Provisional road traffic estimates, Great Britain: October 2022 to September 2023
Published 13 December 2023
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
© Crown copyright 2023
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About this release
This release presents provisional estimates for road traffic in Great Britain for October 2022 to September 2023. Provisional estimates are published quarterly and remain provisional until after they have been constrained by the final annual estimates each year. These provisional estimates are based on traffic data collected continuously from a network of around 300 automatic traffic counters. Final annual figures also incorporate manual traffic count data.
Traffic shows a seasonal pattern at the national level, being highest in summer and lowest in winter. This publication focuses on rolling annual traffic totals, which better illustrate medium and long term trends in traffic.
Annual traffic estimates are usually published between May and June of the following year. The next provisional figures, for the year ending March 2024, are due to be released in June 2024.
Headline figures
Overall traffic levels in the year ending September 2023 were higher than in year ending September 2022 and below pre-pandemic levels.
Chart 1: Rolling annual vehicle miles travelled in Great Britain, from year ending September 2017 to year ending September 2023 (from TRA2501a)
Chart 1 is a line chart showing that 329.6 billion vehicle miles were driven on Great Britain’s roads in the 12 month period ending September 2023. This was up 2.3% compared to the year ending September 2022. Motor vehicle traffic levels fell during the pandemic but have since increased. This is the case for all vehicle types and road types. Traffic levels for the year ending September 2023 were 2.7% below pre-pandemic levels.
Road traffic by vehicle type
Chart 2: Share of traffic by vehicle type for the year ending September 2023 (from TRA2501a)
Chart 2 is a bar chart which shows that cars accounted for 75% of all motor vehicle traffic on Great Britain’s roads over the year ending June 2023. Therefore, cars continue to be the main contributor to changes in overall motor vehicle traffic.
The proportion of van traffic has increased in recent years, accounting for 18% of all motor vehicle traffic in this 12 month period.
Lorries accounted for 5% of all motor vehicle traffic and 1% of traffic came from other motor vehicles including motorcycles and buses.
In the year ending September 2023:
- car traffic was higher than the previous year and below pre-pandemic levels
- van traffic was higher than the previous year and above pre-pandemic levels
- lorry traffic was lower than the previous year and similar to pre-pandemic levels
Table 1: Vehicle miles travelled in Great Britain by vehicle type in the year ending September 2023, and percentage change compared to previous 12 month periods (from TRA2501a)
| Vehicle type | Year ending Sep 2023 |
Sep 2022 (previous year) |
Dec 2019 (pre-pandemic) |
Sep 2018 (5 years ago) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All motor vehicles | 329.6 billion |
2.3% | -2.7% | -1.1% |
| Cars and taxis | 248.1 billion |
2.2% | -5.6% | -3.9% |
| Vans | 59.4 billion |
3.9% | 11.1% | 12.5% |
| Lorries | 17.1 billion |
-2.3% | -0.4% | -0.3% |
Table 1 shows how traffic in the year ending September 2023 compares to a selection of earlier years for different vehicle types. For example, car and taxi traffic was 2.2% higher in the year ending September 2023 than the year ending September 2022. Note that any differences between -0.5% and +0.5% are considered negligible.
Cars and taxis
Chart 3: Rolling annual vehicle miles travelled by cars and taxis in Great Britain, from year ending September 2017 to year ending September 2023 (from TRA2501a)
Chart 3 is a line chart which illustrates that cars and taxis travelled 248.1 billion vehicle miles in the 12 months ending September 2023. Car and taxi traffic rose 2.2% from the year ending September 2022. Car and taxi miles for the year ending September 2023 were down by 5.6% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Vans (Light Commercial Vehicles - LCVs)
Chart 4: Rolling annual vehicle miles travelled by vans in Great Britain, from year ending September 2017 to year ending September 2023 (from TRA2501a)
Chart 4 is a line chart which shows that 59.4 billion vehicle miles were driven by vans on Great Britain’s roads in the 12 month period ending September 2023. This was a rise of 3.9% compared to the year ending September 2022. Van distance travelled for the year ending September 2023 was 11.1% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Lorries (Heavy Goods Vehicles - HGVs)
Chart 5: Rolling annual vehicle miles travelled by lorries in Great Britain, from year ending September 2017 to year ending September 2023 (from TRA2501a)
Chart 5 is a line chart showing that 17.1 billion vehicle miles were driven by lorries on Great Britain’s roads in the 12 month period ending September 2023. Lorry traffic decreased by 2.3% compared to the year ending September 2022. Distance covered by lorries for the year ending September 2023 was similar to pre-pandemic levels. The chart shows that the pandemic had a lesser effect on total lorry traffic than other vehicle types. Between the years ending December 2019 and December 2020, lorry traffic only fell by 5.9%, while car and van traffic fell by 24.9% and 9.2% respectively.
Road traffic by road type
Chart 6: Share of traffic by road type for the year ending September 2023 (from TRA2502a)
Chart 6 is a bar chart displaying that on Great Britain’s roads, in the year ending September 2023, 21% of motor vehicle miles travelled were on motorways, 44% on ‘A’ roads, and 35% on minor roads. 65% of motor vehicle miles travelled were on major roads (motorways and ‘A’ roads) despite comprising only 13% of the road network by length.
In the year ending September 2023:
- motorway traffic was higher than the previous year and below pre-pandemic levels
- ‘A’ road traffic was higher than the previous year and below pre-pandemic levels
- minor road traffic was higher than the previous year and below pre-pandemic levels
Table 2: Vehicle miles travelled in Great Britain by road type in the year ending September 2023 compared to previous 12 month periods (from TRA2502a)
| Road type | Year ending Sep 2023 |
Sep 2022 (previous year) |
Dec 2019 (pre-pandemic) |
Sep 2018 (5 years ago) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All roads | 329.6 billion |
2.3% | -2.7% | -1.1% |
| Motorways | 69.5 billion |
3.2% | -1.4% | 0.8% |
| ‘A’ roads | 145.0 billion |
2.8% | -3.5% | -1.9% |
| Minor roads | 115.1 billion |
1.0% | -2.4% | -1.3% |
Table 2 shows how traffic in the year ending September 2023 compares to a selection of earlier years for different road types. For example, motorway traffic was 3.2% higher in the year ending September 2023 than the year ending September 2022. Note that any differences between -0.5% and +0.5% are considered negligible.
Motorways
Chart 7: Rolling annual vehicle miles travelled on motorways in Great Britain, from year ending September 2017 to year ending September 2023 (from TRA2502a)
Chart 7 is a line chart illustrating that 69.5 billion vehicle miles were driven on motorways in Great Britain in the 12 month period ending September 2023. This was an increase of 3.2% compared to the year ending September 2022. Motorway traffic for the year ending September 2023 was down by 1.4% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
‘A’ roads
Chart 8: Rolling annual vehicle miles travelled on ‘A’ roads in Great Britain, from year ending September 2017 to year ending September 2023 (from TRA2502a)
Chart 8 is a line chart which shows 145.0 billion vehicle miles were driven on ‘A’ roads in Great Britain in the 12 month period ending September 2023. This represents a 2.8% rise from the year ending September 2022. Traffic on ‘A’ roads for the year ending September 2023 was 3.5% lower than pre-pandemic levels.
Minor roads
Chart 9: Rolling annual vehicle miles travelled on minor roads in Great Britain, from year ending September 2017 to year ending September 2023 (from TRA2502a)
Chart 9 is a line chart showing that 115.1 billion vehicle miles were driven on minor roads in Great Britain in the 12 month period ending September 2023. This represents a 1.0% increase from the year ending September 2022. Distance travelled on minor roads for the year ending September 2023 was 2.4% below pre-pandemic levels.
Background information
Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Billion | A thousand million |
| Great Britain | England, Wales and Scotland |
| Index Number | Comparing changes over time from a selected base year, often across multiple indicators where they cannot be directly compared |
| Q1 | Quarter 1: 1 January to 31 March. Similar for other quarters |
| Pre-pandemic | The year ending December 2019 is used to compare traffic estimates to pre-pandemic levels. This is to assess the change in traffic levels following the reduction due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Traffic | Total distance travelled by vehicles, combining the number of vehicles on the road and how far they drive |
| Vehicle miles | The units that traffic is measured in. For example, 3 vehicles travelling for 4 miles each would account for 12 vehicle miles worth of traffic |
| Lorry or HGV | A goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight |
| Van or LCV | A goods vehicle under 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight |
| Major road | Motorways and ‘A’ roads |
| Minor road | ‘B’, ‘C’ and unclassified roads |
| Rural road | Roads within an area with a population of under 10,000 people in England and Wales and under 3,000 in Scotland |
| Urban road | Roads within an area with a population of 10,000 or more people in England and Wales and 3,000 or more in Scotland |
Further information
A background quality report has been published for these statistics. The document contains information about the methodology adopted and the quality of the outputs, measured against various dimensions of statistical quality, as set out by the Code of Practice for Statistics. The background quality report is available on the road traffic statistics information page.
National Statistics are produced to high professional standards, as set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure they meet customer needs. These statistics were designated as National Statistics in February 2013, details of which can be found on the road traffic statistics information page.
Details of Ministers and officials who receive pre-release access to these statistics up to 24 hours before release can be found on the pre-release access page.
To hear more about Department for Transport (DfT) statistical publications as they are released, follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) at DfTstats.
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Contact details
Road traffic and vehicle speed compliance statistics
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