Car Licence Statistics in the North East, England

To find out which areas of the North East have significantly more cars now than five years ago, we analysed car licence data from the Department for Transport. Residents living in areas with more cars will notice busier roads, especially during peak times, and may have more difficulty finding desirable parking spaces. See how the North East compares to other regions in England in our article Roads Feel More Congested Than Ever? Worst Postcodes Revealed.

From 2014 to 2019, the number of cars in the North East increased from 1,071,598 to 1,139,466, an increase of 67,868 vehicles. This represents a 6.3% increase over five years.

Areas of the North East with Significantly More Cars

Postcode DH8 in Leeds had the biggest increase in the number of licenced cars from 2014 to 2019, with an additional 1,892 cars on the road by 2019, an increase of 10.9% over five years. DH8 covers Consett, Blackhill, Bridgehill, Shotley Bridge, Leadgate and Delves Lane in County Durham and North Umberland. Close behind with the addition of 1,699 cars was NE13, which covers the airport, Wideopen, Dinnington, Great Park (West) and Woolsington in Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside.

NE13 also ranked 2nd in terms of the percentage increase in cars, with the 1,699 additional cars representing an increase of 25.1%—sure to be felt by local residents.

Here are the North East postcodes with the biggest increase in number of licenced cars over the past five years, ranked on an absolute change basis.

Heatmap showing the percentage change in licenced cars

Car Licence Stats for All North East Postcodes

The table below shows car licence data for all North East, England postcodes, with the number of licenced cars in both 2014 and 2019, and the absolute and percentage changes over that five-year time period. Postcodes are ordered alphabetically. Look up your postcode to see how it compares to the rest of the region and England.