Summary statistics
Overall traffic levels in Great Britain in 2023 were higher than 2022 but remain below pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Motor vehicle traffic on Great Britain’s roads increased by 2.2% between 2022 and 2023, to 330.8 billion vehicle miles. Traffic in 2023 was 2.3% lower than when compared to 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
Road traffic by vehicle type
| Time period: | 1993 to 2023 |
| Source: | Road traffic estimates in Great Britain: 2023 |
251.3 bvm
Cars and taxis
57.8 bvm
Light commerical vehicles
16.9 bvm
Heavy goods vehicles
3.6 bvm
Pedal cycles
1.9 bvm
Buses and coaches
2.9 bvm
Motorcycles
The main facts and figures show that:
- car traffic increased by 3.0% from 2022 levels to 251.3 billion vehicle miles. 2023 car traffic estimates remain lower than those for before the pandemic (-4.4% when compared to 2019)
- van traffic showed little change from 2022 to 57.8 billion vehicle miles. Van traffic estimates for 2023 were higher than levels before the pandemic (8.1% when compared to 2019)
- lorry traffic decreased by 2.5% from 2022 to 16.9 billion vehicle miles. 2023 lorry traffic estimates were lower than levels before the pandemic (-1.6% when compared to 2019)
- pedal cycle traffic (cyclists on public highways, and the paths next to them) was 3.6 billion vehicle miles, 7.3% below 2022 levels. 2023 cycle traffic estimates are similar to the levels before the pandemic (-0.4% when compared to 2019)
Road traffic by road type
| Time period: | 1993 to 2023 |
| Source: | Road traffic estimates in Great Britain: 2023 |
The main facts and figures show that:
- motorway traffic increased by 2.4% compared to 2022, carrying 69.9 billion vehicle miles of traffic. Motorway traffic estimates for 2023 remain lower than those for before the pandemic (-0.9% when compared to 2019)
- ‘A’ road traffic saw a 2.5% increase from 2022, to 145.6 billion vehicle miles of traffic. ‘A’ roads traffic estimates for 2023 are lower than those for before the pandemic (-3.1% when compared to 2019)
- minor road traffic increased by 1.7% since 2022, to 115.4 billion vehicle miles of traffic. 2023 minor roads traffic estimates remain lower than those for before the pandemic (-2.2% when compared to 2019)
Annual traffic across Great Britain
Data downloads
Download street-level traffic figures for all regions, local authorities and count point locations.
- Annual average daily flow
- Annual average daily flow by direction
- Raw counts