News
Greater Manchester is leading the switch to electric cars in the UK
Numbers continue to grow year on year.
Danny Jones -
22nd May 2024 
Greater Manchester is seemingly leading the way when it comes to the gradual switch to electric cars across the country.
That’s according to global firm Howden Insurance and data pulled directly from the Department for Transport, anyway; they say that the region is at the forefront of the move away from traditional motoring, with the most electric cars of any place in the UK.
Using stats from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), there are more electric cars registered to drivers in Greater Manchester than any other British county, noting the most marked growing trend between 2009 and 2023.
In fact, over the course of that 12-year period, a total of 1,045,910 plug-in vehicles were registered by UK drivers, making up nearly a tenth of the roughly 13.5 million electric cars.
Breaking it down even more, specifically, Stockport was the town with the highest number of registered electric cars, boasting a total of 837,067 plug-ins, which itself makes up around 80% of the entire local authority’s EVs.
And for the many of you that we’re sure are still saying ‘that’s Cheshire‘ – give it a rest.
Outer London came in second with just over 908k registered electric vehicles and our mates over in West Yorkshire landed the number three spot with around 625k, with The Hoot‘s hometown of Leeds welcoming electric cars the most (487,775 registered EVs).
You can see the top 10 in the electric vehicle league table down below and consult the rest of the official government stats HERE.
| Rank | Region | Number of plug-in cars registered between 2009 and 2023 |
| 1 | Greater Manchester | 1,045,910 |
| 2 | Outer London | 908,775 |
| 3 | West Yorkshire | 625,234 |
| 4 | Inner London | 620,365 |
| 5 | West Midlands | 580,289 |
| 6 | Swindon | 493,623 |
| 7 | Milton Keynes | 489,533 |
| 8 | Slough | 489,444 |
| 9 | Peterborough | 485,998 |
| 10 | South Gloucestershire | 333,315 |
The plug-in cars included all fuel types, body types and keepership types. (Credit: Howden Insurance)
Read more:
- Wilmslow is holding its first flagship live music festival this May bank holiday
- Andy Burnham launches £300k scheme to stop ‘unlawful’ illegal evictions in Manchester
- Man City and Man United fans urged to take separate travel routes to FA Cup final
A spokesperson for Howden commented on the findings: “With greater awareness of the impact of petrol and diesel vehicles on the planet, many local authorities are proposing to introduce clean air schemes.
“With the cost-efficiency of electric cars and local governments introducing EV benefits, interest in electric vehicles or low-emission vehicles has soared in the UK.
“Areas such as the West Midlands and West Yorkshire have Clean Air Zones in Birmingham and Bradford, so these areas have invested more in EV charging points than other areas have done in order to accommodate electric vehicles.
Are you an electric car owner in Greater Manchester and would you recommend others to make the switch now or in the near future?
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Precious Madubuike/CHUTTERSNAP/(via Unsplash)/Wikimedia Commons
