Map reveals where electric vehicles are most popular in Northern Ireland
Battery electric vehicles are highly concentrated in Belfast, despite notable increases in ownership across the region.
New research has revealed disproportionate levels of battery electric vehicle (BEV) ownership across Northern Ireland.
The analysis was conducted by SNAP, the digital solutions company for international mobility, with their calculations of the Department for Transport’s registration figures showing Belfast's rate of BEV ownership is 46 in every thousand vehicles, which is dramatically higher than in any other Northern Irish council area.
Despite ranking second in Northern Ireland for BEV ownership, Antrim and Newtownabbey’s proportion of battery electric vehicles is 40% lower than Belfast’s at 27 per 1,000 vehicles.
Registered battery electric vehicles per 1,000 vehicles in Northern Ireland
- Belfast: 45.7 per 1,000 vehicles
- Antrim and Newtownabbey: 27.2
- Lisburn and Castlereagh: 23.8
- Ards and North Down: 17.7
- Mid and East Antrim: 12.2
- Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon: 10.8
- Newry, Mourne and Down: 10.1
- Derry City and Strabane: 9.7
- Causeway Coast and Glens: 9.3
- Mid Ulster: 8
- Fermanagh and Omagh: 5.6
Belfast’s rate of ownership is also one of the highest in the United Kingdom, with only 33 local authorities and council areas registering more this year. These higher-ranking areas tend to be London and metropolitan boroughs with a higher density of EV charging points. Northern Ireland’s overall rate of BEV ownership (19 per 1,000) is marginally higher than in Wales (17 per 1,000), which is the UK region with the lowest rate of battery electric vehicles.
Broken down by vehicle type, Belfast’s rate of battery electric passenger cars is 48 per 1,000 compared to 22 in every thousand across the whole of Northern Ireland. While out of the nation’s 25,600 registered heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) only four are battery electric.
SNAP says that while overall market share of electric trucks is up 0.5% from a year ago, this is still only equivalent to 1% overall, as commercial operators struggle to transition to electric fleets. A spokesperson for SNAP said: “Northern Ireland lorries have to travel further for international deliveries than the average UK lorry driver. With ranges on a full charge still significantly lower than their diesel counterparts, charging anxiety is likely to remain high among fleet operators and drivers until significant upgrades are made.”
Northern Ireland sees gains in BEV ownership throughout the nation
Relative ownership in most of Northern Ireland still trails the United Kingdom, however every council area here has seen an increase in BEV ownership in the past year.
Belfast saw Northern Ireland’s greatest overall increase in BEVs (+ 2,748) between the beginning of 2024 and 2025. The council areas of Mid and East Antrim and Derry City and Strabane both saw a relative increase in EV ownership of more than 50% during the same period.
Change in battery electric vehicles in Northern Ireland (Q1 2024 vs Q1 2025)
- Belfast: +2,748
- Antrim and Newtownabbey: +930
- Lisburn and Castlereagh: +781
- Ards and North Down: +599
- Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon: +475
- Local Authority unknown within Northern Ireland: +257
- Newry, Mourne and Down: +396
- Mid and East Antrim: +423
- Derry City and Strabane: +320
- Causeway Coast and Glens: +278
- Mid Ulster: +288
- Fermanagh and Omagh: +139
Change in uptake of BEVs across Northern Ireland (+47%) is also the fifth highest of any region or nation in the United Kingdom. The rate of ownership grew from 15 in every thousand vehicles to 22 per 1,000. Although ownership of battery electric passenger cars continues to steadily grow each quarter, fully electric HGVs are seeing much slower growth with only Antrim and Newtownabbey adding more to its fleet in the past year.
SNAP says the imbalance in Northern Ireland’s registration levels of electric vehicles isn’t reflected by its relative distribution of EV charging points. Compared to local population levels, many areas outside of Belfast are served by more chargers.
More information on EV ownership and cost savings can be found within SNAP’s research at: https://snapacc.com/newsroom/fuel-vs-charge-is-the-switch-to-electric-cheaper-or-just-greener/