Accredited official statistics

Road traffic estimates in Great Britain, 2024: Headline figures

Published 12 June 2025

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

© Crown copyright 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/road-traffic-estimates-in-great-britain-2024/road-traffic-estimates-in-great-britain-2024-headline-figures

About this release

This release presents the headline figures from the 2024 annual estimates of traffic on Great Britain’s roads.

Please see the companion releases for a breakdown by vehicle type, a breakdown by road type, a breakdown for England’s road networks.

Annual traffic statistics are compiled using data from around 8,000 roadside 12-hour manual counts, continuous data from automatic traffic counters, and data on road lengths. Please see our background quality report for more details.

The next annual traffic statistics release is expected to be published in June 2026, reporting 2025 traffic figures.

This publication includes both accredited official statistics[footnote 1] and official statistics. For more information, see the background information section.

Headline figures

Traffic levels in 2024 were higher than 2023 but remain slightly below pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

Chart 1: Vehicle miles travelled in Great Britain, 2014 to 2024

Chart 1 is a bar chart that shows that 336.2 billion vehicle miles were driven on Great Britain’s roads in 2024, an increase of 1.6% compared to 2023. Traffic in 2024 was 0.7% lower when compared to 2019 pre-pandemic levels.

As shown in the chart, vehicle miles travelled in Great Britain saw year-on-year growth in each year between 2014 and 2019, and then saw a sharp decline in 2020 followed by increases from 2021 onwards.

Traffic in Great Britain by vehicle type

This section provides the headline figures. Please see the companion release for more information about traffic by vehicle type.

In 2024, traffic levels for cars, buses and coaches, vans, and motorcycles all were above the previous year’s levels, whereas lorries were below. Pedal cycle traffic levels in 2024 decreased when compared to the previous year.

Chart 2: Vehicle miles travelled by vehicle type in Great Britain, 2019 to 2024

Chart 2 is a bar chart that shows that in 2024:

  • car traffic increased by 1.9% from 2023 levels to 256.1 billion vehicle miles. 2024 car traffic estimates are lower than those for before the pandemic (-2.6% when compared to 2019)

  • van traffic increased by 1.3% from 2023 to 58.5 billion vehicle miles. Van traffic estimates for 2024 are higher than levels before the pandemic (+9.5% when compared to 2019)

  • lorry traffic decreased by 2.0% from 2023 to 16.6 billion vehicle miles. 2024 lorry traffic estimates are lower than levels before the pandemic (-3.5% when compared to 2019)

  • bus and coach traffic increased by 1.7% from 2023 levels to 2.0 billion vehicle miles. 2024 bus and coach traffic estimates remained lower than those for before the pandemic (-17.2% when compared to 2019)

  • motorcycle traffic increased by 3.5% from 2023 to 3.0 billion vehicle miles. Motorcycle traffic estimates for 2024 are higher than levels before the pandemic (+10.6% when compared to 2019)

  • pedal cycle traffic (cyclists on public highways, and the paths next to them[footnote 2]) was 3.5 billion vehicle miles, 2.4% below 2023 levels. 2024 cycle traffic estimates are lower than levels before the pandemic (-2.8% when compared to 2019)

Table 1: Estimates of vehicle miles travelled in Great Britain in 2024 compared to earlier years

Vehicle type Latest year 2024 Change from last year 2023 Change from pre-pandemic 2019
All motor vehicle traffic 336.2 billion +1.6% −0.7%
Cars and taxis 256.1 billion +1.9% −2.6%
Light commercial vehicles 58.5 billion +1.3% +9.5%
Heavy goods vehicles 16.6 billion −2.0% −3.5%
Buses and coaches 2.0 billion +1.7% −17.2%
Motorcycles and scooters 3.0 billion +3.5% +10.6%
Pedal cycles 3.5 billion −2.4% −2.8%

Traffic in Great Britain by road type

This section provides the headline figures. Please see the companion release for more information about traffic by road type.

In 2024, ‘A’ roads and minor roads saw increases in traffic levels when compared to 2023. Motorway traffic in 2024 was similar to 2023.

Chart 3: Vehicle miles travelled by road type in Great Britain, 2019 to 2024

Chart 3 is a bar chart that shows that in 2024:

  • motorway traffic showed little change (+0.5%) compared to 2023, carrying 70.2 billion vehicle miles. Motorway traffic estimates for 2024 are similar to those for before the pandemic (-0.4% when compared to 2019)

  • ‘A’ road traffic saw an increase of 2.2% from 2023, to 148.7 billion vehicle miles. ‘A’ roads traffic estimates for 2024 are lower when compared to those for before the pandemic (-1.0% when compared to 2019)

  • minor road traffic increased by 1.6% since 2023, carrying 117.2 billion vehicle miles. 2024 minor road traffic estimates are lower when compared to those before the pandemic (-0.6% when compared to 2019)

Table 2: Estimates of vehicle miles travelled in Great Britain in 2024 compared to earlier years

Road type Latest year 2024 Change from last year 2023 Change from pre-pandemic 2019
All roads 336.2 billion +1.6% −0.7%
Motorways 70.2 billion +0.5% −0.4%
‘A’ roads 148.7 billion +2.2% −1.0%
Minor roads 117.2 billion +1.6% −0.6%

Traffic on England’s road networks

This section provides the headline figures. Please see the companion release for more information about traffic on England’s road networks.

Traffic levels on England’s road networks saw an increase during 2024 compared to 2023.

Chart 4: Vehicle miles travelled by road type in England, 2019 to 2024

Chart 4 is a bar chart that shows that in 2024:

  • Strategic Road Network (SRN) traffic increased by 1.1% compared to 2023, carrying 96.9 billion vehicle miles of traffic. 2024 SRN traffic estimates were similar to those for before the pandemic (+0.1% when compared to 2019)

  • traffic on England’s local authority managed roads, compared to 2023, increased by 2.1% on motorways and ‘A’ roads and increased by 1.7% on minor roads. In 2024, locally managed major roads and locally managed minor roads carried 90.4 and 99.8 billion vehicle miles, respectively

Table 3: Estimates of vehicle miles travelled in England in 2024 compared to earlier years

Road type Latest year 2024 Change from last year 2023 Change from pre-pandemic 2019
All roads in England 287.0 billion +1.6% −0.8%
Strategic Road Network 96.9 billion +1.1% +0.1%
Local authority motorways and ‘A’ roads 90.4 billion +2.1% −1.5%
Local authority minor roads 99.8 billion +1.7% −1.2%

Background information

Annual estimates make use of data from around 8,000 manual traffic counts in addition to continuous data from a national network of automatic traffic counters (ATCs). These data sources produce accurate estimates on traffic levels in Great Britain by vehicle type and by road type.

This publication is a compendium of both accredited official statistics[footnote 1] and official statistics. The type of statistics presented is detailed below.

  • Accredited Official Statistics: National and regional road traffic estimates and flow estimates

(Datasets: TRA0101-TRA0106, TRA0202-TRA0206, TRA0301-TRA0303, TRA0401-TRA0413, TRA3105, TRA4101-TRA4116, TRA4201-TRA4216.)

These official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in February 2013. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘accredited official statistics’.

  • Other official statistics: Temporal road traffic estimates

(Datasets: TRA0305-TRA0308.)

Traffic temporal distributions are not as robust, as they are based on only the ATC data, and must be treated with caution. These statistics are official statistics. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

  • Other official statistics: Static road network road traffic estimates

(Datasets: TRA4201-TRA4216)

Traffic estimates based on a static road management status were developed after the last review of these statistics. These statistics are official statistics. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

  • Other official statistics: Local authority road traffic estimates

(Datasets: TRA8901-TRA8907)

Traffic at this level is not as robust, due to the sample size of the minor road data, and must be treated with caution. These statistics are official statistics. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Further information about these statistics is available, including:


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.

Other traffic statistics publications:

Publication of provisional quarterly road traffic estimates

Provisional road traffic estimates, Great Britain is a quarterly statistical publication which includes estimates of road traffic on Great Britain’s roads for each quarter. The road traffic figures are based on the data collected from automatic traffic counters (one of the sources used in this annual publication).

Publication of daily road traffic trends

Daily domestic transport use by mode is a monthly statistical publication which includes estimates of road traffic change on Great Britain’s roads for each day since 1 March 2020. The road traffic figures in the monthly publication use the same data source as the provisional statistics that are published quarterly (above). However, to achieve a daily estimate of traffic change, lower levels of validation have been applied compared to the statistical outputs presented here. Further information is available in the corresponding methodology note.

Users and uses of road traffic estimates

We continuously review the content of these statistics to ensure they are meeting users’ needs. We welcome feedback via email by contacting the road traffic statistics team.

Road traffic data are a key source of management information on the country’s infrastructure. Main uses of road traffic statistics include:

National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI): Road traffic statistics are used to produce the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI), a legal requirement for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Transport Modelling: The Department for Transport’s National Transport Model uses most traffic and speeds outputs to make forecasts and to inform policy decisions on a broad range of issues.

Local transport planning: Local Authorities (including Transport for London) and devolved governments use the data for transport planning, road engineering and policy monitoring at a regional or local level.

Road collisions and safety statistics: Road collisions and safety statistics use annual and quarterly traffic estimates to produce road safety and casualty rates, as used for the monitoring of road safety policies.

Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government: This department uses traffic data on major roads to contribute towards the funding settlement for local authorities.

Public Users: The Department for Transport receives over 200,000 visits annually to the traffic counts website and its underlying datasets, which provide street-level traffic data for every junction-to-junction link on the ‘A’ road and motorway network in Great Britain.

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Contact details

Road traffic and vehicle speed compliance statistics

Email roadtraff.stats@dft.gov.uk

Media enquiries 0300 7777 878

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  1. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 ↩ ↩2

  2. Estimates for pedal cycle traffic only include cycling on public highways, and on cycle paths and footpaths adjacent to them. Cycle activity elsewhere (for example on canal towpaths, byways or bridleways) is not included in road traffic statistics. Therefore, they may not give a complete representation of cycling. DfT Statistics on walking and cycling provide further analyses from other sources, such as the National Travel Survey (NTS) and Sport England’s Active Lives Survey (ALS). ↩

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