Nation
England motoring statistics
How many cars and electric cars are registered in England, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how England compares with the rest of the UK. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.
- Licensed cars 28,636,293 +1.5% on a year earlier
- Private cars per 1,000 people 437 UK 441
- Battery electric cars 1,646,631 5.8% of cars (UK 5.4%)
- Electric share of private cars 2.9% UK 2.8%
- Public chargers 101,258 173 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
- Company-registered cars 10.6% UK 9.9%
How many cars are there in England?
There were 28,636,293 licensed cars in England at the end of March 2026, and 35,041,326 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.1% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 437 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).
Licensed vehicles in England
Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.
| Year | All vehicles | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 28,882,761 | 24,043,134 |
| 2011 | 29,055,650 | 24,186,905 |
| 2012 | 29,141,074 | 24,239,820 |
| 2013 | 29,344,340 | 24,422,119 |
| 2014 | 29,913,547 | 24,873,749 |
| 2015 | 30,481,226 | 25,327,208 |
| 2016 | 31,278,766 | 25,938,412 |
| 2017 | 31,964,448 | 26,457,465 |
| 2018 | 32,251,470 | 26,664,489 |
| 2019 | 32,710,885 | 26,981,635 |
| 2020 | 32,950,967 | 27,232,807 |
| 2021 | 32,877,355 | 26,980,745 |
| 2022 | 33,344,467 | 27,216,047 |
| 2023 | 33,683,114 | 27,471,538 |
| 2024 | 34,142,514 | 27,857,672 |
| 2025 | 34,542,181 | 28,208,512 |
| 2026 | 35,041,326 | 28,636,293 |
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.
| Year | England | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 457 | – |
| 2012 | 455 | – |
| 2013 | 458 | – |
| 2014 | 463 | – |
| 2015 | 466 | 473 |
| 2016 | 471 | 480 |
| 2017 | 478 | 488 |
| 2018 | 480 | 490 |
| 2019 | 483 | 493 |
| 2020 | 477 | 489 |
| 2021 | 482 | 493 |
| 2022 | 478 | 489 |
| 2023 | 477 | 489 |
| 2024 | 478 | 490 |
Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated
Petrol, diesel and electric cars in England
54.6% of cars in England run on petrol and 27.6% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 39.1% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.7%, and cars that plug in 8.7%.
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.
| Year | Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid | Battery electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 72.3% | 27.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 70.4% | 29.1% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 68.4% | 31.0% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 66.5% | 32.8% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 64.6% | 34.6% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 62.8% | 36.3% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2016 | 61.1% | 37.8% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 59.8% | 38.8% | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2018 | 59.1% | 39.1% | 1.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2019 | 59.3% | 38.5% | 1.4% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| 2020 | 59.5% | 37.7% | 1.8% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| 2021 | 59.3% | 36.7% | 2.3% | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| 2022 | 58.9% | 35.2% | 3.0% | 1.4% | 1.1% |
| 2023 | 58.4% | 33.5% | 4.0% | 2.3% | 1.4% |
| 2024 | 57.7% | 31.5% | 5.3% | 3.2% | 1.8% |
| 2025 | 56.3% | 29.6% | 7.0% | 4.4% | 2.3% |
| 2026 | 54.6% | 27.6% | 8.7% | 5.8% | 2.9% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Electric cars in England
1,646,631 battery electric cars were licensed in England at the end of March 2026, 5.8% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 2,485,934 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,242,266.
Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.9% are battery electric (743,877 cars). Companies keep 54.8% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 10.6% of its cars overall. There are also 107,931 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 | England | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | 1.3% |
| 2023 | 2.3% | 2.1% |
| 2024 | 3.2% | 3.0% |
| 2025 | 4.4% | 4.1% |
| 2026 | 5.8% | 5.4% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Public EV chargers in England
There were 101,258 public chargers in England on 1 July 2026, 23,874 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 173 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 17.6% from 1 January 2025.
For every public charger there are 12.4 privately kept plug-in cars in England (UK 11.9). 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 2025 | 86,085 | 19,031 |
| Apr 2025 | 88,174 | 19,528 |
| Jul 2025 | 91,772 | 20,164 |
| Oct 2025 | 95,496 | 20,888 |
| Jan 2026 | 97,235 | 21,797 |
| Apr 2026 | 99,551 | 22,585 |
| Jul 2026 | 101,258 | 23,874 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Chargers per 100,000 residents
| Area | All chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| England | 173 | 41 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Petrol and diesel prices in England
Unleaded petrol averages 172.0p a litre across 6,022 filling stations in England, 0.3p above the UK average. Diesel averages 194.9p, 0.3p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.
Cheapest petrol
- Asda Sheffield Supercentre Sheffield 157.9p
- Costco Wholesale Liverpool Liverpool 158.9p
- Costco Wholesale Manchester Manchester 158.9p
How England compares
| England | 437 | 5.8% | 173 |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 441 | 5.4% | 175 |
| United Kingdom | 441 | 5.4% | 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 March 2026.
Regions of England
Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.
| South East | 496 | 8.7% | 159 |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 263 | 6.6% | 345 |
| North West | 427 | 6.2% | 112 |
| East of England | 497 | 5.2% | 150 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 437 | 5.0% | 111 |
| South West | 506 | 4.9% | 157 |
| East Midlands | 479 | 3.9% | 122 |
| West Midlands | 455 | 3.4% | 164 |
| North East | 422 | 3.3% | 150 |
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 35,041,326 licensed vehicles in England | 15 September 2026 |
| Plug-in and electric vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 2,641,034 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 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.
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.