England · Region of England
West Midlands motoring statistics
How many cars and electric cars are registered in the West Midlands, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how the West Midlands compares with England. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.
- Licensed cars 3,021,900 +1.3% on a year earlier
- Private cars per 1,000 people 459 UK 444
- Battery electric cars 113,049 3.7% of cars (UK 5.8%)
- Electric share of private cars 2.9% UK 3.1%
- Public chargers 10,143 164 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
- Company-registered cars 6.1% UK 10.0%
How many cars are there in the West Midlands?
There were 3,021,900 licensed cars in the West Midlands at the end of June 2026, and 3,704,714 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 10.1% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 459 for every 1,000 residents (UK 444).
Licensed vehicles in the West Midlands
Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.
| Year | All vehicles | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3,359,169 | 2,745,453 |
| 2011 | 3,478,240 | 2,837,351 |
| 2012 | 3,459,230 | 2,832,127 |
| 2013 | 3,478,184 | 2,853,597 |
| 2014 | 3,502,042 | 2,857,126 |
| 2015 | 3,556,446 | 2,909,976 |
| 2016 | 3,655,691 | 2,979,468 |
| 2017 | 3,768,056 | 3,061,720 |
| 2018 | 3,799,417 | 3,087,329 |
| 2019 | 3,779,555 | 3,075,460 |
| 2020 | 3,752,821 | 3,053,758 |
| 2021 | 3,555,162 | 2,887,219 |
| 2022 | 3,573,655 | 2,891,573 |
| 2023 | 3,613,911 | 2,923,969 |
| 2024 | 3,629,638 | 2,947,800 |
| 2025 | 3,663,472 | 2,983,047 |
| 2026 | 3,704,714 | 3,021,900 |
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.
| Year | West Midlands | England | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 506 | 457 | – |
| 2012 | 502 | 455 | – |
| 2013 | 503 | 458 | – |
| 2014 | 500 | 463 | – |
| 2015 | 506 | 466 | 473 |
| 2016 | 513 | 471 | 480 |
| 2017 | 523 | 478 | 488 |
| 2018 | 524 | 480 | 490 |
| 2019 | 519 | 483 | 493 |
| 2020 | 515 | 477 | 489 |
| 2021 | 485 | 482 | 493 |
| 2022 | 480 | 478 | 489 |
| 2023 | 479 | 477 | 489 |
| 2024 | 476 | 478 | 490 |
Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated
Petrol, diesel and electric cars in the West Midlands
54.8% of cars in the West Midlands run on petrol and 30.6% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 42.7% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.3%, and cars that plug in 5.9%.
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.
| Year | Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid | Battery electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 68.0% | 31.5% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 64.4% | 35.0% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 62.8% | 36.6% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 61.3% | 38.0% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 60.6% | 38.7% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 58.9% | 40.2% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2016 | 57.4% | 41.5% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2017 | 56.2% | 42.5% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| 2018 | 55.6% | 42.7% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| 2019 | 56.0% | 41.8% | 1.1% | 0.2% | 0.7% |
| 2020 | 56.3% | 40.7% | 1.4% | 0.5% | 0.9% |
| 2021 | 58.3% | 38.4% | 1.8% | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| 2022 | 58.0% | 37.4% | 2.6% | 1.0% | 0.8% |
| 2023 | 57.7% | 36.1% | 3.4% | 1.4% | 1.0% |
| 2024 | 57.2% | 34.6% | 4.8% | 1.8% | 1.2% |
| 2025 | 56.2% | 32.6% | 6.5% | 2.7% | 1.6% |
| 2026 | 54.8% | 30.6% | 8.3% | 3.7% | 2.1% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Electric cars in the West Midlands
113,049 battery electric cars were licensed in the West Midlands at the end of June 2026, 3.7% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 177,301 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 80,019.
Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.9% are battery electric (81,442 cars). Companies keep 28.0% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 6.1% of its cars overall. There are also 14,558 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.
| Year | West Midlands | England | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | 1.6% | 1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | 2.5% | 2.3% |
| 2024 | 1.8% | 3.5% | 3.2% |
| 2025 | 2.7% | 4.7% | 4.4% |
| 2026 | 3.7% | 6.2% | 5.8% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Public EV chargers in the West Midlands
There were 10,143 public chargers in the West Midlands on 1 July 2026, 2,825 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 164 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 16.7% from 1 January 2025.
For every public charger there are 12.9 privately kept plug-in cars in the West Midlands (UK 12.9). A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.
Public chargers
| Date | All public chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 8,689 | 2,357 |
| Apr 2025 | 9,083 | 2,293 |
| Jul 2025 | 9,732 | 2,354 |
| Oct 2025 | 9,723 | 2,442 |
| Jan 2026 | 9,890 | 2,559 |
| Apr 2026 | 10,059 | 2,676 |
| Jul 2026 | 10,143 | 2,825 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Chargers per 100,000 residents
| Area | All chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 164 | 46 |
| England | 173 | 41 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Petrol and diesel prices in West Midlands
Unleaded petrol averages 172.3p a litre across 485 filling stations in West Midlands, 0.8p above the UK average. Diesel averages 199.3p, 0.6p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.
Cheapest petrol
- Texaco Mere Motors Ltd Ellesmere 159.9p
- Costco Wholesale Birmingham Birmingham 160.9p
- Essar D A Roberts Fuels Ltd Grindley Brook Garage Whitchurch 160.9p
How the West Midlands compares
| West Midlands | 459 | 3.7% | 164 |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 440 | 6.2% | 173 |
| United Kingdom | 444 | 5.8% | 175 |
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 the West Midlands
There are 12 DVSA car practical test centres in the West Midlands, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 58.8% at Hereford.
- Hereford 58.8% pass rate, 2025/26
- Ludlow 58.7% pass rate, 2025/26
- Birmingham (Shirley) 56.6% pass rate, 2025/26
- Burton on Trent 54.7% pass rate, 2025/26
- Birmingham (Cocks Moors) 53.5% pass rate, 2025/26
- Nuneaton 53.2% pass rate, 2025/26
- Lichfield 53.1% pass rate, 2025/26
- Oswestry 52.4% pass rate, 2025/26
- Worcester 51.9% pass rate, 2025/26
- Rugby 51.4% pass rate, 2025/26
- Redditch 51.4% pass rate, 2025/26
- Shrewsbury 51.0% pass rate, 2025/26
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 the West Midlands
Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.
| Solihull | 497 | 7.8% | 278 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lichfield | 542 | 5.4% | 75 |
| Bromsgrove | 555 | 5.1% | 191 |
| Warwick | 491 | 5.1% | 201 |
| Rugby | 512 | 4.8% | 159 |
| Stafford | 529 | 4.8% | 148 |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 592 | 4.8% | 200 |
| Telford and Wrekin | 481 | 4.3% | 137 |
| South Staffordshire | 540 | 4.2% | 120 |
| Cannock Chase | 501 | 4.1% | 125 |
| Malvern Hills | 596 | 4.1% | 123 |
| Wychavon | 590 | 4.1% | 150 |
| East Staffordshire | 504 | 3.9% | 133 |
| Redditch | 512 | 3.9% | 81 |
| Tamworth | 486 | 3.9% | 126 |
| North Warwickshire | 548 | 3.8% | 137 |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 481 | 3.7% | 161 |
| Shropshire | 541 | 3.5% | 155 |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 484 | 3.4% | 59 |
| Worcester | 483 | 3.4% | 205 |
| Dudley | 472 | 3.3% | 104 |
| Herefordshire | 568 | 3.3% | 97 |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 564 | 3.3% | 107 |
| Wyre Forest | 548 | 3.2% | 69 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 416 | 3.1% | 107 |
| Walsall | 420 | 3.0% | 66 |
| Wolverhampton | 403 | 3.0% | 69 |
| Birmingham | 347 | 2.8% | 135 |
| Coventry | 387 | 2.7% | 717 |
| Sandwell | 383 | 2.6% | 88 |
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 3,704,714 licensed vehicles in West Midlands | 26 October 2026 |
| Plug-in and electric vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 194,052 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 the West Midlands 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.