West Midlands · Metropolitan borough
Coventry motoring statistics
How many cars and electric cars are registered in Coventry, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Coventry compares with the West Midlands. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.
- Licensed cars 153,312 +1.9% on a year earlier
- Private cars per 1,000 people 387 UK 444
- Battery electric cars 4,216 2.7% of cars (UK 5.8%)
- Electric share of private cars 2.1% 45th lowest of 361 councils
- Public chargers 2,644 717 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
- Company-registered cars 6.9% UK 10.0%
How many cars are there in Coventry?
There were 153,312 licensed cars in Coventry at the end of June 2026, and 178,445 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 20.7% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 387 for every 1,000 residents, 65th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).
Licensed vehicles in Coventry
Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.
| Year | All vehicles | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 190,720 | 127,061 |
| 2011 | 195,241 | 128,584 |
| 2012 | 147,899 | 121,760 |
| 2013 | 191,958 | 129,695 |
| 2014 | 198,926 | 132,686 |
| 2015 | 202,595 | 135,486 |
| 2016 | 164,254 | 132,721 |
| 2017 | 166,322 | 135,494 |
| 2018 | 161,700 | 137,273 |
| 2019 | 162,833 | 139,299 |
| 2020 | 160,987 | 138,273 |
| 2021 | 164,772 | 141,066 |
| 2022 | 166,375 | 142,310 |
| 2023 | 169,790 | 145,769 |
| 2024 | 172,017 | 148,009 |
| 2025 | 174,821 | 150,380 |
| 2026 | 178,445 | 153,312 |
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.
| Year | Coventry | West Midlands | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 406 | 506 | – |
| 2012 | 383 | 502 | – |
| 2013 | 403 | 503 | – |
| 2014 | 408 | 500 | – |
| 2015 | 409 | 506 | 473 |
| 2016 | 394 | 513 | 480 |
| 2017 | 399 | 523 | 488 |
| 2018 | 400 | 524 | 490 |
| 2019 | 405 | 519 | 493 |
| 2020 | 401 | 515 | 489 |
| 2021 | 410 | 485 | 493 |
| 2022 | 405 | 480 | 489 |
| 2023 | 406 | 479 | 489 |
| 2024 | 401 | 476 | 490 |
Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated
Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Coventry
54.1% of cars in Coventry run on petrol and 32.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 39.3% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.4%, and cars that plug in 5.2%.
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.
| Year | Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid | Battery electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 71.4% | 28.3% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 69.1% | 30.4% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 70.4% | 29.1% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 66.0% | 33.3% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 64.3% | 34.9% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 62.4% | 36.7% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 63.0% | 36.3% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 61.6% | 37.5% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 60.7% | 38.3% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 60.0% | 38.7% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2020 | 59.0% | 39.3% | 1.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2021 | 58.0% | 39.2% | 1.6% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| 2022 | 57.2% | 38.4% | 2.4% | 0.9% | 0.9% |
| 2023 | 56.5% | 37.2% | 3.3% | 1.3% | 1.4% |
| 2024 | 56.1% | 35.7% | 4.9% | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| 2025 | 55.3% | 33.8% | 6.6% | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| 2026 | 54.1% | 32.0% | 8.4% | 2.7% | 2.4% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Electric cars in Coventry
4,216 battery electric cars were licensed in Coventry at the end of June 2026, 2.7% of all cars, 39th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 7,898 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 3,072.
Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.1% are battery electric (3,016 cars), 3rd lowest of 30 councils in the West Midlands. Companies keep 28.5% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 6.9% of its cars overall. There are also 229 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.
| Year | Coventry | West Midlands | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | 1.0% | 1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | 1.4% | 2.3% |
| 2024 | 1.5% | 1.8% | 3.2% |
| 2025 | 2.0% | 2.7% | 4.4% |
| 2026 | 2.7% | 3.7% | 5.8% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Public EV chargers in Coventry
There were 2,644 public chargers in Coventry on 1 July 2026, 129 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 717 for every 100,000 residents, 4th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 1.6% from 1 January 2026.
For every public charger there are 1.9 privately kept plug-in cars in Coventry (UK 12.9), 6th fewest of 361 councils. A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.
Public chargers
| Date | All public chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | 2,602 | 123 |
| Apr 2026 | 2,613 | 121 |
| Jul 2026 | 2,644 | 129 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Chargers per 100,000 residents
| Area | All chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Coventry | 717 | 35 |
| West Midlands (county) | 194 | 37 |
| West Midlands | 164 | 46 |
| England | 173 | 41 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Electric cars by neighbourhood
Coventry has 42 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.8% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.0%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.
| Neighbourhood (MSOA) | Private vehicles | Battery electric | Electric share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry 042 | 2,976 | 118 | 4.0% | |
| Coventry 034 | 4,381 | 171 | 3.9% | |
| Coventry 036 | 3,868 | 133 | 3.4% | |
| Coventry 040 | 4,868 | 156 | 3.2% | |
| Coventry 010 | 4,674 | 147 | 3.1% | |
| Coventry 025 | 4,900 | 153 | 3.1% | |
| Coventry 041 | 3,446 | 107 | 3.1% | |
| Coventry 002 | 4,563 | 128 | 2.8% | |
| Coventry 033 | 5,303 | 123 | 2.3% | |
| Coventry 008 | 4,161 | 92 | 2.2% | |
| Lowest electric shares | ||||
| Coventry 028 | 2,572 | 6 | 0.2% | |
| Coventry 009 | 2,676 | 11 | 0.4% | |
| Coventry 030 | 2,199 | 19 | 0.9% | |
| Coventry 020 | 3,362 | 29 | 0.9% | |
| Coventry 012 | 2,902 | 25 | 0.9% | |
Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026. 3 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.
Road traffic and collisions in Coventry
Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,244 million miles on roads in Coventry in 2025.
Traffic on all roads
| Year | Million vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 996 |
| 1994 | 1,010 |
| 1995 | 1,022 |
| 1996 | 1,036 |
| 1997 | 1,045 |
| 1998 | 1,066 |
| 1999 | 1,087 |
| 2000 | 1,082 |
| 2001 | 1,090 |
| 2002 | 1,123 |
| 2003 | 1,118 |
| 2004 | 1,132 |
| 2005 | 1,132 |
| 2006 | 1,128 |
| 2007 | 1,134 |
| 2008 | 1,110 |
| 2009 | 1,112 |
| 2010 | 1,106 |
| 2011 | 1,118 |
| 2012 | 1,116 |
| 2013 | 1,099 |
| 2014 | 1,156 |
| 2015 | 1,170 |
| 2016 | 1,212 |
| 2017 | 1,224 |
| 2018 | 1,211 |
| 2019 | 1,227 |
| 2020 | 951 |
| 2021 | 1,069 |
| 2022 | 1,158 |
| 2023 | 1,203 |
| 2024 | 1,230 |
| 2025 | 1,244 |
Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated
Reported injury collisions
| Year | Collisions | Killed or seriously injured |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 420 | 73 |
| 2022 | 410 | 78 |
| 2023 | 393 | 96 |
| 2024 | 372 | 74 |
| 2025 | 404 | 101 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
Petrol and diesel prices in Coventry
Unleaded petrol averages 171.0p a litre across 27 filling stations in Coventry, 0.5p below the UK average. Diesel averages 197.2p, 1.5p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.
Cheapest petrol
- Costco Wholesale Coventry Coventry 164.9p
- Valero Roadside Coventry Coventry 167.9p
- Gulf A45 Fuel Express Automat Coventry 168.7p
How Coventry compares
| Coventry | 387 | 2.7% | 717 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands (county) | 393 | 3.4% | 194 |
| West Midlands | 459 | 3.7% | 164 |
| England | 440 | 6.2% | 173 |
| United Kingdom | 444 | 5.8% | 175 |
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 Coventry
There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Coventry, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 40.0% at Coventry.
Other centres in the West Midlands metropolitan county:
- Birmingham (Shirley) 56.6% pass rate, 2025/26
- Birmingham (Cocks Moors) 53.5% pass rate, 2025/26
- Birmingham (Kingstanding) 48.5% pass rate, 2025/26
- Birmingham (Kings Heath) 46.8% pass rate, 2025/26
- Dudley 45.2% pass rate, 2025/26
- Birmingham (Garretts Green) 44.4% pass rate, 2025/26
- Birmingham (South Yardley) 42.8% pass rate, 2025/26
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 the West Midlands metropolitan county
Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.
| Solihull | 497 | 7.8% | 278 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dudley | 472 | 3.3% | 104 |
| Walsall | 420 | 3.0% | 66 |
| Wolverhampton | 403 | 3.0% | 69 |
| Birmingham | 347 | 2.8% | 135 |
| Coventry | 387 | 2.7% | 717 |
| Sandwell | 383 | 2.6% | 88 |
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 178,445 licensed vehicles in Coventry | 26 October 2026 |
| Plug-in and electric vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 8,301 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 Coventry 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.
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.