West Midlands · County

Staffordshire motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
621,605 licensed vehicles in Staffordshire
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 491,987 +1.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 515 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 18,712 3.8% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.1% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 1,144 126 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.0% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Staffordshire?

There were 491,987 licensed cars in Staffordshire at the end of March 2026, and 621,605 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 11.9% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 515 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Staffordshire

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Staffordshire at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 528,769439,716
2011 518,961430,659
2012 523,858434,280
2013 521,803432,230
2014 529,783438,267
2015 536,814443,424
2016 548,300450,978
2017 556,838456,653
2018 561,807459,814
2019 571,585466,290
2020 575,775470,996
2021 577,781467,862
2022 590,228472,087
2023 597,085475,662
2024 606,492482,531
2025 613,804487,088
2026 621,605491,987

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, Staffordshire compared
Year StaffordshireWest MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2011 509506
2012 512502
2013 510503
2014 517500
2015 521506473
2016 525513480
2017 532523488
2018 534524490
2019 539519493
2020 534515489
2021 539485493
2022 535480489
2023 534479489
2024 536476490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Staffordshire

54.1% of cars in Staffordshire run on petrol and 32.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 40.7% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.6%, and cars that plug in 5.8%.

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 Staffordshire, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 71.0%28.6%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 68.9%30.7%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 66.9%32.6%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 65.7%33.8%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 63.8%35.6%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 62.2%37.1%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 60.5%38.7%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2017 59.2%39.9%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2018 58.1%40.7%0.8%0.1%0.1%
2019 57.9%40.7%1.0%0.1%0.2%
2020 57.7%40.6%1.1%0.2%0.3%
2021 57.4%40.3%1.5%0.3%0.4%
2022 57.0%39.3%2.2%0.7%0.6%
2023 56.7%38.1%3.0%1.1%0.8%
2024 56.3%36.3%4.3%1.7%1.0%
2025 55.5%34.2%5.9%2.5%1.4%
2026 54.1%32.0%7.6%3.8%2.0%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Staffordshire

18,712 battery electric cars were licensed in Staffordshire at the end of March 2026, 3.8% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 28,664 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 12,289.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.1% are battery electric (14,316 cars). Companies keep 23.5% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.0% of its cars overall. There are also 619 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, Staffordshire compared, end of March each year
Year StaffordshireWest MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.1%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.4%0.3%
2021 0.3%0.6%0.7%
2022 0.7%1.1%1.3%
2023 1.1%1.3%2.1%
2024 1.7%1.7%3.0%
2025 2.5%2.5%4.1%
2026 3.8%3.4%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Staffordshire

There were 1,144 public chargers in Staffordshire on 1 July 2026, 579 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 126 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 2.6% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 19.9 privately kept plug-in cars in Staffordshire (UK 11.9). A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Staffordshire by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 1,115537
Apr 2026 1,130539
Jul 2026 1,144579

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Staffordshire compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Staffordshire 12664
West Midlands 16446
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Road traffic and collisions in Staffordshire

Vehicles travelled an estimated 6,283 million miles on roads in Staffordshire in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Staffordshire
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 4,517
1994 4,654
1995 4,781
1996 4,903
1997 4,987
1998 5,056
1999 5,143
2000 5,125
2001 5,179
2002 5,274
2003 5,331
2004 5,495
2005 5,643
2006 5,715
2007 5,798
2008 5,780
2009 5,647
2010 5,537
2011 5,635
2012 5,675
2013 5,641
2014 5,826
2015 5,922
2016 6,092
2017 6,043
2018 6,028
2019 6,118
2020 4,675
2021 5,311
2022 5,874
2023 5,977
2024 6,137
2025 6,283

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Staffordshire, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 619160
2022 410160
2023 692221
2024 1,162293
2025 1,295334

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Staffordshire

Unleaded petrol averages 173.5p a litre across 108 filling stations in Staffordshire, 1.8p above the UK average. Diesel averages 195.2p, 0.6p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

How Staffordshire compares

Staffordshire compared with the West Midlands, England, the UK
Staffordshire 515 3.8% 3.1% 5.0% 126 19.9
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 Staffordshire

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

Councils in Staffordshire
Lichfield 538 4.9% 3.8% 6.6% 75 41.8
Stafford 524 4.3% 3.6% 5.2% 148 20.1
South Staffordshire 537 3.8% 3.2% 4.2% 120 21.7
Cannock Chase 499 3.7% 2.9% 5.4% 125 16.6
East Staffordshire 499 3.5% 2.8% 5.1% 133 16.5
Tamworth 484 3.5% 2.7% 5.2% 126 23.8
Newcastle-under-Lyme 477 3.3% 2.6% 4.5% 161 12.4
Staffordshire Moorlands 558 2.9% 2.5% 3.7% 107 20.1

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 621,605 licensed vehicles in Staffordshire 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 29,707 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
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Staffordshire 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.

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.