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Sefton motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
153,516 licensed vehicles in Sefton
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 131,142 +1.1% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 427 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 4,817 3.7% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.0% 174th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 175 61 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 6.7% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Sefton?

There were 131,142 licensed cars in Sefton at the end of June 2026, and 153,516 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 11.9% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 427 for every 1,000 residents, 93rd lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Sefton

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Sefton at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 135,710117,182
2011 134,848116,474
2012 133,754115,763
2013 134,166116,349
2014 135,224117,793
2015 135,948118,675
2016 137,456119,739
2017 139,520121,403
2018 140,241121,895
2019 141,765123,404
2020 140,863122,754
2021 143,978124,674
2022 144,360124,773
2023 145,644125,798
2024 147,855127,876
2025 149,987129,707
2026 153,516131,142

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, Sefton compared
Year SeftonNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 425429–
2012 423425–
2013 425428–
2014 428433–
2015 431435473
2016 433438480
2017 438440488
2018 439443490
2019 443448493
2020 441446489
2021 446477493
2022 444472489
2023 443472489
2024 447474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Sefton

56.1% of cars in Sefton run on petrol and 28.2% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 36.3% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.5%, and cars that plug in 5.7%.

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.

Share of licensed cars by fuel type in Sefton, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 75.3%24.4%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 73.4%26.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 71.6%27.9%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 69.8%29.6%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 68.3%31.1%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 66.6%32.7%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 64.7%34.5%0.6%0.1%0.0%
2017 63.5%35.6%0.8%0.1%0.1%
2018 62.6%36.2%0.9%0.1%0.1%
2019 62.4%36.1%1.1%0.1%0.1%
2020 61.9%36.3%1.4%0.2%0.2%
2021 61.3%36.1%1.8%0.3%0.3%
2022 60.7%35.5%2.5%0.6%0.5%
2023 60.0%34.6%3.5%1.0%0.7%
2024 58.9%32.7%5.6%1.6%0.9%
2025 57.7%30.5%7.5%2.5%1.3%
2026 56.1%28.2%9.5%3.7%2.1%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Sefton

4,817 battery electric cars were licensed in Sefton at the end of June 2026, 3.7% of all cars, 162nd lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 7,535 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 3,261.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.0% are battery electric (3,665 cars), 17th highest of 35 councils in the North West. Companies keep 23.9% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 6.7% of its cars overall. There are also 147 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, Sefton compared, end of March each year
Year SeftonNorth 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 0.2%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 1.6%4.1%3.2%
2025 2.5%5.3%4.4%
2026 3.7%6.6%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Sefton

There were 175 public chargers in Sefton on 1 July 2026, 83 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 61 for every 100,000 residents, 19th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 6.7% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 34.6 privately kept plug-in cars in Sefton (UK 12.9), 27th 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 Sefton by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 16482
Apr 2026 15973
Jul 2026 17583

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Sefton compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Sefton 6129
Merseyside 11126
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Sefton has 38 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.5% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.3%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Sefton with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Sefton 021 5,406 234 4.3% 6.6%
Sefton 013 3,955 161 4.1% 6.9%
Sefton 016 3,633 144 4.0% 6.1%
Sefton 014 3,266 128 3.9% 5.7%
Sefton 015 3,386 131 3.9% 6.4%
Sefton 022 4,691 185 3.9% 6.9%
Sefton 009 5,321 202 3.8% 6.4%
Sefton 019 3,541 133 3.8% 5.6%
Sefton 018 3,927 145 3.7% 5.9%
Sefton 026 4,128 149 3.6% 5.8%
Lowest electric shares
Sefton 023 2,171 5 0.2% 1.8%
Sefton 036 1,926 7 0.4% 1.1%
Sefton 034 2,350 16 0.7% 2.6%
Sefton 038 2,726 25 0.9% 2.6%
Sefton 032 2,769 26 0.9% 2.9%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026.

Road traffic and collisions in Sefton

Vehicles travelled an estimated 751 million miles on roads in Sefton in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Sefton
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 654
1994 662
1995 673
1996 680
1997 690
1998 679
1999 666
2000 694
2001 695
2002 705
2003 687
2004 702
2005 700
2006 702
2007 697
2008 693
2009 690
2010 673
2011 682
2012 697
2013 699
2014 707
2015 715
2016 719
2017 734
2018 728
2019 733
2020 582
2021 654
2022 707
2023 731
2024 742
2025 751

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Sefton, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 34690
2022 383100
2023 360101
2024 29791
2025 31290

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Sefton

Unleaded petrol averages 171.6p a litre across 27 filling stations in Sefton, 0.1p above the UK average. Diesel averages 195.7p, 3.0p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Asda Aintree Superstore Liverpool 166.7p
  2. Asda Bootle Orrell Lane Supermarket Bootle 166.9p
  3. Asda Bootle Superstore Bootle 166.9p

Every filling station and price in Sefton

How Sefton compares

Sefton compared with Merseyside, the North West, England, the UK
Sefton 427 3.7% 3.0% 6.7% 61 34.6
Merseyside 390 3.8% 3.0% 7.3% 111 16.8
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 Sefton

There is no DVSA car practical test centre in Sefton. The nearest centres are elsewhere in Merseyside.

Centres in Merseyside:

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 Merseyside

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

Councils in Merseyside
Knowsley 383 4.6% 3.7% 8.5% 57 39.4
St Helens 453 3.8% 3.0% 6.0% 72 29.5
Wirral 455 3.8% 3.1% 5.8% 71 30.3
Sefton 427 3.7% 3.0% 6.7% 61 34.6
Liverpool 304 3.5% 2.5% 9.4% 196 6.7

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 153,516 licensed vehicles in Sefton 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 7,754 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 Sefton 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.