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Dundee motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
68,674 licensed vehicles in Dundee
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 59,633 +1.2% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 371 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 2,297 3.9% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.0% 136th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 707 472 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 6.7% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Dundee?

There were 59,633 licensed cars in Dundee at the end of March 2026, and 68,674 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 18.1% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 371 for every 1,000 residents, 52nd lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Dundee

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Dundee at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 57,73750,476
2011 57,92650,826
2012 58,26151,008
2013 58,49251,394
2014 59,42552,434
2015 59,95153,028
2016 61,15254,110
2017 62,86455,176
2018 63,53255,789
2019 64,43056,367
2020 65,15257,089
2021 65,31356,705
2022 65,94857,005
2023 66,04857,115
2024 67,10558,193
2025 67,91958,917
2026 68,67459,633

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, Dundee compared
Year DundeeScotlandUnited Kingdom
2011 346429–
2012 346430–
2013 351436–
2014 359443–
2015 361446473
2016 368450480
2017 374457488
2018 379461490
2019 383465493
2020 378462489
2021 389469493
2022 384466489
2023 383465489
2024 390468490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Dundee

62.2% of cars in Dundee run on petrol and 23.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 34.5% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.4%, and cars that plug in 5.4%.

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 Dundee, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 78.1%21.6%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 75.9%23.8%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 74.2%25.4%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 72.2%27.4%0.2%0.1%0.0%
2014 70.3%29.2%0.3%0.1%0.0%
2015 68.8%30.6%0.3%0.2%0.0%
2016 67.2%32.1%0.3%0.2%0.0%
2017 65.8%33.4%0.4%0.3%0.1%
2018 64.5%34.5%0.5%0.4%0.1%
2019 64.2%34.5%0.6%0.5%0.1%
2020 64.1%34.2%0.8%0.6%0.2%
2021 64.1%33.5%1.3%0.8%0.3%
2022 63.4%32.7%2.1%1.2%0.4%
2023 63.3%31.4%3.1%1.5%0.5%
2024 63.5%29.0%4.4%2.1%0.7%
2025 63.2%26.3%6.3%2.8%1.0%
2026 62.2%23.7%8.4%3.9%1.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Dundee

2,297 battery electric cars were licensed in Dundee at the end of March 2026, 3.9% of all cars, 126th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 3,206 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,679.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.0% are battery electric (1,645 cars), 12th highest of 32 councils in Scotland. Companies keep 28.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 6.7% of its cars overall. There are also 159 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, Dundee compared, end of March each year
Year DundeeScotlandUnited Kingdom
2016 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.3%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.4%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.5%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.6%0.3%0.3%
2021 0.8%0.6%0.7%
2022 1.2%1.1%1.3%
2023 1.5%1.7%2.1%
2024 2.1%2.3%3.0%
2025 2.8%3.2%4.1%
2026 3.9%4.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Dundee

There were 707 public chargers in Dundee on 1 July 2026, 179 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 472 for every 100,000 residents, 17th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 6.2% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 3.3 privately kept plug-in cars in Dundee (UK 11.9), 14th 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 Dundee by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 666169
Apr 2026 709179
Jul 2026 707179

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Dundee compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Dundee 472119
Scotland 23259
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Road traffic and collisions in Dundee

Vehicles travelled an estimated 539 million miles on roads in Dundee in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Dundee
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 473
1994 477
1995 483
1996 488
1997 490
1998 496
1999 502
2000 505
2001 505
2002 524
2003 524
2004 528
2005 530
2006 540
2007 553
2008 550
2009 539
2010 512
2011 510
2012 511
2013 503
2014 503
2015 502
2016 514
2017 515
2018 523
2019 524
2020 420
2021 479
2022 522
2023 530
2024 540
2025 539

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Dundee, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 11339
2022 13539
2023 13946
2024 12655
2025 13851

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Dundee

Unleaded petrol averages 170.5p a litre across 12 filling stations in Dundee, 1.2p below the UK average. Diesel averages 192.4p, 2.2p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Asda Dundee Kirkton Superstore Dundee 167.7p
  2. Asda Dundee West Superstore Dundee 167.7p
  3. Tesco Dundee Extra Dundee 167.9p

Every filling station and price in Dundee

Roadworks in Dundee

The Scottish Road Works Register lists 363 sets of roadworks in Dundee, of which 72 are under way and 291 are planned. 65 of them close a road, a lane, a slip road or the hard shoulder. Dundee City Council is behind the most, 225 of them (62.0%). From the extract of 16 September 2026.

Works most likely to hold you up

  • Broughty Ferry Road, Dundee

    Road closed Under way, until 31 Dec 2027 Dundee City Council

    Emergency Road Closure

  • Balgillo Road, Broughty Ferry

    Road closed Under way, until 21 Sept 2027 SGN

    Gas mains replacement

  • Brackens Road, Dundee

    Road closed Under way, until 28 Sept 2026 SGN

    Gas mains replacement

  • Donalds Lane, Dundee

    Road closed Under way, until 17 Sept 2026 Scottish Water

    Dig up buried valve

  • Union Street, Dundee

    Road closed Under way, until 18 Dec 2026 Dundee City Council

    Infrastructure improvements including new paved areas and improved streetscape

  • Pleasance Court, Dundee

    Road closed Under way, until 17 Sept 2026 Dundee City Council

    Scaffolding for maintenance here will be four towers erected to install windows at 48-59, 73-78,66-71 and 60-65 Pleasance Court. 3 of the towers will…

  • Balmerino Place, Dundee

    Road closed Under way, until 24 Sept 2026 Dundee City Council

    Carriageway Resurfacing

  • Balunie Avenue, Dundee

    Road closed Under way, until 24 Sept 2026 Dundee City Council

    Carriageway Resurfacing

  • Quarryside, Dundee

    Road closed 20 Sept 2026 to 11 Oct 2026 Scottish Hydro Electric Power Dis

    Overlaying section of LV cable down Quarryside from substation

  • Liff Road, Dundee

    Road closed 20 Sept 2026 to 2 Nov 2026 Scottish Hydro Electric Power Dis

    Cable track along Liff Road footway. Full lane closure with temp traffic lights. Ped walkway or ped crossings will be provided.

Who is digging

  • Dundee City Council 225
  • Scottish Water 35
  • SGN 32
  • BT 26
  • Scottish Hydro Electric Power Dis 22

How traffic is managed

  • No obstruction 143
  • Give and take 80
  • Road closed 60
  • Temporary traffic lights 45
  • Footway only 17

The register publishes one extract a day, so works can start, finish or change after it is taken. Roadworks across Scotland.

Source:SRWR Extract of 2026-09-16 Updated

How Dundee compares

Dundee compared with Scotland, the UK
Dundee 371 3.9% 3.0% 6.7% 472 3.3
Scotland 436 4.2% 3.0% 7.8% 232 8.9
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 Scotland

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

Councils in Scotland
Stirling 468 13.9% 4.1% 32.1% 511 5.6
Renfrewshire 436 11.9% 3.2% 34.9% 243 9.1
East Renfrewshire 473 5.1% 4.5% 4.2% 82 40.4
East Dunbartonshire 481 4.7% 4.1% 4.0% 103 32.8
East Lothian 472 4.5% 4.0% 4.4% 600 5.0
Orkney Islands 490 4.4% 3.8% 5.0% 386 6.9
West Lothian 479 4.4% 3.8% 5.7% 137 22.2
Edinburgh 325 4.2% 3.3% 5.3% 192 8.6
South Lanarkshire 463 4.2% 3.5% 6.2% 182 14.0
Midlothian 461 4.1% 3.7% 5.1% 223 11.6
Perth and Kinross 506 4.0% 3.5% 5.1% 363 7.6
Dundee 371 3.9% 3.0% 6.7% 472 3.3
North Lanarkshire 434 3.6% 3.0% 7.2% 168 12.1
South Ayrshire 482 3.6% 3.0% 5.3% 205 10.5
Aberdeenshire 528 3.5% 3.0% 4.3% 162 17.8
Falkirk 493 3.5% 2.9% 5.4% 163 13.9
Fife 478 3.5% 3.0% 4.9% 132 17.2
Glasgow 307 3.4% 2.2% 9.7% 180 6.2
East Ayrshire 467 3.3% 2.8% 6.0% 229 9.1
North Ayrshire 457 3.2% 2.7% 5.9% 199 9.2
Aberdeen 396 3.1% 2.5% 4.5% 192 9.6
Clackmannanshire 492 3.1% 2.7% 4.9% 205 9.5
Angus 504 3.0% 2.6% 4.7% 221 9.7
Scottish Borders 506 3.0% 2.6% 4.8% 224 9.6
West Dunbartonshire 420 2.8% 2.3% 6.5% 204 7.7
Inverclyde 425 2.7% 2.3% 5.6% 237 6.8
Moray 501 2.6% 2.1% 4.5% 153 11.7
Argyll and Bute 471 2.5% 2.2% 4.7% 396 4.9
Highland 496 2.5% 2.0% 5.0% 387 4.4
Dumfries and Galloway 510 2.2% 1.8% 5.8% 549 2.9
Shetland Islands 471 1.9% 1.4% 9.1% 323 3.9
Na h-Eileanan Siar 500 1.5% 1.2% 4.1% 515 2.4

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 68,674 licensed vehicles in Dundee 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 3,436 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
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Dundee 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.