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Aberdeen motoring statistics

How many cars and electric cars are registered in Aberdeen, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Aberdeen compares with Scotland. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.

Last updated
Records analysed
111,506 licensed vehicles in Aberdeen
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 96,017 +0.3% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 396 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 2,995 3.1% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.5% 140th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 445 192 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.5% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Aberdeen?

There were 96,017 licensed cars in Aberdeen at the end of March 2026, and 111,506 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 5.9% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 396 for every 1,000 residents, 73rd lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Aberdeen

Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.

Licensed cars and vehicles in Aberdeen at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 105,38590,710
2011 105,87091,316
2012 106,81392,199
2013 108,30893,653
2014 111,44596,165
2015 111,65696,167
2016 110,20795,022
2017 109,57294,488
2018 109,08494,062
2019 109,84294,680
2020 109,85495,548
2021 108,22893,824
2022 108,43793,608
2023 109,16194,188
2024 110,11994,961
2025 111,24595,737
2026 111,50696,017

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Licensed vehicles by type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Cars per 1,000 residents

All licensed cars at the end of June, divided by the ONS mid-year population. Company fleets registered locally push this up.

Cars per 1,000 residents at mid-year, Aberdeen compared
Year AberdeenScotlandUnited Kingdom
2011 412429–
2012 413430–
2013 421436–
2014 428443–
2015 422446473
2016 418450480
2017 422457488
2018 426461490
2019 427465493
2020 420462489
2021 427469493
2022 419466489
2023 413465489
2024 411468490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Aberdeen

62.6% of cars in Aberdeen run on petrol and 21.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 35.7% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.8%, and cars that plug in 5.3%.

Cars by fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Fuel mix over time

Share of licensed cars at the end of March each year.

Share of licensed cars by fuel type in Aberdeen, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 76.5%23.1%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 74.2%25.4%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 72.1%27.5%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 69.9%29.6%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 67.7%31.7%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 65.8%33.6%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 64.4%34.8%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2017 63.6%35.5%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2018 63.2%35.7%0.7%0.1%0.2%
2019 63.6%35.1%0.9%0.2%0.2%
2020 63.8%34.6%1.0%0.3%0.3%
2021 63.8%33.8%1.4%0.4%0.4%
2022 63.4%32.5%2.3%0.9%0.6%
2023 63.5%30.7%3.3%1.3%0.8%
2024 63.6%28.0%4.8%1.8%1.2%
2025 63.8%24.5%7.2%2.4%1.5%
2026 62.6%21.7%9.8%3.1%2.2%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Aberdeen

2,995 battery electric cars were licensed in Aberdeen at the end of March 2026, 3.1% of all cars, 128th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 5,072 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,317.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.5% are battery electric (2,310 cars), 10th lowest of 32 councils in Scotland. Companies keep 22.9% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.5% of its cars overall. There are also 160 battery electric vans.

Battery electric share of licensed cars

End of March each year. Fleet re-registrations can move a single area’s line sharply.

Battery electric share of licensed cars, Aberdeen compared, end of March each year
Year AberdeenScotlandUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.3%0.3%
2021 0.4%0.6%0.7%
2022 0.9%1.1%1.3%
2023 1.3%1.7%2.1%
2024 1.8%2.3%3.0%
2025 2.4%3.2%4.1%
2026 3.1%4.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Aberdeen

There were 445 public chargers in Aberdeen on 1 July 2026, 142 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 192 for every 100,000 residents, 103rd highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 9.9% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 9.6 privately kept plug-in cars in Aberdeen (UK 11.9), 87th fewest of 361 councils. A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Aberdeen by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 405123
Apr 2026 428131
Jul 2026 445142

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Aberdeen compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Aberdeen 19261
Scotland 23259
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Road traffic and collisions in Aberdeen

Vehicles travelled an estimated 975 million miles on roads in Aberdeen in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Aberdeen
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 721
1994 732
1995 745
1996 772
1997 783
1998 790
1999 801
2000 811
2001 803
2002 819
2003 831
2004 818
2005 811
2006 855
2007 833
2008 825
2009 794
2010 782
2011 774
2012 779
2013 778
2014 797
2015 803
2016 826
2017 825
2018 830
2019 974
2020 761
2021 846
2022 916
2023 950
2024 967
2025 975

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Aberdeen, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 5928
2022 6726
2023 9151
2024 6736
2025 6537

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Aberdeen

Unleaded petrol averages 173.2p a litre across 22 filling stations in Aberdeen, 1.5p above the UK average. Diesel averages 198.3p, 3.7p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Tesco Aberdeen Extra Aberdeen 167.9p
  2. MFG Morrisons Aberdeen King Street Aberdeen 167.9p
  3. Asda Bridge of Dee Superstore Aberdeen 168.7p

Every filling station and price in Aberdeen

Roadworks in Aberdeen

The Scottish Road Works Register lists 630 sets of roadworks in Aberdeen, of which 141 are under way and 489 are planned. 252 of them close a road, a lane, a slip road or the hard shoulder. Aberdeen City Council is behind the most, 324 of them (51.4%). From the extract of 16 September 2026.

Works most likely to hold you up

  • Leslie Terrace, Aberdeen

    Road closed Under way, until 6 Oct 2026 SGN

    Essential checks to investigate a reported gas escape

  • Millburn Street, Aberdeen

    Road closed Under way, until 30 Oct 2026 Scottish Hydro Electric Power Dis

    Works to repair leaking cable duct for SSEN Transmission. Work duration estimated at 4 weeks.

  • South College Street, Aberdeen

    Road closed Under way, until 18 Dec 2026 Scottish Hydro Electric Power Dis

    Works to repair leaking cable duct for SSEN Transmission.

  • Riverside Drive, Aberdeen

    Lane closed Under way, until 27 Nov 2026 Aberdeen City Council

    Scour Protection works, continuation of works under notice 3734620

  • Caledonian Place, Aberdeen

    Road closed Under way, until 17 Sept 2026 Aberdeen City Council

    Road crossing for future pedestrian crossing

  • Gaitside Drive, Aberdeen

    Road closed Under way, until 30 Jan 2027 SGN

    Gas mains replacement

  • Auchinyell Road, Aberdeen

    Road closed Under way, until 24 Sept 2026 SGN

    Gas mains replacement

  • Braeside Place, Aberdeen

    Road closed Under way, until 5 Mar 2027 Aberdeen City Council

    One-way restriction on Braeside Place, Aberdeen, from its junction with Braeside Terrace to the boundary between numbers 6 and 8 Braeside Place will…

  • Seafield Road, Aberdeen

    Road closed Under way, until 25 Nov 2026 Aberdeen City Council

    Replacement of concrete street lighting columns. Alternating one-way systems in place.

  • Westerton Road, Aberdeen

    Road closed Under way, until 17 Sept 2026 BT

    Excavate to clear blockage

Who is digging

  • Aberdeen City Council 324
  • BT 123
  • SGN 76
  • Scottish Hydro Electric Power Dis 42
  • Scottish Water 33

How traffic is managed

  • Road closed 202
  • Give and take 136
  • No obstruction 78
  • Temporary traffic lights 75
  • Road narrowed 51

The register publishes one extract a day, so works can start, finish or change after it is taken. Roadworks across Scotland.

Source:SRWR Extract of 2026-09-16 Updated

How Aberdeen compares

Aberdeen compared with Scotland, the UK
Aberdeen 396 3.1% 2.5% 4.5% 192 9.6
Scotland 436 4.2% 3.0% 7.8% 232 8.9
United Kingdom4415.4%2.8%9.9%17511.9

Private cars per 1,000 people use the ONS mid-2024 population. Chargers are counted at the latest date; plug-in cars at the end of March 2026.

Councils in Scotland

Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.

Councils in Scotland
Stirling 468 13.9% 4.1% 32.1% 511 5.6
Renfrewshire 436 11.9% 3.2% 34.9% 243 9.1
East Renfrewshire 473 5.1% 4.5% 4.2% 82 40.4
East Dunbartonshire 481 4.7% 4.1% 4.0% 103 32.8
East Lothian 472 4.5% 4.0% 4.4% 600 5.0
Orkney Islands 490 4.4% 3.8% 5.0% 386 6.9
West Lothian 479 4.4% 3.8% 5.7% 137 22.2
Edinburgh 325 4.2% 3.3% 5.3% 192 8.6
South Lanarkshire 463 4.2% 3.5% 6.2% 182 14.0
Midlothian 461 4.1% 3.7% 5.1% 223 11.6
Perth and Kinross 506 4.0% 3.5% 5.1% 363 7.6
Dundee 371 3.9% 3.0% 6.7% 472 3.3
North Lanarkshire 434 3.6% 3.0% 7.2% 168 12.1
South Ayrshire 482 3.6% 3.0% 5.3% 205 10.5
Aberdeenshire 528 3.5% 3.0% 4.3% 162 17.8
Falkirk 493 3.5% 2.9% 5.4% 163 13.9
Fife 478 3.5% 3.0% 4.9% 132 17.2
Glasgow 307 3.4% 2.2% 9.7% 180 6.2
East Ayrshire 467 3.3% 2.8% 6.0% 229 9.1
North Ayrshire 457 3.2% 2.7% 5.9% 199 9.2
Aberdeen 396 3.1% 2.5% 4.5% 192 9.6
Clackmannanshire 492 3.1% 2.7% 4.9% 205 9.5
Angus 504 3.0% 2.6% 4.7% 221 9.7
Scottish Borders 506 3.0% 2.6% 4.8% 224 9.6
West Dunbartonshire 420 2.8% 2.3% 6.5% 204 7.7
Inverclyde 425 2.7% 2.3% 5.6% 237 6.8
Moray 501 2.6% 2.1% 4.5% 153 11.7
Argyll and Bute 471 2.5% 2.2% 4.7% 396 4.9
Highland 496 2.5% 2.0% 5.0% 387 4.4
Dumfries and Galloway 510 2.2% 1.8% 5.8% 549 2.9
Shetland Islands 471 1.9% 1.4% 9.1% 323 3.9
Na h-Eileanan Siar 500 1.5% 1.2% 4.1% 515 2.4

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 111,506 licensed vehicles in Aberdeen 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 5,399 plug-in vehicles 15 September 2026
Public chargers Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics Department for Transport 1 July 2026 121,171 public chargers (UK) 15 September 2026
Population Mid-year population estimates Office for National Statistics Mid-2024 404 areas 15 September 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Aberdeen run from the end of 2009.
  • Vehicles are counted at the registered keeper’s postcode: for company cars that is the company’s address, not where the car is driven.
  • Battery electric and plug-in counts come from table VEH0142; petrol, diesel and hybrid counts from VEH0105. “Other fuels” is VEH0105’s other-fuel count less plug-in cars.
  • Charger counts are based on Zapmap data and are official statistics in development. In June 2026 one operator removed about 1,270 private chargers wrongly listed as public, so April and July are not strictly comparable.
How we calculate these figures All data sources

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.