Accredited official statistics

National Travel Survey 2022: Factsheet (accessible)

Updated 14 December 2023

Applies to England

Chart 1: Trends in trips taken, England (2002 to 2022) (NTS0101)

People made 862 trips on average in 2022, or 17 trips a week. This was 14% higher than in 2021, but a 10% decrease on the level in 2019 prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, when people made an average of 953 trips per person.

Chart 2: Trends in miles travelled, England (2002 to 2022) (NTS0101)

People travelled an average of 5,373 miles in 2022, a 24% increase from 2021 and a 17% decrease from 6,500 miles in 2019.

Chart 3: Trends in hours spent travelling, England (2002 to 2022) (NTS0101)

On average, people spent around 324 hours travelling in 2022 (around 53 minutes per day), 19% higher than in 2021 but down 12% from the 370 hours of travelling in 2019.

How we travel

Chart 4: Proportion of trips and distance by mode, England (2022) (NTS0303)

Measure Car or van Walk Local bus Other Pedal cycle Surface rail Total
Trip 58% 31% 4% 2% 2% 3% 100%
Distance 78% 4% 3% 8% 1% 5% 100%

Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding

Cars remained the most popular mode of travel, making up 58% of all trips in 2022 (a decrease of 3 percentage points from 2019), and 78% of all miles travelled (an increase of 1 percentage point from 2019). The proportion of trips that were walked was higher in 2022 than in 2019, with a 5 percentage point increase to 31% of all trips in 2022.

Why we travel

Chart 5: Top 3 most common trip purposes, England (2022) (NTS0403)

Purpose Percentage of trips
Shopping 18%
Commuting 14%
Other including just walk 11%

Percentages have been rounded to the closest whole number

The most common trip purpose in 2022 was shopping, with 18% of journeys being made for this purpose. Journeys for the purpose of commuting took up 14% of the average person’s trips in this year. ‘Other including just walk’ was the third most common trip purpose in 2022, accounting for 11% of all trips. These three were also the most popular purposes in 2021 and 2020. Similarly, in 2019 the two most common trip purposes were shopping and commuting, while the third most common trip purpose was personal business.

Cycling

Chart 6: Trends in cycling trips taken, England (2002 to 2022) (NTS0303)

People made 15 cycling trips on average in 2022. This was similar to 2021, but a 5% decrease on the level in 2019 prior to the coronavirus pandemic, when people made an average of 16 trips per person.

Chart 7: Trends in miles travelled by pedal cycle, England (2002 to 2022) (NTS0303)

People travelled an average of 57 miles by pedal cycle in 2022, this was similar to 2021 (55 miles) and a 4% increase from 54 miles in 2019.

Chart 8: Percentage of people with access to a pedal cycle, by age, England (2022) (NTS0608)

Age Percentage of individuals who own or have access to a pedal cycle
60 and over 27%
50 to 59 45%
40 to 49 50%
30 to 39 37%
21 to 29 32%
17 to 20 45%
11 to 16 70%
5 to 10 77%

Percentages have been rounded to the closest whole number

In 2022, people aged between 5 and 10 were the age group with the highest proportion of people who own or have access to a pedal cycle (77%). While people aged 60 and over were the age group with the lowest proportion of who own or has access to a pedal cycle, with 27%.

Travel by sex

Chart 9: Average trips and distance per person per year, by the sex of the respondent, England (2022) (NTS0601) (NTS06011)

Measure Males Females
Trips 837 886
Distance 5,874 4,892

Chart 10: Commuting trips per person per year, by age and sex, England (2022) (NTS0601) (NTS06011)

Age Males Females
All ages 133 106
0 to 16 3 1
17 to 20 162 111
21 to 29 234 207
30 to 39 230 134
40 to 49 214 199
50 to 59 204 179
60 to 69 94 75
70 and over 9 6

In 2022, males made 5% fewer trips than females, but travelled 20% further. This is reflected in the type of trips made with males making an average of 133 commuting trips per year (a decrease of 18% on 2019), while females made an average of 106 commuting trips per year (a decrease of 11% on 2019).

Licence holding

Chart 11: Proportion of adults holding a full car driving licence by sex, aged 17 and over, England (2022) (NTS0201)

Sex Proportion of full car driving licence holders
All individuals 75%
Males 81%
Females 71%

Percentages have been rounded to the closest whole number

In 2022, 75% of English residents aged 17 and over held a driving licence. Around 81% of males and 71% of females in this group hold a licence. For males, this percentage is unchanged since 2002, but for females, driving licence holding has increased by 9 percentage points in the same period.

Car ownership

Chart 12: Household car availability, England (2022) (NTS0205)

Household car availability Percentage of households
No car or van 22%
One car or van 45%
Two or more cars or vans 34%

Percentages may sum to more than 100% due to rounding

Looking at households in England, 78% own at least one car, an increase of 5 percentage points since 2002. In households which own at least one car or van, 66% of adult males are the main driver of a personal vehicle in their household, a figure which has remained unchanged since the 1990s. In comparison, 54% of adult females are the main driver of a personal vehicle in their household, an increase of 9 percentage points since 2002, and an increase of 41 percentage points since 1975.

Trips to and from school

Chart 13: Trips to and from school by main mode and age, England (2022) (NTS0613)

Year and age Walk Car or van Local bus Private bus Pedal cycle Other transport Surface rail Total
2022 aged 5 to 10 53% 40% 4% 1% 1% 1% 0% 100%
2022 aged 11 to 16 41% 26% 16% 7% 6% 2% 2% 100%
2019 aged 5 to 10 46 % 47% 3% 2% 1% 1% 0% 100%
2019 aged 11 to 16 39% 26% 23% 6% 3% 2% 2% 100%

Compared to 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, in 2022 there was an increase in the percentage of walking trips to and from school that were made by children between the ages of 5 and 16. The percentage of car trips to and from school also decreased for children aged 5 to 10 but remained the same for children aged 11 to 16.

Background information

The 2022 National Travel Survey (NTS) is the latest in a series of household surveys of personal travel by residents of England travelling within Great Britain, from data collected via interviews and a seven-day travel diary. The NTS is part of a continuous survey that began in 1988, following ad-hoc surveys from the 1960s, which enables analysis of patterns and trends.

Some key uses of the data include describing patterns, for example how different groups of people travel, monitoring trends in travel, including sustainable modes; assessing the potential equality impacts of different groups; and contributing to the evaluation of policies.

We always welcome feedback to help ensure that the survey meets the needs of users, and any feedback provided will help inform the future design and development of the survey. If you have any feedback, please email National Travel Survey statistics.

National Statistics

These statistics are designated as National Statistics. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards as set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. The Code of Practice for Statistics plays an essential role in ensuring that statistics published by government inspire the public confidence through demonstrating trustworthiness and providing high-quality statistics. These statistics were designated as National Statistics in July 2011. The continued designation was confirmed in September 2018.

Further information about these statistics is available, including:

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