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Shropshire motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
247,938 licensed vehicles in Shropshire
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 187,432 +0.9% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 537 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 6,027 3.2% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.7% 177th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 515 155 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.8% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Shropshire?

There were 187,432 licensed cars in Shropshire at the end of March 2026, and 247,938 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 17.4% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 537 for every 1,000 residents, 81st highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Shropshire

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Shropshire at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 210,264159,669
2011 214,190161,181
2012 217,316162,278
2013 219,969163,136
2014 226,345165,689
2015 231,746167,800
2016 216,959168,821
2017 220,965171,685
2018 224,144173,332
2019 228,169176,204
2020 230,820178,706
2021 232,395178,628
2022 237,105180,670
2023 240,045181,969
2024 243,091183,952
2025 245,168185,803
2026 247,938187,432

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, Shropshire compared
Year ShropshireWest MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2011 527506–
2012 529502–
2013 535503–
2014 542500–
2015 538506473
2016 542513480
2017 548523488
2018 551524490
2019 556519493
2020 551515489
2021 557485493
2022 555480489
2023 556479489
2024 558476490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Shropshire

51.5% of cars in Shropshire run on petrol and 36.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 44.5% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.6%, and cars that plug in 4.9%.

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 Shropshire, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 65.1%34.6%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 63.1%36.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 61.4%38.1%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 60.0%39.6%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 58.3%41.2%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 56.9%42.6%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2016 56.2%43.1%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2017 55.2%44.0%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2018 54.6%44.5%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2019 54.7%44.1%0.7%0.2%0.2%
2020 54.6%44.0%0.8%0.2%0.3%
2021 54.3%43.6%1.2%0.4%0.4%
2022 53.8%42.8%1.8%0.7%0.6%
2023 53.6%41.7%2.4%1.1%0.8%
2024 53.1%40.5%3.5%1.6%1.0%
2025 52.5%38.5%5.0%2.3%1.3%
2026 51.5%36.5%6.6%3.2%1.7%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Shropshire

6,027 battery electric cars were licensed in Shropshire at the end of March 2026, 3.2% of all cars, 137th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 9,271 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 4,189.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.7% are battery electric (4,736 cars), 14th highest of 30 councils in the West Midlands. Companies keep 21.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.8% of its cars overall. There are also 149 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, Shropshire compared, end of March each year
Year ShropshireWest MidlandsUnited 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%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.4%0.3%
2021 0.4%0.6%0.7%
2022 0.7%1.1%1.3%
2023 1.1%1.3%2.1%
2024 1.6%1.7%3.0%
2025 2.3%2.5%4.1%
2026 3.2%3.4%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Shropshire

There were 515 public chargers in Shropshire on 1 July 2026, 111 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 155 for every 100,000 residents, 152nd highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 4.3% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 13.9 privately kept plug-in cars in Shropshire (UK 11.9), 153rd 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 Shropshire by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 538112
Apr 2026 540112
Jul 2026 515111

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Shropshire compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Shropshire 15533
West Midlands 16446
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Shropshire has 39 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.2% 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 Shropshire with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Shropshire 025 6,559 265 4.0% 5.8%
Shropshire 021 4,263 140 3.3% 4.8%
Shropshire 020 6,306 196 3.1% 4.9%
Shropshire 027 4,072 122 3.0% 4.6%
Shropshire 022 4,172 121 2.9% 4.0%
Shropshire 032 4,156 121 2.9% 4.4%
Shropshire 002 6,865 192 2.8% 4.3%
Shropshire 023 5,534 154 2.8% 4.5%
Shropshire 031 3,608 98 2.7% 3.9%
Shropshire 010 7,332 181 2.5% 4.1%
Lowest electric shares
Shropshire 006 5,404 56 1.0% 1.8%
Shropshire 016 4,532 54 1.2% 2.4%
Shropshire 015 3,973 48 1.2% 2.0%
Shropshire 038 6,294 95 1.5% 2.7%
Shropshire 037 5,258 81 1.5% 2.7%

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 Shropshire

Vehicles travelled an estimated 2,208 million miles on roads in Shropshire in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Shropshire
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 1,516
1994 1,563
1995 1,596
1996 1,629
1997 1,669
1998 1,695
1999 1,723
2000 1,709
2001 1,757
2002 1,806
2003 1,826
2004 1,853
2005 1,863
2006 1,906
2007 1,900
2008 1,915
2009 1,896
2010 1,875
2011 1,875
2012 1,883
2013 1,902
2014 1,954
2015 1,991
2016 2,061
2017 2,099
2018 2,139
2019 2,150
2020 1,673
2021 1,900
2022 2,083
2023 2,135
2024 2,189
2025 2,208

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Shropshire, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 357107
2022 416134
2023 348114
2024 389135
2025 337121

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Shropshire

Unleaded petrol averages 172.5p a litre across 58 filling stations in Shropshire, 0.8p above the UK average. Diesel averages 195.3p, 0.7p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Texaco Nesscliffe Service Station Shrewsbury 164.9p
  2. Texaco Shrewsbury Service Station Wem 164.9p
  3. Murco Highley Garage Bridgnorth 165.9p

Every filling station and price in Shropshire

How Shropshire compares

Shropshire compared with the West Midlands, England, the UK
Shropshire 537 3.2% 2.7% 4.8% 155 13.9
West Midlands 455 3.4% 2.5% 6.1% 164 11.6
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 West Midlands

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

Councils in the West Midlands
Solihull 495 7.2% 3.1% 13.1% 278 9.4
Lichfield 538 4.9% 3.8% 6.6% 75 41.8
Bromsgrove 552 4.7% 3.8% 5.1% 191 18.3
Warwick 487 4.7% 4.0% 4.7% 201 13.7
Stratford-on-Avon 586 4.4% 3.7% 5.1% 200 16.2
Rugby 508 4.3% 3.6% 4.0% 159 18.0
Stafford 524 4.3% 3.6% 5.2% 148 20.1
Telford and Wrekin 477 3.9% 3.1% 7.4% 137 19.4
South Staffordshire 537 3.8% 3.2% 4.2% 120 21.7
Wychavon 586 3.8% 3.2% 4.5% 150 21.1
Cannock Chase 499 3.7% 2.9% 5.4% 125 16.6
Malvern Hills 591 3.7% 3.1% 3.9% 123 24.3
Redditch 509 3.6% 2.6% 6.1% 81 32.9
East Staffordshire 499 3.5% 2.8% 5.1% 133 16.5
North Warwickshire 545 3.5% 2.6% 5.9% 137 16.7
Tamworth 484 3.5% 2.7% 5.2% 126 23.8
Newcastle-under-Lyme 477 3.3% 2.6% 4.5% 161 12.4
Shropshire 537 3.2% 2.7% 4.8% 155 13.9
Nuneaton and Bedworth 482 3.1% 2.3% 4.6% 59 29.0
Worcester 479 3.1% 2.4% 4.8% 205 8.6
Dudley 470 3.0% 2.3% 5.0% 104 15.9
Herefordshire 563 3.0% 2.5% 4.2% 97 22.0
Staffordshire Moorlands 558 2.9% 2.5% 3.7% 107 20.1
Stoke-on-Trent 412 2.8% 2.0% 6.4% 107 12.3
Wyre Forest 544 2.8% 2.3% 4.2% 69 30.1
Walsall 416 2.7% 2.0% 5.8% 66 21.3
Wolverhampton 400 2.7% 1.9% 5.9% 69 20.0
Birmingham 345 2.6% 1.8% 8.0% 135 8.1
Coventry 384 2.5% 1.9% 6.9% 717 1.7
Sandwell 380 2.4% 1.6% 6.5% 88 16.7

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 247,938 licensed vehicles in Shropshire 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 9,506 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 Shropshire 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.