England · Region of England

Yorkshire and the Humber motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
3,344,847 licensed vehicles in Yorkshire and the Humber
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 2,728,070 +1.2% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 437 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 136,888 5.0% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.7% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 6,281 111 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 9.1% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in the Yorkshire and the Humber?

There were 2,728,070 licensed cars in the Yorkshire and the Humber at the end of March 2026, and 3,344,847 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 22.0% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 437 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in the Yorkshire and the Humber

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in the Yorkshire and the Humber at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 2,695,7392,236,843
2011 2,710,5502,250,976
2012 2,711,7962,256,703
2013 2,724,7142,268,427
2014 2,742,0272,278,235
2015 2,788,8232,316,173
2016 2,853,6992,367,577
2017 2,927,6072,427,587
2018 2,974,5892,465,037
2019 3,043,2932,517,031
2020 3,090,9402,563,682
2021 3,093,3872,549,017
2022 3,155,4302,583,547
2023 3,204,6282,618,163
2024 3,255,5472,657,120
2025 3,303,7102,694,568
2026 3,344,8472,728,070

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, the Yorkshire and the Humber compared
Year Yorkshire and the HumberEnglandUnited Kingdom
2011 427457
2012 427455
2013 429458
2014 429463
2015 433466473
2016 442471480
2017 450478488
2018 456480490
2019 464483493
2020 463477489
2021 470482493
2022 469478489
2023 469477489
2024 472478490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in the Yorkshire and the Humber

50.4% of cars in the Yorkshire and the Humber run on petrol and 32.9% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 42.7% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.5%, and cars that plug in 7.7%.

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 the Yorkshire and the Humber, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 69.5%30.2%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 67.4%32.2%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 65.3%34.2%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 63.4%36.1%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 62.1%37.3%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 60.4%38.9%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 58.4%40.7%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2017 56.9%42.0%0.7%0.1%0.2%
2018 55.9%42.7%0.9%0.1%0.3%
2019 55.7%42.5%1.2%0.1%0.4%
2020 55.6%42.0%1.5%0.3%0.5%
2021 55.2%41.2%2.0%0.6%0.7%
2022 54.4%39.9%2.9%1.3%1.1%
2023 53.7%38.4%4.0%2.0%1.3%
2024 52.9%36.8%5.2%2.8%1.7%
2025 51.8%34.9%6.9%3.9%2.1%
2026 50.4%32.9%8.5%5.0%2.7%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in the Yorkshire and the Humber

136,888 battery electric cars were licensed in the Yorkshire and the Humber at the end of March 2026, 5.0% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 210,947 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 103,984.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.7% are battery electric (66,802 cars). Companies keep 51.2% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 9.1% of its cars overall. There are also 5,809 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, the Yorkshire and the Humber compared, end of March each year
Year Yorkshire and the HumberEnglandUnited 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%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.4%0.3%
2021 0.6%0.7%0.7%
2022 1.3%1.4%1.3%
2023 2.0%2.3%2.1%
2024 2.8%3.2%3.0%
2025 3.9%4.4%4.1%
2026 5.0%5.8%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in the Yorkshire and the Humber

There were 6,281 public chargers in the Yorkshire and the Humber on 1 July 2026, 2,075 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 111 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 9.8% from 1 January 2025.

For every public charger there are 17.6 privately kept plug-in cars in the Yorkshire and the Humber (UK 11.9). A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in the Yorkshire and the Humber by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2025 5,7201,712
Apr 2025 5,7831,813
Jul 2025 6,2021,818
Oct 2025 6,3491,923
Jan 2026 6,1531,881
Apr 2026 6,2541,967
Jul 2026 6,2812,075

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, the Yorkshire and the Humber compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Yorkshire and the Humber 11137
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Petrol and diesel prices in Yorkshire and the Humber

Unleaded petrol averages 170.4p a litre across 642 filling stations in Yorkshire and the Humber, 1.3p below the UK average. Diesel averages 193.6p, 1.0p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

How the Yorkshire and the Humber compares

Yorkshire and the Humber compared with England, the UK
Yorkshire and the Humber 437 5.0% 2.7% 9.1% 111 17.6
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 the Yorkshire and the Humber

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

Councils in the Yorkshire and the Humber
Leeds 381 13.3% 2.9% 27.3% 138 13.7
Doncaster 470 4.3% 3.1% 6.8% 97 25.5
North Yorkshire 526 3.8% 3.0% 5.3% 175 14.2
York 395 3.8% 3.0% 5.0% 116 15.4
Rotherham 465 3.6% 2.9% 5.0% 132 17.0
Sheffield 380 3.6% 2.7% 7.4% 91 17.4
Barnsley 465 3.5% 2.6% 5.1% 83 25.9
East Riding of Yorkshire 528 3.5% 3.0% 4.3% 113 21.0
Kirklees 440 3.3% 2.6% 5.1% 61 32.5
Wakefield 458 3.3% 2.6% 5.6% 98 19.5
Calderdale 438 3.1% 2.5% 5.3% 101 20.8
North Lincolnshire 515 3.0% 2.3% 4.7% 105 18.4
Bradford 386 2.9% 2.3% 6.4% 99 16.4
North East Lincolnshire 444 2.6% 2.0% 5.3% 70 22.0
Kingston upon Hull 357 2.5% 1.8% 6.1% 89 10.8

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 3,344,847 licensed vehicles in Yorkshire and the Humber 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 219,985 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
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in the Yorkshire and the Humber 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.