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Solihull motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
169,932 licensed vehicles in Solihull
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 125,974 +0.9% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 495 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 9,129 7.2% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.1% 120th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 614 278 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 13.1% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Solihull?

There were 125,974 licensed cars in Solihull at the end of March 2026, and 169,932 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 21.7% fewer cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 495 for every 1,000 residents, 169th highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Solihull

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Solihull at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 231,104160,932
2011 185,588155,358
2012 260,053191,367
2013 266,788205,134
2014 184,553156,217
2015 190,915161,459
2016 200,900169,348
2017 240,722168,874
2018 224,073156,870
2019 189,759133,240
2020 191,381133,539
2021 224,012156,038
2022 221,430146,854
2023 186,145125,748
2024 177,160124,536
2025 170,459124,810
2026 169,932125,974

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, Solihull compared
Year SolihullWest MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2011 891506–
2012 928502–
2013 975503–
2014 734500–
2015 769506473
2016 815513480
2017 776523488
2018 734524490
2019 613519493
2020 689515489
2021 710485493
2022 576480489
2023 579479489
2024 563476490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Solihull

55.1% of cars in Solihull run on petrol and 24.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 50.9% in 2013. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.3%, and cars that plug in 11.1%.

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 Solihull, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 58.2%41.1%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2011 60.9%38.5%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2012 51.2%47.9%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2013 48.0%50.9%0.7%0.1%0.0%
2014 60.6%38.3%0.5%0.1%0.0%
2015 58.0%41.1%0.5%0.1%0.0%
2016 57.6%41.4%0.5%0.1%0.2%
2017 57.4%41.3%0.8%0.1%0.3%
2018 58.1%40.0%1.0%0.1%0.7%
2019 57.1%40.0%1.4%0.2%1.2%
2020 57.3%38.6%1.8%0.6%1.6%
2021 60.1%32.7%1.9%2.6%2.5%
2022 59.9%30.8%2.6%3.8%2.7%
2023 58.0%31.1%3.9%3.6%3.0%
2024 58.3%28.6%5.4%4.5%2.7%
2025 57.1%26.3%7.5%5.8%2.9%
2026 55.1%24.0%9.3%7.2%3.9%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Solihull

9,129 battery electric cars were licensed in Solihull at the end of March 2026, 7.2% of all cars, 18th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 14,032 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 7,190.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.1% are battery electric (3,411 cars), 9th highest of 30 councils in the West Midlands. Companies keep 62.6% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 13.1% of its cars overall. There are also 7,372 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, Solihull compared, end of March each year
Year SolihullWest 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 0.6%0.4%0.3%
2021 2.6%0.6%0.7%
2022 3.8%1.1%1.3%
2023 3.6%1.3%2.1%
2024 4.5%1.7%3.0%
2025 5.8%2.5%4.1%
2026 7.2%3.4%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Solihull

There were 614 public chargers in Solihull on 1 July 2026, 148 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 278 for every 100,000 residents, 42nd highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 1.5% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 9.4 privately kept plug-in cars in Solihull (UK 11.9), 82nd 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 Solihull by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 605137
Apr 2026 605137
Jul 2026 614148

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Solihull compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Solihull 27867
West Midlands (county) 19437
West Midlands 16446
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Solihull has 29 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.6% 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 Solihull with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Solihull 029 8,201 355 4.3% 6.7%
Solihull 024 3,588 149 4.2% 6.8%
Solihull 027 3,384 142 4.2% 6.4%
Solihull 019 4,038 160 4.0% 7.5%
Solihull 025 5,399 217 4.0% 6.6%
Solihull 026 6,119 239 3.9% 6.5%
Solihull 028 5,964 235 3.9% 6.9%
Solihull 022 5,395 196 3.6% 5.3%
Solihull 014 3,548 123 3.5% 5.9%
Solihull 017 5,115 177 3.5% 5.9%
Lowest electric shares
Solihull 002 2,227 0 0.0% 1.1%
Solihull 007 2,275 9 0.4% 1.0%
Solihull 006 2,116 10 0.5% 1.3%
Solihull 008 3,521 29 0.8% 1.7%
Solihull 005 2,853 36 1.3% 2.6%

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

Road traffic and collisions in Solihull

Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,433 million miles on roads in Solihull in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Solihull
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 1,160
1994 1,181
1995 1,205
1996 1,240
1997 1,270
1998 1,306
1999 1,325
2000 1,309
2001 1,309
2002 1,394
2003 1,364
2004 1,402
2005 1,382
2006 1,363
2007 1,411
2008 1,401
2009 1,376
2010 1,367
2011 1,410
2012 1,410
2013 1,395
2014 1,449
2015 1,494
2016 1,533
2017 1,536
2018 1,556
2019 1,546
2020 1,154
2021 1,286
2022 1,426
2023 1,439
2024 1,434
2025 1,433

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Solihull, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 23547
2022 28166
2023 26162
2024 24762
2025 25164

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Solihull

Unleaded petrol averages 171.7p a litre across 24 filling stations in Solihull, the same as the UK average. Diesel averages 195.2p, 0.6p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Esso Asda Hobs Moat Express Petrol Birmingham 168.9p
  2. Esso Asda Solihull New Con Express Petrol Solihull 168.9p
  3. EG Birmingham Airport Birmingham 168.9p

Every filling station and price in Solihull

How Solihull compares

Solihull compared with the West Midlands metropolitan county, the West Midlands, England, the UK
Solihull 495 7.2% 3.1% 13.1% 278 9.4
West Midlands (county) 391 3.1% 2.0% 7.4% 194 7.0
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 metropolitan county

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

Councils in the West Midlands metropolitan county
Solihull 495 7.2% 3.1% 13.1% 278 9.4
Dudley 470 3.0% 2.3% 5.0% 104 15.9
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 169,932 licensed vehicles in Solihull 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 21,525 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 Solihull 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.