North West · District council

Wyre motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
77,556 licensed vehicles in Wyre
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 62,880 +0.8% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 504 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 2,276 3.6% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.0% 136th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 161 136 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.9% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Wyre?

There were 62,880 licensed cars in Wyre at the end of March 2026, and 77,556 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 16.6% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 504 for every 1,000 residents, 148th highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Wyre

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Wyre at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 64,68653,923
2011 64,93854,268
2012 64,78354,103
2013 65,25754,465
2014 65,95055,009
2015 66,43755,404
2016 67,42356,165
2017 68,73557,024
2018 69,29157,485
2019 70,21558,047
2020 70,95758,809
2021 72,11059,132
2022 73,54460,053
2023 74,40560,705
2024 75,83361,696
2025 76,76862,410
2026 77,55662,880

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, Wyre compared
Year WyreNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 505429
2012 505425
2013 510428
2014 515433
2015 514435473
2016 519438480
2017 528440488
2018 530443490
2019 534448493
2020 528446489
2021 532477493
2022 525472489
2023 524472489
2024 522474490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Wyre

54.5% of cars in Wyre run on petrol and 31.8% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 38.2% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.0%, and cars that plug in 5.2%.

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 Wyre, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 73.6%26.1%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 71.8%27.7%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 70.0%29.5%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 68.2%31.2%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 66.5%33.0%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 64.6%34.6%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 62.9%36.2%0.7%0.1%0.0%
2017 61.8%37.0%0.9%0.1%0.1%
2018 60.6%38.1%1.1%0.1%0.1%
2019 60.3%38.0%1.3%0.1%0.1%
2020 59.8%38.2%1.5%0.2%0.2%
2021 59.2%38.1%1.9%0.4%0.3%
2022 58.6%37.5%2.6%0.7%0.4%
2023 58.0%36.5%3.6%1.1%0.5%
2024 57.0%35.3%5.0%1.6%0.7%
2025 55.8%33.7%6.5%2.5%1.1%
2026 54.5%31.8%8.0%3.6%1.6%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Wyre

2,276 battery electric cars were licensed in Wyre at the end of March 2026, 3.6% of all cars, 165th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 3,275 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,538.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.0% are battery electric (1,774 cars), 11th highest of 35 councils in the North West. Companies keep 22.1% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.9% of its cars overall. There are also 56 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, Wyre compared, end of March each year
Year WyreNorth WestUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.1%0.1%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.2%0.3%
2021 0.4%0.7%0.7%
2022 0.7%1.5%1.3%
2023 1.1%2.6%2.1%
2024 1.6%3.8%3.0%
2025 2.5%5.4%4.1%
2026 3.6%6.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Wyre

There were 161 public chargers in Wyre on 1 July 2026, 62 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 136 for every 100,000 residents, 170th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 1.2% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 16.9 privately kept plug-in cars in Wyre (UK 11.9), 162nd 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 Wyre by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 16360
Apr 2026 15960
Jul 2026 16162

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Wyre compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Wyre 13652
Lancashire 11346
North West 11240
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Wyre has 14 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.4% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.0%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Wyre with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Wyre 013 5,453 220 4.0% 5.7%
Wyre 006 5,362 175 3.3% 5.0%
Wyre 010 5,122 168 3.3% 4.8%
Wyre 012 5,927 171 2.9% 4.4%
Wyre 007 6,895 193 2.8% 4.1%
Wyre 014 5,614 152 2.7% 4.3%
Wyre 009 5,550 133 2.4% 4.0%
Wyre 004 7,806 181 2.3% 3.6%
Wyre 011 5,495 124 2.3% 3.3%
Wyre 003 2,669 56 2.1% 2.9%
Lowest electric shares
Wyre 001 3,207 12 0.4% 0.7%
Wyre 008 4,395 82 1.9% 2.9%
Wyre 005 3,633 76 2.1% 3.2%
Wyre 003 2,669 56 2.1% 2.9%
Wyre 011 5,495 124 2.3% 3.3%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 1 neighbourhood is left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Wyre

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Wyre, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 15555
2022 20285
2023 19671
2024 18072
2025 19665

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Wyre

Unleaded petrol averages 175.1p a litre across 13 filling stations in Wyre, 3.4p above the UK average. Diesel averages 199.0p, 4.4p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. MFG Morrisons Thornton Cleveleys Thornton Cleveleys 166.9p
  2. Asda Fleetwood Superstore Fleetwood 167.9p
  3. Gulf Houghtons Preston 168.9p

Every filling station and price in Wyre

How Wyre compares

Wyre compared with Lancashire, the North West, England, the UK
Wyre 504 3.6% 3.0% 4.9% 136 16.9
Lancashire 465 3.6% 2.9% 5.3% 113 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 Lancashire

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

Councils in Lancashire
Chorley 503 4.3% 3.6% 4.1% 124 24.4
Ribble Valley 543 4.3% 3.8% 3.8% 123 27.3
West Lancashire 488 4.3% 3.3% 6.5% 76 18.2
South Ribble 524 4.0% 3.3% 4.3% 167 15.7
Fylde 530 3.9% 3.3% 4.8% 133 21.9
Preston 393 3.6% 2.7% 7.2% 79 20.2
Wyre 504 3.6% 3.0% 4.9% 136 16.9
Rossendale 474 3.1% 2.5% 5.3% 179 11.3
Lancaster 436 3.0% 2.5% 4.2% 135 12.4
Hyndburn 418 2.7% 1.9% 6.7% 58 24.0
Burnley 389 2.6% 1.9% 6.1% 108 11.6
Pendle 420 2.4% 1.7% 6.0% 63 20.2

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 77,556 licensed vehicles in Wyre 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 3,358 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 Wyre 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.