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Bath and North East Somerset motoring statistics

How many cars and electric cars are registered in Bath and North East Somerset, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Bath and North East Somerset compares with the South West. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.

Last updated
Records analysed
114,158 licensed vehicles in Bath and North East Somerset
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 93,293 +0.8% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 450 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 3,888 4.2% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.7% 80th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 179 90 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 3.5% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Bath and North East Somerset?

There were 93,293 licensed cars in Bath and North East Somerset at the end of June 2026, and 114,158 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 6.0% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 450 for every 1,000 residents, 109th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Bath and North East Somerset

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Bath and North East Somerset at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 104,49688,028
2011 102,95886,417
2012 102,12885,654
2013 100,60384,129
2014 102,67585,789
2015 104,62887,294
2016 107,18989,280
2017 109,74091,416
2018 110,97792,254
2019 113,00493,791
2020 112,05093,166
2021 113,80993,814
2022 111,11691,005
2023 111,57491,297
2024 112,49792,144
2025 113,15692,534
2026 114,15893,293

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.

Cars per 1,000 residents at mid-year, Bath and North East Somerset compared
Year Bath and North East SomersetSouth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 492524–
2012 485527–
2013 471533–
2014 476541–
2015 478546473
2016 481550480
2017 489565488
2018 487569490
2019 493580493
2020 485573489
2021 488575493
2022 466571489
2023 461570489
2024 461571490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Bath and North East Somerset

62.6% of cars in Bath and North East Somerset run on petrol and 23.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 36.2% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.2%, and cars that plug in 6.3%.

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.

Share of licensed cars by fuel type in Bath and North East Somerset, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 70.3%29.3%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 70.8%28.8%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 68.9%30.6%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 68.1%31.4%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 66.4%32.9%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2015 64.9%34.3%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 63.2%35.8%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2017 62.6%36.2%0.8%0.1%0.1%
2018 63.7%34.9%0.9%0.2%0.2%
2019 64.9%33.3%1.1%0.3%0.3%
2020 65.0%32.6%1.3%0.5%0.5%
2021 64.5%31.8%1.9%0.8%0.7%
2022 63.8%31.2%2.4%1.4%1.0%
2023 64.1%29.5%3.1%1.9%1.2%
2024 64.1%27.4%4.2%2.5%1.5%
2025 63.6%25.4%5.7%3.2%1.8%
2026 62.6%23.5%7.2%4.2%2.2%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Bath and North East Somerset

3,888 battery electric cars were licensed in Bath and North East Somerset at the end of June 2026, 4.2% of all cars, 129th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 5,907 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,980.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.7% are battery electric (3,317 cars), 3rd highest of 27 councils in the South West. Companies keep 14.7% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 3.5% of its cars overall. There are also 179 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, Bath and North East Somerset compared, end of March each year
Year Bath and North East SomersetSouth WestUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.3%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.5%0.4%0.4%
2021 0.8%1.2%0.8%
2022 1.4%2.3%1.5%
2023 1.9%3.5%2.3%
2024 2.5%4.4%3.2%
2025 3.2%5.4%4.4%
2026 4.2%5.2%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Bath and North East Somerset

There were 179 public chargers in Bath and North East Somerset on 1 July 2026, 35 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 90 for every 100,000 residents, 72nd lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 2.3% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 28.8 privately kept plug-in cars in Bath and North East Somerset (UK 12.9), 48th most 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 Bath and North East Somerset by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 17532
Apr 2026 18036
Jul 2026 17935

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Bath and North East Somerset compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Bath and North East Somerset 9018
South West 15750
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Bath and North East Somerset has 27 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.9% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 5.6%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Bath and North East Somerset with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Bath and North East Somerset 012 3,718 207 5.6% 8.6%
Bath and North East Somerset 010 7,091 355 5.0% 7.7%
Bath and North East Somerset 007 4,345 206 4.7% 8.0%
Bath and North East Somerset 021 5,502 253 4.6% 7.3%
Bath and North East Somerset 018 3,403 153 4.5% 6.8%
Bath and North East Somerset 016 7,066 289 4.1% 6.1%
Bath and North East Somerset 008 2,741 110 4.0% 6.2%
Bath and North East Somerset 017 2,738 109 4.0% 6.5%
Bath and North East Somerset 003 3,987 157 3.9% 5.9%
Bath and North East Somerset 001 3,717 115 3.1% 4.7%
Lowest electric shares
Bath and North East Somerset 011 2,075 8 0.4% 1.5%
Bath and North East Somerset 015 2,655 42 1.6% 2.5%
Bath and North East Somerset 026 4,154 80 1.9% 2.6%
Bath and North East Somerset 024 3,906 81 2.1% 2.8%
Bath and North East Somerset 014 2,013 42 2.1% 3.7%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026. 1 neighbourhood is left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Bath and North East Somerset

Vehicles travelled an estimated 758 million miles on roads in Bath and North East Somerset in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Bath and North East Somerset
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 611
1994 621
1995 629
1996 642
1997 647
1998 651
1999 663
2000 666
2001 677
2002 694
2003 704
2004 714
2005 717
2006 737
2007 749
2008 751
2009 732
2010 713
2011 724
2012 725
2013 726
2014 752
2015 765
2016 780
2017 781
2018 773
2019 782
2020 617
2021 680
2022 729
2023 743
2024 751
2025 758

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Bath and North East Somerset, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 17746
2022 19060
2023 7619
2024 18763
2025 20269

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Bath and North East Somerset

Unleaded petrol averages 171.4p a litre across 13 filling stations in Bath and North East Somerset, 0.1p below the UK average. Diesel averages 200.2p, 1.5p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Gulf Newbridge Road Fuel Express Automat Bath 167.7p
  2. Sainsbury's Bath Bath 167.9p
  3. Winford Road Garage Bristol 168.9p

Every filling station and price in Bath and North East Somerset

How Bath and North East Somerset compares

Bath and North East Somerset compared with the South West, England, the UK
Bath and North East Somerset 450 4.2% 3.7% 3.5% 90 28.8
South West 509 5.2% 2.9% 9.6% 157 14.4
England 440 6.2% 3.2% 10.7% 173 13.4
United Kingdom4445.8%3.1%10.0%17512.9

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 June 2026.

Driving test centres in Bath and North East Somerset

There is no DVSA car practical test centre in Bath and North East Somerset. The nearest centres are elsewhere in the South West.

Centres in the South West:

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 the South West

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

Councils in the South West
South Gloucestershire 523 18.8% 3.4% 37.0% 162 17.1
Wiltshire 556 8.9% 3.2% 24.3% 117 23.3
Exeter 357 5.2% 2.8% 33.8% 259 5.6
Stroud 589 4.6% 4.1% 3.3% 199 17.4
Tewkesbury 567 4.5% 3.9% 3.7% 157 21.2
North Somerset 549 4.3% 3.6% 4.4% 107 28.3
Bath and North East Somerset 450 4.2% 3.7% 3.5% 90 28.8
Cotswold 606 4.2% 3.7% 3.7% 310 12.0
Cheltenham 466 3.9% 3.4% 3.5% 272 9.0
South Hams 572 3.9% 3.3% 3.7% 145 19.0
Swindon 471 3.8% 3.0% 5.3% 138 16.4
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 475 3.4% 2.8% 4.0% 112 18.3
Dorset 576 3.4% 2.9% 3.8% 196 12.8
East Devon 546 3.4% 3.0% 3.5% 200 12.7
Forest of Dean 581 3.4% 3.0% 3.6% 194 13.1
Gloucester 465 3.3% 2.6% 4.6% 149 12.7
Teignbridge 551 3.3% 2.8% 3.8% 147 15.6
Isles of Scilly 238 3.2% 1.2% 5.1% 676 0.6
Mid Devon 562 3.1% 2.7% 3.9% 91 24.9
Somerset 560 3.1% 2.7% 3.7% 137 16.8
West Devon 564 3.1% 2.7% 3.5% 178 13.0
Bristol 362 3.0% 2.3% 4.7% 99 13.7
Cornwall 528 3.0% 2.5% 4.4% 235 8.1
North Devon 518 2.7% 2.2% 4.2% 208 9.1
Torbay 469 2.6% 2.0% 4.7% 97 15.4
Torridge 555 2.6% 2.2% 4.5% 107 17.7
Plymouth 426 2.2% 1.7% 4.6% 162 7.3

Data stories to read next

All insights

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 114,158 licensed vehicles in Bath and North East Somerset 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 6,189 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 Bath and North East Somerset 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.
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.