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City of London motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
3,501 licensed vehicles in City of London
Methodology
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  • Licensed cars 2,405 −10.7% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 79 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 592 24.6% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 7.8% the highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 67 443 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 50.4% UK 10.0%

Company fleets. 50.4% of cars registered in the City of London have a company as their keeper, against 10.0% across the UK. DVLA counts company cars at the company’s registered address, so leasing and rental fleets land where those firms are based and move when they move. The figures for privately kept cars are the better guide to local drivers.

How many cars are there in the City of London?

There were 2,405 licensed cars in the City of London at the end of June 2026, and 3,501 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 18.0% fewer cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 79 for every 1,000 residents, the lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in the City of London

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in the City of London at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 3,7612,933
2011 3,7572,919
2012 3,7872,903
2013 3,6242,797
2014 3,3772,580
2015 3,2492,590
2016 3,3152,598
2017 3,1582,514
2018 3,1562,456
2019 3,0182,405
2020 2,9402,316
2021 2,8582,210
2022 3,1662,471
2023 3,2302,450
2024 3,2122,329
2025 3,6432,692
2026 3,5012,405

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, the City of London compared
Year City of LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
2011 394313–
2012 386307–
2013 371303–
2014 341303–
2015 338303473
2016 336304480
2017 319306488
2018 301303490
2019 274301493
2020 278296489
2021 254300493
2022 213295489
2023 180290489
2024 154287490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in the City of London

39.3% of cars in the City of London run on petrol and 15.3% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 44.3% in 2016. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.4%, and cars that plug in 34.9%.

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 the City of London, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 61.7%35.1%2.6%0.2%0.0%
2011 59.3%37.2%2.8%0.2%0.0%
2012 55.4%40.9%3.1%0.2%0.1%
2013 54.3%41.8%3.3%0.2%0.0%
2014 53.2%42.8%3.1%0.2%0.0%
2015 51.5%43.7%3.3%0.5%0.5%
2016 49.5%44.3%3.3%1.4%1.0%
2017 50.1%42.2%4.2%1.0%2.1%
2018 51.5%39.1%4.4%1.6%2.9%
2019 54.3%36.2%3.2%2.4%3.5%
2020 54.9%33.0%3.7%3.6%4.6%
2021 53.8%28.6%4.8%6.9%5.5%
2022 56.6%22.6%4.7%9.6%5.8%
2023 50.6%19.3%5.4%16.9%7.1%
2024 46.8%19.9%7.6%16.7%7.9%
2025 37.1%14.7%7.3%31.1%8.8%
2026 39.3%15.3%9.4%24.6%10.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in the City of London

592 battery electric cars were licensed in the City of London at the end of June 2026, 24.6% of all cars, 6th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 839 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 837, 245 more. DfT notes that big changes like this often happen when a leasing or rental company changes its registered address.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 7.8% are battery electric (93 cars), the highest of 33 councils in London. Companies keep 84.3% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 50.4% of its cars overall. There are also 66 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, the City of London compared, end of March each year
Year City of LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
2016 1.4%0.1%0.1%
2017 1.0%0.2%0.1%
2018 1.6%0.3%0.1%
2019 2.4%0.3%0.2%
2020 3.6%0.5%0.4%
2021 6.9%1.1%0.8%
2022 9.6%2.0%1.5%
2023 16.9%3.2%2.3%
2024 16.7%4.5%3.2%
2025 31.1%5.7%4.4%
2026 24.6%7.0%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in the City of London

There were 67 public chargers in the City of London on 1 July 2026, 7 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 443 for every 100,000 residents, 18th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 42.2% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 2.4 privately kept plug-in cars in the City of London (UK 12.9), 10th 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 the City of London by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 1167
Apr 2026 677
Jul 2026 677

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, the City of London compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
City of London 44346
London 34528
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Road traffic and collisions in the City of London

Vehicles travelled an estimated 71 million miles on roads in the City of London in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in the City of London
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 124
1994 126
1995 127
1996 130
1997 133
1998 135
1999 134
2000 132
2001 127
2002 122
2003 121
2004 124
2005 121
2006 123
2007 121
2008 112
2009 106
2010 104
2011 102
2012 99
2013 99
2014 101
2015 101
2016 99
2017 96
2018 93
2019 93
2020 73
2021 80
2022 75
2023 74
2024 74
2025 71

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in the City of London, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 14741
2022 17560
2023 17444
2024 16654
2025 21466

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

More road safety figures

How the City of London compares

City of London compared with London, England, the UK
City of London 79 24.6% 7.8% 50.4% 443 2.4
London 264 7.0% 3.9% 9.8% 345 5.8
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 the City of London

There is no DVSA car practical test centre in the City of London. The nearest centres are elsewhere in London.

Centres in London:

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 London

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

Councils in London
Westminster 179 57.9% 7.7% 60.4% 1,378 1.8
City of London 79 24.6% 7.8% 50.4% 443 2.4
Hammersmith and Fulham 199 18.7% 5.2% 22.4% 1,380 1.5
Camden 159 9.7% 7.6% 12.6% 378 5.4
Kensington and Chelsea 239 7.4% 6.7% 8.5% 637 4.7
Brent 232 7.3% 4.0% 12.8% 367 5.1
Barnet 322 6.6% 5.4% 7.2% 288 10.1
Islington 132 6.0% 4.7% 11.6% 386 3.1
Richmond upon Thames 359 5.6% 4.7% 5.6% 642 5.0
Harrow 337 5.5% 4.3% 6.2% 120 22.8
Hillingdon 364 5.4% 3.4% 16.7% 121 20.1
Kingston upon Thames 354 5.2% 4.5% 3.9% 242 11.8
Merton 294 5.2% 4.4% 5.7% 436 5.6
Southwark 162 5.2% 4.3% 8.1% 618 2.1
Wandsworth 214 5.2% 4.4% 5.1% 532 3.6
Tower Hamlets 128 5.0% 3.8% 11.0% 776 1.7
Ealing 274 4.7% 3.6% 7.5% 264 7.6
Redbridge 302 4.7% 3.8% 7.2% 198 11.9
Hackney 138 4.6% 3.4% 10.4% 638 1.6
Haringey 214 4.6% 3.7% 8.9% 135 11.1
Bromley 409 4.5% 3.8% 4.4% 67 42.1
Lambeth 176 4.5% 3.8% 6.6% 244 5.4
Barking and Dagenham 264 4.4% 3.1% 8.6% 100 18.5
Croydon 318 4.3% 3.6% 5.5% 153 13.9
Hounslow 301 4.2% 3.2% 6.8% 233 8.9
Sutton 378 4.2% 3.6% 4.2% 118 20.5
Greenwich 239 4.1% 3.5% 6.3% 101 15.5
Havering 388 3.8% 2.9% 6.1% 95 24.0
Newham 168 3.8% 3.0% 9.3% 159 8.5
Enfield 334 3.6% 2.8% 6.9% 137 14.0
Lewisham 233 3.6% 3.1% 5.6% 133 10.5
Waltham Forest 251 3.6% 2.8% 7.6% 663 2.2
Bexley 382 3.5% 3.0% 6.3% 269 7.9

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 3,501 licensed vehicles in City of London 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 927 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
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in the City of London 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.
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.