Three-quarters (75%) of households have access to at least one car or van, while a third (33%) have two or more, according to the latest National Travel Survey from the Department for Transport (DfT).
Just a quarter (25%) of households do not have access to a car.
This represents a significant long-term change. In 1971, almost half (48%) of households did not have a car and just 8% had two or more.
There are now 12 cars for every 10 households in England, compared with eight cars for every 10 households in Great Britain in 1985/86.
The survey found that more than half (57%) of cars are petrol, more than one in four (28%) were diesel, 8% hybrid, 5% battery electric and 2% plug-in hybrid.
Automatic vehicles, meanwhile, now make up 41% of cars owned in England, compared with 59% for manuals.
In 2018, the split was 24% automatic or semi-automatic and 76% manual. The shift has been particularly pronounced in recent years, due to the increase in hybrid and fully electric vehicles (EVs).
The trend towards automatics is also being seen among the next generation of drivers. AA Driving School analysis of DVSA figures found automatic tests accounted for a record 29.4% of all car driving tests in 2025/26, up from around 4% in 2007/08.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said: “Despite changes to the way we live, work and travel, the car remains an essential part of everyday life.
“Three-quarters of the miles we travel are still made by car, showing why roads and motoring need to remain at the heart of transport policy.
“Car ownership has also become firmly embedded in family life. Half a century ago almost half of households didn't have a car and fewer than one in 10 had two or more. Now three-quarters have at least one, with a third having access to two or more.”
He added: “While our reliance on cars remains strong, what’s sitting on our driveways is changing. Just seven years ago three-quarters of cars were manuals, but today that's fallen to around six in 10.
“Automatics have gone from fewer than one in four cars to more than four in 10 over the same period. With electric and hybrid cars helping to accelerate that change, the traditional gearstick could soon find itself in the minority. These figures are a reminder that the car isn’t disappearing, it’s evolving.”
