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Bridgend motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
99,704 licensed vehicles in Bridgend
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 80,468 +1.3% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 490 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 3,818 4.7% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.1% 172nd highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 215 146 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 10.2% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Bridgend?

There were 80,468 licensed cars in Bridgend at the end of June 2026, and 99,704 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 20.3% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 490 for every 1,000 residents, 179th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Bridgend

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Bridgend at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 77,95366,890
2011 78,61167,436
2012 78,81567,576
2013 80,30968,613
2014 82,02569,956
2015 83,76071,376
2016 85,75472,795
2017 87,19273,746
2018 88,26374,194
2019 89,88175,171
2020 89,48175,004
2021 92,69576,514
2022 93,45876,569
2023 95,03877,394
2024 96,99178,780
2025 98,22679,428
2026 99,70480,468

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, Bridgend compared
Year BridgendWalesUnited Kingdom
2011 484470–
2012 483471–
2013 488476–
2014 495482–
2015 502486473
2016 510493480
2017 514500488
2018 517504490
2019 520510493
2020 516504489
2021 525513493
2022 524510489
2023 527510489
2024 534514490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Bridgend

53.6% of cars in Bridgend run on petrol and 29.2% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 41.5% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.3%, 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 Bridgend, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 70.3%29.5%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 67.8%31.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 66.2%33.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 64.4%35.2%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 62.7%36.9%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 60.8%38.6%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2016 59.5%39.9%0.4%0.0%0.1%
2017 58.2%41.0%0.5%0.1%0.2%
2018 57.5%41.5%0.7%0.1%0.2%
2019 57.6%41.1%0.9%0.1%0.3%
2020 57.6%40.6%1.1%0.2%0.3%
2021 57.5%39.5%1.8%0.6%0.6%
2022 57.2%38.1%2.6%1.1%0.8%
2023 56.9%36.3%3.6%1.8%1.1%
2024 56.2%34.1%5.4%2.4%1.5%
2025 55.3%31.6%7.4%3.3%2.0%
2026 53.6%29.2%9.3%4.7%2.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Bridgend

3,818 battery electric cars were licensed in Bridgend at the end of June 2026, 4.7% of all cars, 74th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 6,053 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,623.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.1% are battery electric (2,214 cars), 3rd highest of 22 councils in Wales. Companies keep 42.0% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 10.2% of its cars overall. There are also 233 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, Bridgend compared, end of March each year
Year BridgendWalesUnited Kingdom
2016 0.0%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.1%0.1%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.2%0.4%
2021 0.6%0.3%0.8%
2022 1.1%0.6%1.5%
2023 1.8%1.0%2.3%
2024 2.4%1.5%3.2%
2025 3.3%2.2%4.4%
2026 4.7%3.1%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Bridgend

There were 215 public chargers in Bridgend on 1 July 2026, 66 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 146 for every 100,000 residents, 168th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 0.9% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 15.6 privately kept plug-in cars in Bridgend (UK 12.9), 160th 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 Bridgend by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 21362
Apr 2026 20958
Jul 2026 21566

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Bridgend compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Bridgend 14645
Wales 18643
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Bridgend has 19 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.4% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 5.1%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Bridgend with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Bridgend 011 6,471 330 5.1% 6.7%
Bridgend 015 3,979 177 4.4% 6.4%
Bridgend 013 3,945 163 4.1% 6.5%
Bridgend 017 6,367 256 4.0% 5.8%
Bridgend 018 5,776 191 3.3% 5.2%
Bridgend 005 3,571 95 2.7% 4.0%
Bridgend 016 3,135 77 2.5% 4.0%
Bridgend 019 4,406 110 2.5% 3.8%
Bridgend 006 3,789 92 2.4% 3.9%
Bridgend 012 3,554 85 2.4% 3.5%
Lowest electric shares
Bridgend 001 3,178 10 0.3% 1.5%
Bridgend 004 4,146 47 1.1% 2.4%
Bridgend 003 4,490 61 1.4% 2.2%
Bridgend 002 3,914 62 1.6% 2.7%
Bridgend 008 4,987 85 1.7% 2.6%

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

Road traffic and collisions in Bridgend

Vehicles travelled an estimated 906 million miles on roads in Bridgend in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Bridgend
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 599
1994 611
1995 623
1996 648
1997 667
1998 679
1999 707
2000 700
2001 712
2002 739
2003 729
2004 760
2005 745
2006 764
2007 789
2008 761
2009 752
2010 744
2011 747
2012 759
2013 770
2014 814
2015 831
2016 862
2017 870
2018 893
2019 901
2020 697
2021 785
2022 855
2023 860
2024 863
2025 906

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Bridgend, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 9722
2022 10020
2023 8519
2024 7217
2025 6722

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Bridgend

Unleaded petrol averages 168.4p a litre across 11 filling stations in Bridgend, 3.1p below the UK average. Diesel averages 198.2p, 0.5p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Valero Cowbridge Road Service Station Bridgend 165.9p
  2. Valero MFG Tondu Tondu 165.9p
  3. Murco, Pen-Y-Fai Service Station Bridgend 165.9p

Every filling station and price in Bridgend

How Bridgend compares

Bridgend compared with Wales, the UK
Bridgend 490 4.7% 3.1% 10.2% 146 15.6
Wales 493 3.1% 2.4% 6.1% 186 9.8
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 Bridgend

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Bridgend, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 53.3% at Bridgend.

Other centres in Wales:

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 Wales

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

Councils in Wales
Bridgend 490 4.7% 3.1% 10.2% 146 15.6
Monmouthshire 581 4.1% 3.5% 4.5% 283 11.0
Vale of Glamorgan 516 3.8% 3.3% 4.6% 139 19.3
Swansea 487 3.7% 2.3% 10.0% 154 11.8
Newport 461 3.5% 2.8% 5.5% 303 6.6
Cardiff 385 3.4% 2.7% 6.3% 118 13.9
Denbighshire 508 3.2% 2.4% 6.4% 179 10.2
Flintshire 559 3.2% 2.6% 4.7% 118 18.6
Conwy 519 2.9% 2.3% 5.6% 152 11.6
Torfaen 499 2.9% 2.2% 6.2% 155 10.6
Carmarthenshire 531 2.8% 2.2% 6.0% 216 8.5
Neath Port Talbot 477 2.8% 2.1% 6.8% 73 22.0
Caerphilly 497 2.7% 2.1% 5.7% 108 14.5
Wrexham 507 2.7% 2.1% 4.8% 204 8.3
Rhondda Cynon Taf 474 2.6% 2.1% 6.0% 121 12.6
Ceredigion 517 2.5% 2.1% 4.6% 306 5.5
Pembrokeshire 540 2.5% 2.1% 5.4% 365 4.8
Powys 554 2.5% 2.1% 5.1% 270 6.8
Isle of Anglesey 555 2.4% 1.9% 4.3% 245 6.7
Gwynedd 498 2.3% 1.7% 4.8% 390 3.5
Merthyr Tydfil 455 2.2% 1.7% 6.6% 139 9.3
Blaenau Gwent 503 1.9% 1.5% 5.3% 228 4.9

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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 99,704 licensed vehicles in Bridgend 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 6,425 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 Bridgend 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.