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Chelmsford motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
120,076 licensed vehicles in Chelmsford
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 99,995 +0.7% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 504 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 3,971 4.0% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.3% 145th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 199 105 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.8% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Chelmsford?

There were 99,995 licensed cars in Chelmsford at the end of June 2026, and 120,076 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 13.7% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 504 for every 1,000 residents, 155th highest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Chelmsford

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Chelmsford at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 104,14187,932
2011 105,43388,829
2012 106,09089,337
2013 107,37990,352
2014 109,04891,471
2015 109,70292,007
2016 111,56693,404
2017 112,74494,952
2018 113,59595,602
2019 114,71196,537
2020 114,02396,215
2021 116,41897,539
2022 116,74397,357
2023 117,68398,135
2024 118,42098,867
2025 118,94699,345
2026 120,07699,995

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, Chelmsford compared
Year ChelmsfordEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2011 527503–
2012 528502–
2013 530505–
2014 531524–
2015 531529473
2016 533537480
2017 536544488
2018 537542490
2019 537541493
2020 533536489
2021 536539493
2022 531532489
2023 527529489
2024 524531490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Chelmsford

60.0% of cars in Chelmsford run on petrol and 24.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 33.9% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.3%, and cars that plug in 6.4%.

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 Chelmsford, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 75.7%24.0%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 74.1%25.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 72.4%27.2%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 70.8%28.7%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 69.1%30.3%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 67.7%31.7%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 66.3%33.0%0.5%0.1%0.0%
2017 65.3%33.8%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2018 64.9%33.9%0.9%0.1%0.1%
2019 64.7%33.8%1.1%0.2%0.2%
2020 64.8%33.3%1.3%0.3%0.3%
2021 64.4%32.6%1.9%0.5%0.5%
2022 63.5%31.8%2.7%1.0%0.7%
2023 63.3%30.1%3.7%1.6%1.0%
2024 62.9%27.9%5.3%2.2%1.3%
2025 61.8%25.9%7.2%3.0%1.8%
2026 60.0%24.0%9.3%4.0%2.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Chelmsford

3,971 battery electric cars were licensed in Chelmsford at the end of June 2026, 4.0% of all cars, 158th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 6,405 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,969.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.3% are battery electric (3,189 cars), 17th highest of 45 councils in the East of England. Companies keep 19.7% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.8% of its cars overall. There are also 109 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, Chelmsford compared, end of March each year
Year ChelmsfordEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.2%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.4%0.4%
2021 0.5%0.8%0.8%
2022 1.0%1.2%1.5%
2023 1.6%1.9%2.3%
2024 2.2%2.9%3.2%
2025 3.0%4.1%4.4%
2026 4.0%5.6%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Chelmsford

There were 199 public chargers in Chelmsford on 1 July 2026, 86 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 105 for every 100,000 residents, 102nd lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 18.5% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 27.0 privately kept plug-in cars in Chelmsford (UK 12.9), 63rd 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 Chelmsford by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 16882
Apr 2026 19286
Jul 2026 19986

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Chelmsford compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Chelmsford 10546
Essex 9045
East of England 15049
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Chelmsford has 22 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 Chelmsford with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Chelmsford 001 7,129 306 4.3% 7.3%
Chelmsford 005 6,241 271 4.3% 7.4%
Chelmsford 002 4,959 189 3.8% 6.0%
Chelmsford 004 5,719 212 3.7% 6.1%
Chelmsford 013 4,887 172 3.5% 5.7%
Chelmsford 007 4,279 137 3.2% 5.3%
Chelmsford 012 4,077 131 3.2% 5.2%
Chelmsford 017 4,302 132 3.1% 5.0%
Chelmsford 009 5,010 148 3.0% 4.4%
Chelmsford 018 5,556 168 3.0% 5.7%
Lowest electric shares
Chelmsford 022 2,824 44 1.6% 2.8%
Chelmsford 006 3,541 60 1.7% 2.9%
Chelmsford 015 3,923 84 2.1% 4.3%
Chelmsford 023 2,533 58 2.3% 4.0%
Chelmsford 019 5,147 130 2.5% 4.1%

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

Road traffic and collisions in Chelmsford

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Chelmsford, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 25660
2022 34087
2023 32495
2024 30077
2025 30786

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Chelmsford

Unleaded petrol averages 172.4p a litre across 17 filling stations in Chelmsford, 0.9p above the UK average. Diesel averages 201.4p, 2.7p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Sainsbury's South Woodham Ferrers South Woodham Ferrer 167.9p
  2. Asda South Woodham Ferrers Superstore Chelmsford 169.7p
  3. Asda Chelmsford Superstore Chelmsford 169.9p

Every filling station and price in Chelmsford

How Chelmsford compares

Chelmsford compared with Essex, the East of England, England, the UK
Chelmsford 504 4.0% 3.3% 4.8% 105 27.0
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 Chelmsford

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Chelmsford, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 55.4% at Chelmsford.

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 120,076 licensed vehicles in Chelmsford 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 6,728 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 Chelmsford 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.