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Bristol motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
228,641 licensed vehicles in Bristol
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 186,628 +0.9% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 360 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 5,242 2.8% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.1% 76th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 488 99 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.7% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Bristol?

There were 186,628 licensed cars in Bristol at the end of March 2026, and 228,641 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 0.6% fewer cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 360 for every 1,000 residents, 46th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Bristol

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Bristol at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 227,821187,770
2011 242,682199,126
2012 253,704210,499
2013 274,445224,989
2014 289,627235,842
2015 308,057249,597
2016 323,530260,887
2017 333,801267,594
2018 229,519181,942
2019 226,802182,772
2020 226,165183,266
2021 226,616181,656
2022 227,436182,465
2023 225,581181,829
2024 227,695183,390
2025 230,083184,884
2026 228,641186,628

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, Bristol compared
Year BristolSouth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 473524–
2012 490527–
2013 522533–
2014 540541–
2015 559546473
2016 565550480
2017 569565488
2018 390569490
2019 390580493
2020 385573489
2021 389575493
2022 380571489
2023 375570489
2024 373571490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Bristol

68.3% of cars in Bristol run on petrol and 19.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 45.3% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.5%, and cars that plug in 4.4%.

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 Bristol, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 71.0%28.7%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 68.0%31.5%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 64.2%35.3%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2013 60.0%39.4%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 57.9%41.5%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 56.4%42.9%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 54.8%44.4%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2017 53.5%45.3%0.8%0.1%0.2%
2018 64.9%33.8%0.8%0.1%0.1%
2019 64.6%33.9%1.0%0.2%0.2%
2020 65.1%32.8%1.3%0.3%0.3%
2021 66.0%31.2%1.7%0.5%0.5%
2022 66.7%29.2%2.5%0.8%0.7%
2023 68.6%25.8%3.4%1.1%0.8%
2024 69.3%23.4%4.6%1.6%1.0%
2025 69.0%21.3%6.0%2.2%1.3%
2026 68.3%19.5%7.5%2.8%1.6%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Bristol

5,242 battery electric cars were licensed in Bristol at the end of March 2026, 2.8% of all cars, 81st lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 8,200 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 4,044.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.1% are battery electric (3,729 cars), 6th lowest of 27 councils in the South West. Companies keep 28.9% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.7% of its cars overall. There are also 1,074 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, Bristol compared, end of March each year
Year BristolSouth WestUnited 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%0.4%0.3%
2021 0.5%1.0%0.7%
2022 0.8%2.1%1.3%
2023 1.1%3.2%2.1%
2024 1.6%4.2%3.0%
2025 2.2%5.2%4.1%
2026 2.8%4.9%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Bristol

There were 488 public chargers in Bristol on 1 July 2026, 136 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 99 for every 100,000 residents, 89th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 57.4% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 15.0 privately kept plug-in cars in Bristol (UK 11.9), 170th 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 Bristol by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 310132
Apr 2026 413126
Jul 2026 488136

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Bristol compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Bristol 9928
South West 15750
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Bristol has 57 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.7% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 5.0%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Bristol with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Bristol 011 3,513 175 5.0% 7.1%
Bristol 015 4,903 227 4.6% 7.9%
Bristol 009 3,740 155 4.1% 6.9%
Bristol 006 3,274 122 3.7% 5.7%
Bristol 020 3,986 148 3.7% 5.4%
Bristol 017 3,880 132 3.4% 5.3%
Bristol 012 3,247 93 2.9% 4.3%
Bristol 022 2,588 68 2.6% 4.8%
Bristol 007 3,461 86 2.5% 3.8%
Bristol 016 5,079 125 2.5% 3.7%
Lowest electric shares
Bristol 055 2,536 5 0.2% 1.3%
Bristol 045 3,321 13 0.4% 1.7%
Bristol 057 3,783 22 0.6% 1.4%
Bristol 056 2,519 15 0.6% 1.6%
Bristol 054 2,067 17 0.8% 2.4%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 6 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Bristol

Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,423 million miles on roads in Bristol in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Bristol
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 1,224
1994 1,240
1995 1,261
1996 1,267
1997 1,278
1998 1,297
1999 1,303
2000 1,317
2001 1,337
2002 1,378
2003 1,378
2004 1,399
2005 1,408
2006 1,422
2007 1,466
2008 1,458
2009 1,456
2010 1,413
2011 1,432
2012 1,424
2013 1,423
2014 1,461
2015 1,463
2016 1,495
2017 1,515
2018 1,493
2019 1,495
2020 1,169
2021 1,306
2022 1,404
2023 1,421
2024 1,443
2025 1,423

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Bristol, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 835198
2022 873216
2023 809203
2024 841240
2025 753205

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Bristol

Unleaded petrol averages 170.1p a litre across 35 filling stations in Bristol, 1.6p below the UK average. Diesel averages 193.7p, 0.9p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Costco Wholesale Bristol Bristol 163.9p
  2. Krisan Services -Esso Bristol 164.9p
  3. Asda Bedminster Bristol 165.7p

Every filling station and price in Bristol

How Bristol compares

Bristol compared with the South West, England, the UK
Bristol 360 2.8% 2.1% 4.7% 99 15.0
South West 506 4.9% 2.6% 9.6% 157 13.3
England 437 5.8% 2.9% 10.6% 173 12.4
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 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 520 19.1% 3.1% 36.8% 162 15.8
Wiltshire 552 8.4% 2.9% 24.1% 117 18.3
Exeter 355 4.5% 2.5% 34.1% 259 5.4
Stroud 585 4.2% 3.8% 3.4% 199 15.6
Tewkesbury 564 4.1% 3.5% 3.7% 157 22.2
Cotswold 602 4.0% 3.4% 3.7% 310 10.6
Bath and North East Somerset 449 3.9% 3.4% 3.4% 90 26.8
North Somerset 546 3.9% 3.2% 4.4% 107 28.4
Cheltenham 464 3.6% 3.0% 3.5% 272 9.4
South Hams 568 3.6% 3.0% 3.8% 145 16.6
Swindon 468 3.5% 2.7% 5.6% 138 16.6
Isles of Scilly 233 3.3% 1.3% 5.0% 676 0.5
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 472 3.1% 2.5% 4.0% 112 17.1
Dorset 571 3.1% 2.6% 3.8% 196 12.0
East Devon 542 3.1% 2.7% 3.4% 200 11.5
Forest of Dean 576 3.1% 2.7% 3.6% 194 11.9
Gloucester 463 3.0% 2.4% 4.5% 149 12.6
Teignbridge 547 3.0% 2.5% 3.7% 147 13.9
Bristol 360 2.8% 2.1% 4.7% 99 15.0
Mid Devon 557 2.8% 2.4% 3.9% 91 22.8
Somerset 555 2.8% 2.4% 3.7% 137 14.6
Cornwall 523 2.7% 2.2% 4.4% 235 7.5
West Devon 561 2.7% 2.4% 3.5% 178 11.7
North Devon 514 2.5% 2.0% 4.2% 208 7.8
Torridge 550 2.4% 2.0% 4.5% 107 15.6
Torbay 467 2.3% 1.8% 4.7% 97 13.6
Plymouth 424 2.1% 1.5% 4.6% 162 6.6

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 228,641 licensed vehicles in Bristol 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 9,459 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
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 15 September 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Bristol 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.