ValleyNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.1%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.2%0.3%
2021 0.5%0.7%0.7%
2022 0.9%1.5%1.3%
2023 1.4%2.6%2.1%
2024 2.0%3.8%3.0%
2025 2.9%5.4%4.1%
2026 4.3%6.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in the Ribble Valley

There were 81 public chargers in the Ribble Valley on 1 July 2026, 5 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 123 for every 100,000 residents, 142nd lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 9.0% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 27.3 privately kept plug-in cars in the Ribble Valley (UK 11.9), 51st 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 the Ribble Valley by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 895
Apr 2026 815
Jul 2026 815

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, the Ribble Valley compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Ribble Valley 1238
Lancashire 11346
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

The Ribble Valley has 8 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 3.5% 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 the Ribble Valley with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Ribble Valley 007 6,338 290 4.6% 7.2%
Ribble Valley 005 5,500 224 4.1% 6.6%
Ribble Valley 002 5,164 186 3.6% 5.3%
Ribble Valley 008 6,102 214 3.5% 5.9%
Ribble Valley 003 4,979 144 2.9% 4.3%
Ribble Valley 001 5,905 135 2.3% 4.3%
Ribble Valley 004 4,293 100 2.3% 3.8%

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

Road traffic and collisions in the Ribble Valley

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in the Ribble Valley, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 9641
2022 9329
2023 10140
2024 10043
2025 9737

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Ribble Valley

Unleaded petrol averages 172.4p a litre across 9 filling stations in Ribble Valley, 0.7p above the UK average. Diesel averages 195.4p, 0.8p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Texaco Read Service Station Ribblevalley Forecourt Ltd Burnley 169.9p
  2. Shell Booths Longridge Preston 170.9p
  3. Gulf Chatburn Fuel Express Automat Clitheroe 172.7p

Every filling station and price in Ribble Valley

How the Ribble Valley compares

Ribble Valley compared with Lancashire, the North West, England, the UK
Ribble Valley 543 4.3% 3.8% 3.8% 123 27.3
Lancashire 465 3.6% 2.9% 5.3% 113 17.8
North West 427 6.2% 2.7% 11.8% 112 17.4
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 Lancashire

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

Councils in Lancashire
Chorley 503 4.3% 3.6% 4.1% 124 24.4
Ribble Valley 543 4.3% 3.8% 3.8% 123 27.3
West Lancashire 488 4.3% 3.3% 6.5% 76 18.2
South Ribble 524 4.0% 3.3% 4.3% 167 15.7
Fylde 530 3.9% 3.3% 4.8% 133 21.9
Preston 393 3.6% 2.7% 7.2% 79 20.2
Wyre 504 3.6% 3.0% 4.9% 136 16.9
Rossendale 474 3.1% 2.5% 5.3% 179 11.3
Lancaster 436 3.0% 2.5% 4.2% 135 12.4
Hyndburn 418 2.7% 1.9% 6.7% 58 24.0
Burnley 389 2.6% 1.9% 6.1% 108 11.6
Pendle 420 2.4% 1.7% 6.0% 63 20.2

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 47,921 licensed vehicles in Ribble Valley 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 2,558 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 the Ribble Valley 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.