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East of England · District council

Brentwood motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
50,702 licensed vehicles in Brentwood
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 41,798 +0.5% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 501 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 1,753 4.2% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.2% 159th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 77 97 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.9% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Brentwood?

There were 41,798 licensed cars in Brentwood at the end of June 2026, and 50,702 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 10.1% fewer cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 501 for every 1,000 residents, 160th highest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Brentwood

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Brentwood at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 53,80746,486
2011 54,08046,845
2012 55,41848,176
2013 55,89048,525
2014 56,95049,339
2015 59,84952,038
2016 61,60753,624
2017 59,80951,652
2018 58,77550,510
2019 60,01951,595
2020 50,18342,344
2021 50,03541,681
2022 49,75741,207
2023 49,88641,215
2024 49,96241,288
2025 50,39441,578
2026 50,70241,798

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, Brentwood compared
Year BrentwoodEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2011 634503–
2012 649502–
2013 648505–
2014 648524–
2015 679529473
2016 695537480
2017 671544488
2018 657542490
2019 668541493
2020 548536489
2021 541539493
2022 533532489
2023 526529489
2024 521531490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Brentwood

62.7% of cars in Brentwood run on petrol and 19.8% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 39.0% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.5%, and cars that plug in 7.5%.

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 Brentwood, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 69.0%30.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 69.2%30.3%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 65.9%33.5%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 66.2%33.2%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 64.3%35.1%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 62.4%36.9%0.5%0.1%0.0%
2016 60.7%38.1%0.9%0.1%0.1%
2017 60.0%39.0%0.6%0.2%0.1%
2018 62.1%36.6%0.8%0.2%0.2%
2019 63.0%35.5%0.9%0.2%0.3%
2020 65.2%32.7%1.2%0.3%0.4%
2021 65.2%31.5%1.8%0.6%0.7%
2022 65.2%29.8%2.6%1.2%1.1%
2023 65.9%27.0%3.6%1.8%1.4%
2024 65.9%24.0%5.4%2.4%1.9%
2025 64.6%21.8%7.4%3.2%2.5%
2026 62.7%19.8%9.5%4.2%3.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Brentwood

1,753 battery electric cars were licensed in Brentwood at the end of June 2026, 4.2% of all cars, 129th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 3,141 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,315.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.2% are battery electric (1,290 cars), 18th highest of 45 councils in the East of England. Companies keep 26.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.9% of its cars overall. There are also 57 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, Brentwood compared, end of March each year
Year BrentwoodEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.2%0.2%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.4%0.4%
2021 0.6%0.8%0.8%
2022 1.2%1.2%1.5%
2023 1.8%1.9%2.3%
2024 2.4%2.9%3.2%
2025 3.2%4.1%4.4%
2026 4.2%5.6%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Brentwood

There were 77 public chargers in Brentwood on 1 July 2026, 37 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 97 for every 100,000 residents, 84th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 8.5% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 33.0 privately kept plug-in cars in Brentwood (UK 12.9), 31st 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 Brentwood by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 7137
Apr 2026 6937
Jul 2026 7737

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Brentwood compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Brentwood 9747
Essex 9045
East of England 15049
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Brentwood has 9 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, 4.3%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Brentwood with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Brentwood 005 6,062 259 4.3% 8.6%
Brentwood 009 4,154 138 3.3% 7.0%
Brentwood 001 7,359 226 3.1% 5.8%
Brentwood 002 3,987 118 3.0% 6.1%
Brentwood 006 4,605 133 2.9% 5.9%
Brentwood 007 5,052 140 2.8% 5.5%
Brentwood 008 4,859 135 2.8% 5.5%
Brentwood 003 4,412 103 2.3% 4.5%
Brentwood 004 4,031 84 2.1% 4.5%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026.

Road traffic and collisions in Brentwood

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Brentwood, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 13830
2022 14638
2023 14030
2024 9926
2025 14340

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Brentwood

Unleaded petrol averages 178.6p a litre across 6 filling stations in Brentwood, 7.1p above the UK average. Diesel averages 200.9p, 2.2p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Esso MFG Warley Little Warley / Brentwood 174.9p
  2. Brentwood Esso Express Brentwood 177.9p
  3. BP Hutton Mount Sf Connect Brentwood 178.9p

Every filling station and price in Brentwood

How Brentwood compares

Brentwood compared with Essex, the East of England, England, the UK
Brentwood 501 4.2% 3.2% 4.9% 97 33.0
Essex 511 3.7% 2.9% 6.0% 90 28.6
East of England 501 5.6% 3.2% 8.7% 150 17.3
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 Brentwood

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Brentwood, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 48.5% at Brentwood (London).

Other centres in Essex:

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 Essex

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

Councils in Essex
Uttlesford 593 4.8% 4.2% 12.0% 164 24.4
Epping Forest 499 4.4% 3.6% 5.3% 126 25.2
Brentwood 501 4.2% 3.2% 4.9% 97 33.0
Chelmsford 504 4.0% 3.3% 4.8% 105 27.0
Basildon 461 3.9% 2.5% 11.9% 62 34.8
Colchester 474 3.6% 2.9% 4.6% 90 24.5
Maldon 605 3.5% 2.9% 3.6% 61 49.5
Rochford 554 3.3% 2.9% 4.0% 76 36.3
Braintree 537 3.2% 2.7% 4.1% 89 27.3
Harlow 444 3.2% 2.5% 4.6% 74 25.7
Tendring 513 2.8% 2.2% 4.8% 84 21.7
Castle Point 534 2.7% 2.2% 3.8% 42 51.7

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 50,702 licensed vehicles in Brentwood 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 3,322 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 Brentwood 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.