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South Tyneside motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
72,524 licensed vehicles in South Tyneside
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 63,399 +1.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 398 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 1,928 3.0% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.3% 103rd lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 265 175 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.1% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in South Tyneside?

There were 63,399 licensed cars in South Tyneside at the end of March 2026, and 72,524 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 18.7% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 398 for every 1,000 residents, 75th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in South Tyneside

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in South Tyneside at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 60,37453,400
2011 60,64653,554
2012 60,40953,345
2013 60,62753,664
2014 61,80854,673
2015 62,94855,733
2016 64,26856,661
2017 65,52257,664
2018 66,54158,683
2019 68,04659,961
2020 69,23261,110
2021 69,66761,060
2022 70,26661,341
2023 70,26061,375
2024 71,03662,057
2025 71,84962,770
2026 72,52463,399

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, South Tyneside compared
Year South TynesideNorth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 362401–
2012 361402–
2013 366405–
2014 374411–
2015 380415473
2016 385420480
2017 393426488
2018 399429490
2019 406435493
2020 409436489
2021 416442493
2022 412439489
2023 411438489
2024 413439490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in South Tyneside

55.6% of cars in South Tyneside run on petrol and 31.9% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 38.9% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.5%, and cars that plug in 4.6%.

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 South Tyneside, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 76.1%23.6%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 74.1%25.6%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2012 72.0%27.7%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2013 69.9%29.8%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 67.8%31.8%0.2%0.1%0.0%
2015 65.5%33.9%0.3%0.2%0.1%
2016 63.2%36.1%0.3%0.2%0.1%
2017 61.5%37.7%0.4%0.2%0.2%
2018 60.1%38.9%0.5%0.2%0.2%
2019 60.1%38.8%0.6%0.2%0.3%
2020 59.8%38.8%0.8%0.2%0.3%
2021 59.2%38.9%1.2%0.3%0.3%
2022 58.4%38.5%1.8%0.6%0.5%
2023 58.1%37.5%2.5%1.0%0.6%
2024 57.3%36.3%3.9%1.4%0.8%
2025 56.6%34.3%5.5%2.1%1.1%
2026 55.6%31.9%7.5%3.0%1.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in South Tyneside

1,928 battery electric cars were licensed in South Tyneside at the end of March 2026, 3.0% of all cars, 110th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 2,888 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,335.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.3% are battery electric (1,412 cars), 4th lowest of 12 councils in the North East. Companies keep 26.8% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.1% of its cars overall. There are also 81 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, South Tyneside compared, end of March each year
Year South TynesideNorth EastUnited Kingdom
2016 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.2%0.3%
2021 0.3%0.3%0.7%
2022 0.6%0.6%1.3%
2023 1.0%1.0%2.1%
2024 1.4%1.5%3.0%
2025 2.1%2.3%4.1%
2026 3.0%3.3%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in South Tyneside

There were 265 public chargers in South Tyneside on 1 July 2026, 17 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 175 for every 100,000 residents, 121st highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 42.5% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 11.1 privately kept plug-in cars in South Tyneside (UK 11.9), 104th 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 South Tyneside by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 18617
Apr 2026 20217
Jul 2026 26517

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, South Tyneside compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
South Tyneside 17511
Tyne and Wear 14840
North East 15037
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

South Tyneside has 23 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, 3.5%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in South Tyneside with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
South Tyneside 022 3,750 130 3.5% 6.5%
South Tyneside 010 3,319 96 2.9% 4.5%
South Tyneside 023 3,350 91 2.7% 4.6%
South Tyneside 015 4,441 111 2.5% 3.6%
South Tyneside 021 2,815 69 2.5% 3.8%
South Tyneside 006 2,994 71 2.4% 4.1%
South Tyneside 018 4,129 101 2.4% 3.9%
South Tyneside 008 2,287 53 2.3% 3.0%
South Tyneside 009 3,947 90 2.3% 3.3%
South Tyneside 013 2,810 64 2.3% 3.7%
Lowest electric shares
South Tyneside 003 2,677 15 0.6% 1.9%
South Tyneside 014 2,187 19 0.9% 1.6%
South Tyneside 007 1,911 18 0.9% 2.0%
South Tyneside 016 2,503 26 1.0% 2.3%
South Tyneside 001 3,262 36 1.1% 2.2%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 3 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in South Tyneside

Vehicles travelled an estimated 516 million miles on roads in South Tyneside in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in South Tyneside
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 427
1994 433
1995 439
1996 446
1997 452
1998 455
1999 463
2000 461
2001 463
2002 469
2003 471
2004 470
2005 461
2006 466
2007 460
2008 454
2009 447
2010 439
2011 438
2012 452
2013 459
2014 451
2015 458
2016 469
2017 461
2018 469
2019 483
2020 382
2021 423
2022 497
2023 512
2024 511
2025 516

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in South Tyneside, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 13632
2022 16035
2023 14327
2024 17539
2025 15033

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in South Tyneside

Unleaded petrol averages 166.9p a litre across 15 filling stations in South Tyneside, 4.8p below the UK average. Diesel averages 190.1p, 4.5p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Esso Hedworth Services Jarrow 161.5p
  2. Esso Asda Simonside Express Petrol South Shields 161.9p
  3. Esso Asda St Matthews Express Petrol Jarrow 161.9p

Every filling station and price in South Tyneside

How South Tyneside compares

South Tyneside compared with Tyne and Wear, the North East, England, the UK
South Tyneside 398 3.0% 2.3% 5.1% 175 11.1
Tyne and Wear 377 3.4% 2.7% 6.1% 148 11.0
North East 422 3.3% 2.7% 5.9% 150 11.8
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 Tyne and Wear

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

Councils in Tyne and Wear
Newcastle upon Tyne 312 3.8% 2.8% 8.0% 122 11.2
North Tyneside 417 3.7% 3.0% 6.3% 62 28.7
Gateshead 385 3.2% 2.5% 5.7% 198 7.9
Sunderland 402 3.2% 2.5% 5.2% 192 8.3
South Tyneside 398 3.0% 2.3% 5.1% 175 11.1

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 72,524 licensed vehicles in South Tyneside 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 2,987 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 South Tyneside 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.