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Tyne and Wear motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
552,100 licensed vehicles in Tyne and Wear
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 474,936 +1.5% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 379 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 17,604 3.7% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.0% UK 3.1%
  • Public chargers 1,745 148 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.9% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Tyne and Wear?

There were 474,936 licensed cars in Tyne and Wear at the end of June 2026, and 552,100 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.9% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 379 for every 1,000 residents (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Tyne and Wear

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Tyne and Wear at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 463,832396,008
2011 459,728394,872
2012 457,578394,086
2013 459,104397,712
2014 466,279404,549
2015 473,650410,227
2016 481,881416,961
2017 492,170425,352
2018 496,604429,673
2019 505,457437,435
2020 506,100439,128
2021 519,558447,731
2022 520,500447,462
2023 525,183451,732
2024 535,434460,968
2025 544,027467,954
2026 552,100474,936

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Licensed vehicles by type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 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, Tyne and Wear compared
Year Tyne and WearNorth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 358401–
2012 356402–
2013 358405–
2014 363411–
2015 368415473
2016 373420480
2017 380426488
2018 383429490
2019 389435493
2020 390436489
2021 398442493
2022 392439489
2023 389438489
2024 391439490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Tyne and Wear

54.9% of cars in Tyne and Wear run on petrol and 31.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 39.5% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.4%, and cars that plug in 5.4%.

Cars by fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 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 Tyne and Wear, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 73.6%26.2%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 71.7%28.0%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2012 69.7%30.0%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 67.7%31.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 65.7%33.8%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 63.8%35.7%0.3%0.1%0.0%
2016 61.8%37.4%0.4%0.2%0.1%
2017 60.4%38.8%0.5%0.2%0.1%
2018 59.5%39.5%0.6%0.2%0.1%
2019 59.4%39.4%0.8%0.2%0.2%
2020 59.4%39.1%1.0%0.2%0.2%
2021 58.9%38.8%1.5%0.4%0.3%
2022 58.3%38.0%2.2%0.7%0.5%
2023 57.8%36.9%3.2%1.2%0.6%
2024 57.2%35.2%4.6%1.8%0.8%
2025 56.2%33.3%6.4%2.6%1.1%
2026 54.9%31.0%8.4%3.7%1.7%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Tyne and Wear

17,604 battery electric cars were licensed in Tyne and Wear at the end of June 2026, 3.7% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 25,479 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 12,229.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.0% are battery electric (13,409 cars). Companies keep 23.8% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.9% of its cars overall. There are also 908 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, Tyne and Wear compared, end of March each year
Year Tyne and WearNorth 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%0.4%
2021 0.4%0.4%0.8%
2022 0.7%0.7%1.5%
2023 1.2%1.1%2.3%
2024 1.8%1.7%3.2%
2025 2.6%2.5%4.4%
2026 3.7%3.6%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Tyne and Wear

There were 1,745 public chargers in Tyne and Wear on 1 July 2026, 474 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 148 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 15.9% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 11.6 privately kept plug-in cars in Tyne and Wear (UK 12.9). A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Tyne and Wear by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 1,506402
Apr 2026 1,633449
Jul 2026 1,745474

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

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

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Petrol and diesel prices in Tyne and Wear

Unleaded petrol averages 169.7p a litre across 97 filling stations in Tyne and Wear, 1.8p below the UK average. Diesel averages 197.9p, 0.8p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Costco Wholesale Gateshead Gateshead 163.9p
  2. Esso Hedworth Services Jarrow 164.5p
  3. Asda Boldon Supercentre Newcastle Upon Tyne 164.7p

Every filling station and price in Tyne and Wear

How Tyne and Wear compares

Tyne and Wear compared with the North East, England, the UK
Tyne and Wear 379 3.7% 3.0% 5.9% 148 11.6
North East 424 3.6% 3.0% 5.8% 150 12.8
England 440 6.2% 3.2% 10.7% 173 13.4
United Kingdom4445.8%3.1%10.0%17512.9

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 June 2026.

Driving test centres in Tyne and Wear

There are 3 DVSA car practical test centres in Tyne and Wear, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 51.2% at Sunderland.

DVSA publishes pass rates by centre name, with no address, so centres are placed here by the place name in the name DVSA uses. See pass rates at every test centre.

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 315 4.0% 3.2% 7.1% 122 12.7
North Tyneside 419 4.0% 3.3% 6.3% 62 32.9
Gateshead 388 3.5% 2.8% 5.7% 198 8.3
Sunderland 404 3.5% 2.9% 5.1% 192 9.0
South Tyneside 399 3.3% 2.6% 5.0% 175 9.5

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All insights

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 552,100 licensed vehicles in Tyne and Wear 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 26,822 plug-in vehicles 26 October 2026
Public chargers Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics Department for Transport 1 July 2026 121,171 public chargers (UK) 26 October 2026
Population Mid-year population estimates Office for National Statistics Mid-2024 404 areas 26 October 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Tyne and Wear 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.
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.