South East · District council
Adur motoring statistics
How many cars and electric cars are registered in Adur, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Adur compares with the South East. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.
- Licensed cars 32,233 +2.2% on a year earlier
- Private cars per 1,000 people 476 UK 444
- Battery electric cars 1,027 3.2% of cars (UK 5.8%)
- Electric share of private cars 2.6% 106th lowest of 361 councils
- Public chargers 109 168 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
- Company-registered cars 4.1% UK 10.0%
How many cars are there in Adur?
There were 32,233 licensed cars in Adur at the end of June 2026, and 39,898 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 10.1% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 476 for every 1,000 residents, 161st lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).
Licensed vehicles in Adur
Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.
| Year | All vehicles | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 35,383 | 29,265 |
| 2011 | 35,283 | 29,118 |
| 2012 | 35,701 | 29,406 |
| 2013 | 36,026 | 29,652 |
| 2014 | 36,913 | 30,201 |
| 2015 | 37,024 | 30,235 |
| 2016 | 37,551 | 30,548 |
| 2017 | 38,279 | 30,958 |
| 2018 | 38,308 | 30,943 |
| 2019 | 38,469 | 31,208 |
| 2020 | 37,958 | 30,941 |
| 2021 | 38,537 | 31,224 |
| 2022 | 38,615 | 31,140 |
| 2023 | 38,592 | 31,117 |
| 2024 | 38,913 | 31,318 |
| 2025 | 39,184 | 31,553 |
| 2026 | 39,898 | 32,233 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Licensed vehicles by type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 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.
| Year | Adur | South East | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 475 | 534 | – |
| 2012 | 473 | 535 | – |
| 2013 | 472 | 541 | – |
| 2014 | 475 | 547 | – |
| 2015 | 474 | 551 | 473 |
| 2016 | 478 | 559 | 480 |
| 2017 | 483 | 567 | 488 |
| 2018 | 482 | 570 | 490 |
| 2019 | 483 | 572 | 493 |
| 2020 | 479 | 561 | 489 |
| 2021 | 483 | 564 | 493 |
| 2022 | 481 | 565 | 489 |
| 2023 | 481 | 567 | 489 |
| 2024 | 483 | 570 | 490 |
Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated
Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Adur
62.2% of cars in Adur run on petrol and 25.3% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 30.2% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.6%, and cars that plug in 4.7%.
Cars by fuel type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Fuel mix over time
Share of licensed cars at the end of March each year.
| Year | Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid | Battery electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 80.2% | 19.6% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 78.8% | 20.9% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 77.2% | 22.4% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 75.9% | 23.7% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 74.2% | 25.4% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 72.5% | 27.0% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 70.9% | 28.5% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 69.8% | 29.4% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 69.1% | 29.9% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 68.8% | 30.0% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 68.3% | 30.2% | 1.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2021 | 67.5% | 30.1% | 1.5% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| 2022 | 66.4% | 30.1% | 2.1% | 0.8% | 0.5% |
| 2023 | 65.5% | 29.7% | 2.9% | 1.2% | 0.6% |
| 2024 | 64.6% | 28.5% | 4.3% | 1.7% | 0.8% |
| 2025 | 63.6% | 27.1% | 5.6% | 2.4% | 1.1% |
| 2026 | 62.2% | 25.3% | 7.6% | 3.2% | 1.5% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Electric cars in Adur
1,027 battery electric cars were licensed in Adur at the end of June 2026, 3.2% of all cars, 96th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 1,514 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 756.
Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.6% are battery electric (803 cars), 14th lowest of 64 councils in the South East. Companies keep 21.8% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.1% of its cars overall. There are also 58 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.
| Year | Adur | South East | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | 2.2% | 1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | 3.3% | 2.3% |
| 2024 | 1.7% | 4.5% | 3.2% |
| 2025 | 2.4% | 6.4% | 4.4% |
| 2026 | 3.2% | 9.3% | 5.8% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Public EV chargers in Adur
There were 109 public chargers in Adur on 1 July 2026, 31 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 168 for every 100,000 residents, 126th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 5.8% from 1 January 2026.
For every public charger there are 11.2 privately kept plug-in cars in Adur (UK 12.9), 95th fewest of 361 councils. A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.
Public chargers
| Date | All public chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | 103 | 33 |
| Apr 2026 | 112 | 31 |
| Jul 2026 | 109 | 31 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Chargers per 100,000 residents
| Area | All chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Adur | 168 | 48 |
| West Sussex | 193 | 35 |
| South East | 159 | 40 |
| England | 173 | 41 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Electric cars by neighbourhood
Adur has 8 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.1% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.5%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.
| Neighbourhood (MSOA) | Private vehicles | Battery electric | Electric share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adur 005 | 5,065 | 178 | 3.5% |
| Adur 002 | 4,308 | 116 | 2.7% |
| Adur 001 | 4,987 | 115 | 2.3% |
| Adur 003 | 4,632 | 95 | 2.1% |
| Adur 007 | 3,743 | 78 | 2.1% |
| Adur 006 | 4,375 | 83 | 1.9% |
| Adur 008 | 4,288 | 82 | 1.9% |
| Adur 004 | 5,100 | 90 | 1.8% |
Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026.
Road traffic and collisions in Adur
Reported injury collisions
| Year | Collisions | Killed or seriously injured |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 109 | 28 |
| 2022 | 139 | 27 |
| 2023 | 133 | 44 |
| 2024 | 100 | 29 |
| 2025 | 94 | 25 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
Petrol and diesel prices in Adur
Unleaded petrol averages 170.9p a litre across 3 filling stations in Adur, 0.6p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.
Cheapest petrol
- Manor Road Service Station Lancing 169.9p
- Shell Little Waitrose Shoreham Shoreham-By-Sea 169.9p
- Tesco Shoreham-By-Sea Extra Shoreham-By-Sea 172.9p
How Adur compares
| Adur | 476 | 3.2% | 168 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Sussex | 521 | 3.8% | 193 |
| South East | 499 | 9.3% | 159 |
| England | 440 | 6.2% | 173 |
| United Kingdom | 444 | 5.8% | 175 |
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 June 2026.
Driving test centres in Adur
There is no DVSA car practical test centre in Adur. The nearest centres are elsewhere in West Sussex.
Centres in West Sussex:
- Chichester 61.6% pass rate, 2025/26
- Worthing 59.8% pass rate, 2025/26
- Burgess Hill 45.5% pass rate, 2025/26
- Crawley 42.7% pass rate, 2025/26
DVSA publishes pass rates by centre name, with no address, so centres are placed here by the place name in the name DVSA uses. See pass rates at every test centre.
Councils in West Sussex
Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.
| Mid Sussex | 535 | 4.5% | 176 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horsham | 583 | 4.3% | 195 |
| Chichester | 562 | 3.8% | 173 |
| Worthing | 467 | 3.4% | 255 |
| Arun | 532 | 3.3% | 166 |
| Adur | 476 | 3.2% | 168 |
| Crawley | 435 | 3.2% | 223 |
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 39,898 licensed vehicles in Adur | 26 October 2026 |
| Plug-in and electric vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 1,681 plug-in vehicles | 26 October 2026 |
| Public chargers | Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics Department for Transport | 1 July 2026 | 121,171 public chargers (UK) | 26 October 2026 |
| Population | Mid-year population estimates Office for National Statistics | Mid-2024 | 404 areas | 26 October 2026 |
| Neighbourhoods | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales | 26 October 2026 |
- Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Adur 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.
- Neighbourhood figures cover England and Wales only; Scottish data zones and Northern Irish super data zones cannot be placed in councils without lookups we do not hold.
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.