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Sunderland motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
142,181 licensed vehicles in Sunderland
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 122,258 +1.6% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 402 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 3,881 3.2% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.5% 140th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 554 192 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.2% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Sunderland?

There were 122,258 licensed cars in Sunderland at the end of March 2026, and 142,181 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.0% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 402 for every 1,000 residents, 77th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Sunderland

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Sunderland at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 117,771102,776
2011 118,192103,128
2012 117,492102,641
2013 117,749102,953
2014 119,358104,402
2015 120,725105,605
2016 123,062107,847
2017 125,457109,703
2018 126,345110,531
2019 129,005112,730
2020 131,140114,957
2021 132,125114,888
2022 133,409115,303
2023 134,268116,097
2024 137,027118,464
2025 139,737120,286
2026 142,181122,258

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, Sunderland compared
Year SunderlandNorth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 374401–
2012 374402–
2013 376405–
2014 381411–
2015 386415473
2016 393420480
2017 401426488
2018 406429490
2019 413435493
2020 416436489
2021 422442493
2022 416439489
2023 412438489
2024 413439490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Sunderland

54.4% of cars in Sunderland run on petrol and 33.3% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 39.9% in 2021. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.4%, and cars that plug in 4.5%.

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 Sunderland, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 74.8%25.0%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 72.9%26.8%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2012 70.9%28.8%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 68.8%30.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 66.6%33.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 64.5%34.9%0.3%0.1%0.0%
2016 62.5%36.9%0.3%0.2%0.0%
2017 60.8%38.5%0.4%0.2%0.1%
2018 59.5%39.7%0.5%0.2%0.1%
2019 59.2%39.8%0.7%0.2%0.1%
2020 59.0%39.8%0.8%0.2%0.1%
2021 58.4%39.9%1.2%0.3%0.2%
2022 57.8%39.4%1.7%0.6%0.3%
2023 57.2%38.5%2.6%0.9%0.4%
2024 56.6%37.1%3.9%1.4%0.6%
2025 55.6%35.3%5.6%2.2%0.9%
2026 54.4%33.3%7.4%3.2%1.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Sunderland

3,881 battery electric cars were licensed in Sunderland at the end of March 2026, 3.2% of all cars, 137th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 5,466 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,635.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.5% are battery electric (2,932 cars), 6th lowest of 12 councils in the North East. Companies keep 24.5% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.2% of its cars overall. There are also 150 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, Sunderland compared, end of March each year
Year SunderlandNorth 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 0.9%1.0%2.1%
2024 1.4%1.5%3.0%
2025 2.2%2.3%4.1%
2026 3.2%3.3%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Sunderland

There were 554 public chargers in Sunderland on 1 July 2026, 147 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 192 for every 100,000 residents, 103rd highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 21.8% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 8.3 privately kept plug-in cars in Sunderland (UK 11.9), 67th 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 Sunderland by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 455115
Apr 2026 522145
Jul 2026 554147

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Sunderland compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Sunderland 19251
Tyne and Wear 14840
North East 15037
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Sunderland has 36 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.1% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.1%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Sunderland with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Sunderland 007 3,350 137 4.1% 5.6%
Sunderland 031 3,873 143 3.7% 5.1%
Sunderland 017 4,041 145 3.6% 5.0%
Sunderland 025 5,615 196 3.5% 5.8%
Sunderland 030 5,385 185 3.4% 4.8%
Sunderland 033 4,579 143 3.1% 4.2%
Sunderland 010 3,173 92 2.9% 3.9%
Sunderland 029 4,452 131 2.9% 4.9%
Sunderland 019 3,115 88 2.8% 4.0%
Sunderland 032 4,537 127 2.8% 4.1%
Lowest electric shares
Sunderland 026 2,779 17 0.6% 1.4%
Sunderland 011 1,823 14 0.8% 2.1%
Sunderland 004 3,377 26 0.8% 1.7%
Sunderland 016 2,740 24 0.9% 1.5%
Sunderland 024 2,827 36 1.3% 1.9%

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 Sunderland

Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,127 million miles on roads in Sunderland in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Sunderland
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 970
1994 983
1995 998
1996 1,024
1997 1,041
1998 1,058
1999 1,078
2000 1,071
2001 1,066
2002 1,089
2003 1,084
2004 1,079
2005 1,062
2006 1,089
2007 1,084
2008 1,061
2009 1,030
2010 1,004
2011 995
2012 993
2013 991
2014 1,019
2015 1,035
2016 1,053
2017 1,047
2018 1,071
2019 1,087
2020 865
2021 940
2022 1,056
2023 1,087
2024 1,095
2025 1,127

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Sunderland, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 32570
2022 32272
2023 32472
2024 33568
2025 33280

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Sunderland

Unleaded petrol averages 168.6p a litre across 25 filling stations in Sunderland, 3.1p below the UK average. Diesel averages 192.4p, 2.2p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Tesco Houghton Le Spring Houghton Le Spring 159.9p
  2. Asda Sunderland Thompson Road Sunderland 163.7p
  3. MFG Morrisons Seaburn Seaburn 163.9p

Every filling station and price in Sunderland

How Sunderland compares

Sunderland compared with Tyne and Wear, the North East, England, the UK
Sunderland 402 3.2% 2.5% 5.2% 192 8.3
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 142,181 licensed vehicles in Sunderland 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 5,784 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 Sunderland 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.