North West · Metropolitan borough

Stockport motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
351,524 licensed vehicles in Stockport
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 284,478 −18.8% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 466 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 76,823 27.0% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.0% 136th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 350 115 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 50.2% UK 9.9%

Company fleets. 50.2% of cars registered in Stockport have a company as their keeper, against 9.9% across the UK. DVLA counts company cars at the company’s registered address, so leasing and rental fleets land where those firms are based and move when they move. The figures for privately kept cars are the better guide to local drivers.

How many cars are there in Stockport?

There were 284,478 licensed cars in Stockport at the end of March 2026, and 351,524 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 72.8% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 466 for every 1,000 residents, 140th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Stockport

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Stockport at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 188,695164,663
2011 164,549144,497
2012 156,919138,224
2013 157,724138,816
2014 160,128141,025
2015 161,988142,602
2016 163,562143,724
2017 164,851144,422
2018 164,885144,588
2019 166,950146,326
2020 167,484147,491
2021 427,407338,162
2022 417,847335,108
2023 418,385339,630
2024 431,167350,394
2025 433,300350,209
2026 351,524284,478

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, Stockport compared
Year StockportNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 491429
2012 487425
2013 491428
2014 496433
2015 496435473
2016 495438480
2017 497440488
2018 497443490
2019 500448493
2020 495446489
2021 1,138477493
2022 1,125472489
2023 1,137472489
2024 1,157474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Stockport

35.5% of cars in Stockport run on petrol and 16.4% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 41.1% in 2021. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.5%, and cars that plug in 40.3%.

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 Stockport, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 68.4%31.1%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2011 73.0%26.5%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 73.6%25.9%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2013 72.3%27.2%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2014 70.2%29.0%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2015 68.6%30.6%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2016 67.0%32.0%0.8%0.1%0.0%
2017 65.6%33.1%1.0%0.1%0.1%
2018 64.7%33.7%1.3%0.1%0.1%
2019 64.4%33.6%1.5%0.2%0.2%
2020 64.3%33.4%1.8%0.3%0.3%
2021 44.1%41.1%4.1%3.7%6.8%
2022 43.5%32.9%4.8%9.2%9.1%
2023 40.4%25.4%6.0%17.0%10.6%
2024 36.1%19.2%6.5%24.2%13.4%
2025 32.4%16.3%6.7%29.5%14.6%
2026 35.5%16.4%7.5%27.0%13.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Stockport

76,823 battery electric cars were licensed in Stockport at the end of March 2026, 27.0% of all cars, 5th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 114,643 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 103,397, 26,574 more. DfT notes that big changes like this often happen when a leasing or rental company changes its registered address.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.0% are battery electric (4,262 cars), 11th highest of 35 councils in the North West. Companies keep 94.5% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 50.2% of its cars overall. There are also 5,081 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, Stockport compared, end of March each year
Year StockportNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.1%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.2%0.3%
2021 3.7%0.7%0.7%
2022 9.2%1.5%1.3%
2023 17.0%2.6%2.1%
2024 24.2%3.8%3.0%
2025 29.5%5.4%4.1%
2026 27.0%6.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Stockport

There were 350 public chargers in Stockport on 1 July 2026, 234 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 115 for every 100,000 residents, 122nd lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 4.5% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 19.7 privately kept plug-in cars in Stockport (UK 11.9), 119th 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 Stockport by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 335216
Apr 2026 349230
Jul 2026 350234

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Stockport compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Stockport 11577
Greater Manchester 9642
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Stockport has 42 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.8% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 6.5%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Stockport with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Stockport 042 4,316 279 6.5% 10.4%
Stockport 017 3,939 190 4.8% 7.3%
Stockport 037 4,155 195 4.7% 7.3%
Stockport 039 4,191 197 4.7% 7.1%
Stockport 008 3,381 146 4.3% 6.3%
Stockport 032 3,555 150 4.2% 7.1%
Stockport 025 3,634 137 3.8% 6.2%
Stockport 030 4,314 160 3.7% 5.9%
Stockport 028 4,294 154 3.6% 6.4%
Stockport 034 3,150 113 3.6% 5.4%
Lowest electric shares
Stockport 018 4,233 39 0.9% 2.5%
Stockport 002 3,615 41 1.1% 2.1%
Stockport 007 2,883 35 1.2% 2.0%
Stockport 031 3,500 49 1.4% 2.8%
Stockport 019 3,989 57 1.4% 2.5%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 4 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Stockport

Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,272 million miles on roads in Stockport in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Stockport
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 983
1994 999
1995 1,018
1996 1,035
1997 1,050
1998 1,073
1999 1,094
2000 1,079
2001 1,146
2002 1,153
2003 1,164
2004 1,186
2005 1,141
2006 1,148
2007 1,151
2008 1,151
2009 1,137
2010 1,112
2011 1,122
2012 1,123
2013 1,126
2014 1,150
2015 1,163
2016 1,165
2017 1,172
2018 1,178
2019 1,245
2020 1,040
2021 1,110
2022 1,179
2023 1,225
2024 1,259
2025 1,272

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Stockport, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 25266
2022 23269
2023 19754
2024 22171
2025 24283

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Stockport

Unleaded petrol averages 172.5p a litre across 28 filling stations in Stockport, 0.8p above the UK average. Diesel averages 195.9p, 1.3p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

How Stockport compares

Stockport compared with Greater Manchester, the North West, England, the UK
Stockport 466 27.0% 3.0% 50.2% 115 19.7
Greater Manchester 389 8.3% 2.5% 17.1% 96 17.8
North West 427 6.2% 2.7% 11.8% 112 17.4
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 Greater Manchester

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

Councils in Greater Manchester
Stockport 466 27.0% 3.0% 50.2% 115 19.7
Bury 429 4.9% 2.8% 18.8% 55 36.8
Salford 330 4.6% 2.4% 16.1% 96 14.7
Trafford 448 4.3% 3.5% 5.1% 189 13.7
Manchester 279 3.5% 1.9% 9.8% 128 8.1
Wigan 455 3.3% 2.7% 4.8% 76 26.2
Bolton 408 3.2% 2.4% 6.4% 55 31.3
Rochdale 403 3.1% 2.4% 6.3% 72 22.0
Oldham 378 2.8% 2.1% 7.4% 71 19.5
Tameside 412 2.8% 2.1% 5.5% 59 25.0

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 351,524 licensed vehicles in Stockport 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 119,924 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 Stockport 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.

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.