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East of England motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
4,424,591 licensed vehicles in East of England
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 3,605,384 +1.7% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 501 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 203,049 5.6% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.2% UK 3.1%
  • Public chargers 9,880 150 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 8.7% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in the East of England?

There were 3,605,384 licensed cars in the East of England at the end of June 2026, and 4,424,591 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 23.4% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 501 for every 1,000 residents (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in the East of England

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in the East of England at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 3,535,0992,920,676
2011 3,565,8002,948,710
2012 3,584,6672,971,164
2013 3,637,4493,015,859
2014 3,812,1683,163,283
2015 3,885,5353,225,743
2016 3,989,9703,307,790
2017 4,074,2183,371,873
2018 4,089,8333,379,477
2019 4,121,9583,396,097
2020 4,091,9363,378,048
2021 4,180,4563,422,827
2022 4,176,0953,404,371
2023 4,222,2413,431,718
2024 4,289,9783,489,323
2025 4,352,2643,545,375
2026 4,424,5913,605,384

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 East of England compared
Year East of EnglandEnglandUnited Kingdom
2011 503457–
2012 502455–
2013 505458–
2014 524463–
2015 529466473
2016 537471480
2017 544478488
2018 542480490
2019 541483493
2020 536477489
2021 539482493
2022 532478489
2023 529477489
2024 531478490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in the East of England

55.1% of cars in the East of England run on petrol and 27.4% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 37.7% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.3%, and cars that plug in 8.8%.

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 East of England, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 74.0%25.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 72.2%27.3%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 70.4%29.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 68.7%30.8%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 65.3%34.0%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2015 63.5%35.7%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2016 61.8%37.0%0.7%0.1%0.2%
2017 60.9%37.7%0.8%0.2%0.3%
2018 60.6%37.6%1.0%0.2%0.5%
2019 60.8%37.1%1.3%0.2%0.5%
2020 60.7%36.6%1.5%0.4%0.7%
2021 60.3%35.6%2.1%0.8%1.0%
2022 59.7%34.7%2.9%1.2%1.2%
2023 59.2%33.2%3.8%1.9%1.5%
2024 58.2%31.4%5.2%2.9%1.9%
2025 56.8%29.4%6.7%4.1%2.5%
2026 55.1%27.4%8.3%5.6%3.2%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in the East of England

203,049 battery electric cars were licensed in the East of England at the end of June 2026, 5.6% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 317,268 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 147,060.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.2% are battery electric (104,520 cars). Companies keep 48.5% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 8.7% of its cars overall. There are also 7,459 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 East of England compared, end of March each year
Year East of EnglandEnglandUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.4%0.4%0.4%
2021 0.8%0.9%0.8%
2022 1.2%1.6%1.5%
2023 1.9%2.5%2.3%
2024 2.9%3.5%3.2%
2025 4.1%4.7%4.4%
2026 5.6%6.2%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in the East of England

There were 9,880 public chargers in the East of England on 1 July 2026, 3,210 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 150 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 19.8% from 1 January 2025.

For every public charger there are 17.3 privately kept plug-in cars in the East of England (UK 12.9). A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in the East of England by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2025 8,2492,357
Apr 2025 8,5522,440
Jul 2025 8,8982,631
Oct 2025 9,1032,719
Jan 2026 9,2692,892
Apr 2026 9,8873,040
Jul 2026 9,8803,210

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

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

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Petrol and diesel prices in East of England

Unleaded petrol averages 172.0p a litre across 552 filling stations in East of England, 0.5p above the UK average. Diesel averages 198.8p, 0.1p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. BP Karan Meredith Service Station Ipswich 160.9p
  2. Murco Station Garage Thurston Bury St Edmunds 161.9p
  3. Murco Woolpit Service Station Bury St. Edmunds 161.9p

Every filling station and price in East of England

How the East of England compares

East of England compared with England, the UK
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 the East of England

There are 12 DVSA car practical test centres in the East of England, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 62.3% at Ipswich.

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 East of England

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

Councils in the East of England
Peterborough 430 29.7% 2.7% 60.3% 129 14.9
South Cambridgeshire 547 5.9% 5.4% 3.5% 205 21.3
St Albans 503 5.8% 5.0% 3.7% 111 36.8
Hertsmere 469 5.7% 4.4% 6.5% 229 15.2
Three Rivers 513 5.1% 4.2% 4.2% 161 23.4
Cambridge 270 5.0% 4.4% 3.8% 313 5.8
Huntingdonshire 549 5.0% 3.8% 8.3% 175 18.6
Uttlesford 593 4.8% 4.2% 12.0% 164 24.4
Central Bedfordshire 542 4.7% 4.1% 4.5% 168 20.0
North Hertfordshire 515 4.7% 4.0% 4.3% 117 27.7
Bedford 486 4.5% 3.6% 6.4% 149 18.0
East Hertfordshire 529 4.4% 3.7% 3.8% 135 24.6
Epping Forest 499 4.4% 3.6% 5.3% 126 25.2
Welwyn Hatfield 458 4.4% 3.6% 5.5% 350 7.8
East Cambridgeshire 567 4.3% 3.9% 3.7% 90 36.5
Brentwood 501 4.2% 3.2% 4.9% 97 33.0
Dacorum 508 4.2% 3.5% 4.1% 159 19.0
Chelmsford 504 4.0% 3.3% 4.8% 105 27.0
South Norfolk 574 4.0% 3.5% 4.1% 131 22.3
Watford 398 4.0% 3.0% 5.4% 563 4.0
Basildon 461 3.9% 2.5% 11.9% 62 34.8
Mid Suffolk 612 3.9% 3.2% 4.6% 135 21.9
Broadland 576 3.8% 3.2% 3.9% 116 23.8
Colchester 474 3.6% 2.9% 4.6% 90 24.5
Maldon 605 3.5% 2.9% 3.6% 61 49.5
Breckland 558 3.4% 2.7% 4.3% 114 20.2
Broxbourne 486 3.4% 2.8% 4.7% 153 15.8
East Suffolk 551 3.4% 2.7% 4.3% 143 16.6
Babergh 590 3.3% 2.9% 3.2% 164 16.8
Rochford 554 3.3% 2.9% 4.0% 76 36.3
Thurrock 458 3.3% 2.6% 5.2% 115 20.6
Braintree 537 3.2% 2.7% 4.1% 89 27.3
Harlow 444 3.2% 2.5% 4.6% 74 25.7
King's Lynn and West Norfolk 540 3.2% 2.6% 4.1% 172 13.1
Stevenage 450 3.1% 2.6% 4.3% 194 9.8
West Suffolk 547 3.1% 2.7% 4.6% 236 9.5
Norwich 351 3.0% 1.9% 5.7% 196 5.2
Fenland 539 2.9% 2.4% 4.3% 53 38.6
Luton 378 2.9% 2.3% 5.2% 65 26.8
North Norfolk 575 2.8% 2.4% 3.5% 225 9.7
Tendring 513 2.8% 2.2% 4.8% 84 21.7
Castle Point 534 2.7% 2.2% 3.8% 42 51.7
Ipswich 446 2.7% 1.9% 4.9% 294 4.8
Southend-on-Sea 430 2.7% 2.2% 3.9% 51 31.6
Great Yarmouth 472 2.4% 1.9% 4.7% 211 6.7

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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 4,424,591 licensed vehicles in East of England 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 331,071 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 East of England 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.