East of England · County
Essex motoring statistics
How many cars and electric cars are registered in Essex, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Essex compares with the East of England. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.
- Licensed cars 843,913 +0.8% on a year earlier
- Private cars per 1,000 people 507 UK 441
- Battery electric cars 28,559 3.4% of cars (UK 5.4%)
- Electric share of private cars 2.7% UK 2.8%
- Public chargers 1,404 90 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
- Company-registered cars 6.0% UK 9.9%
How many cars are there in Essex?
There were 843,913 licensed cars in Essex at the end of March 2026, and 1,028,822 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 18.5% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 507 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).
Licensed vehicles in Essex
Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.
| Year | All vehicles | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 853,876 | 712,012 |
| 2011 | 862,829 | 720,137 |
| 2012 | 869,089 | 725,549 |
| 2013 | 877,085 | 733,856 |
| 2014 | 893,454 | 746,751 |
| 2015 | 910,220 | 760,413 |
| 2016 | 934,619 | 778,250 |
| 2017 | 948,648 | 788,931 |
| 2018 | 952,634 | 791,783 |
| 2019 | 965,958 | 801,477 |
| 2020 | 974,495 | 810,475 |
| 2021 | 973,785 | 804,472 |
| 2022 | 986,326 | 810,053 |
| 2023 | 995,279 | 816,975 |
| 2024 | 1,008,115 | 828,212 |
| 2025 | 1,018,386 | 836,891 |
| 2026 | 1,028,822 | 843,913 |
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 | Essex | East of England | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 517 | 503 | – |
| 2012 | 518 | 502 | – |
| 2013 | 522 | 505 | – |
| 2014 | 526 | 524 | – |
| 2015 | 529 | 529 | 473 |
| 2016 | 534 | 537 | 480 |
| 2017 | 538 | 544 | 488 |
| 2018 | 539 | 542 | 490 |
| 2019 | 542 | 541 | 493 |
| 2020 | 535 | 536 | 489 |
| 2021 | 539 | 539 | 493 |
| 2022 | 536 | 532 | 489 |
| 2023 | 533 | 529 | 489 |
| 2024 | 534 | 531 | 490 |
Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated
Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Essex
59.3% of cars in Essex run on petrol and 26.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 34.8% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.4%, and cars that plug in 5.8%.
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 | 75.5% | 24.2% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 74.0% | 25.6% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 72.2% | 27.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 70.5% | 29.0% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 69.0% | 30.5% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 67.2% | 32.1% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 65.9% | 33.3% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 64.7% | 34.4% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 64.1% | 34.8% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 63.9% | 34.7% | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 63.7% | 34.5% | 1.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2021 | 63.4% | 34.0% | 1.6% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| 2022 | 62.7% | 33.1% | 2.4% | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| 2023 | 62.5% | 31.6% | 3.3% | 1.3% | 1.0% |
| 2024 | 61.8% | 29.7% | 5.0% | 1.8% | 1.4% |
| 2025 | 60.7% | 27.8% | 6.8% | 2.5% | 1.9% |
| 2026 | 59.3% | 26.0% | 8.4% | 3.4% | 2.5% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Electric cars in Essex
28,559 battery electric cars were licensed in Essex at the end of March 2026, 3.4% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 49,354 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 20,911.
Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.7% are battery electric (21,024 cars). Companies keep 26.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 6.0% of its cars overall. There are also 1,135 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 | Essex | East of England | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.7% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | 1.1% | 1.3% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | 1.7% | 2.1% |
| 2024 | 1.8% | 2.6% | 3.0% |
| 2025 | 2.5% | 3.8% | 4.1% |
| 2026 | 3.4% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Public EV chargers in Essex
There were 1,404 public chargers in Essex on 1 July 2026, 702 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 90 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 9.6% from 1 January 2026.
For every public charger there are 26.8 privately kept plug-in cars in Essex (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 2026 | 1,281 | 655 |
| Apr 2026 | 1,364 | 678 |
| Jul 2026 | 1,404 | 702 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Chargers per 100,000 residents
| Area | All chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Essex | 90 | 45 |
| East of England | 150 | 49 |
| England | 173 | 41 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Road traffic and collisions in Essex
Vehicles travelled an estimated 9,975 million miles on roads in Essex in 2025.
Traffic on all roads
| Year | Million vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 7,012 |
| 1994 | 7,189 |
| 1995 | 7,333 |
| 1996 | 7,533 |
| 1997 | 7,694 |
| 1998 | 7,797 |
| 1999 | 7,968 |
| 2000 | 7,924 |
| 2001 | 8,050 |
| 2002 | 8,124 |
| 2003 | 8,171 |
| 2004 | 8,407 |
| 2005 | 8,380 |
| 2006 | 8,520 |
| 2007 | 8,827 |
| 2008 | 8,736 |
| 2009 | 8,756 |
| 2010 | 8,456 |
| 2011 | 8,549 |
| 2012 | 8,587 |
| 2013 | 8,594 |
| 2014 | 8,926 |
| 2015 | 9,103 |
| 2016 | 9,242 |
| 2017 | 9,642 |
| 2018 | 9,540 |
| 2019 | 9,564 |
| 2020 | 7,676 |
| 2021 | 8,513 |
| 2022 | 9,410 |
| 2023 | 9,686 |
| 2024 | 9,708 |
| 2025 | 9,975 |
Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated
Reported injury collisions
| Year | Collisions | Killed or seriously injured |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,260 | 607 |
| 2022 | 2,377 | 677 |
| 2023 | 2,299 | 633 |
| 2024 | 2,313 | 613 |
| 2025 | 2,344 | 713 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
Petrol and diesel prices in Essex
Unleaded petrol averages 173.2p a litre across 164 filling stations in Essex, 1.5p above the UK average. Diesel averages 195.7p, 1.1p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.
Cheapest petrol
- Gulf Mayland Naservice Stations Chelmsford 162.9p
- EG Basildon Basildon 164.7p
- Tesco Basildon Langdon Hills Superstore Basildon 164.9p
How Essex compares
| Essex | 507 | 3.4% | 90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| East of England | 497 | 5.2% | 150 |
| England | 437 | 5.8% | 173 |
| 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.
Councils in Essex
Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.
| Uttlesford | 588 | 4.4% | 164 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epping Forest | 497 | 4.1% | 126 |
| Brentwood | 499 | 3.8% | 97 |
| Basildon | 459 | 3.7% | 62 |
| Chelmsford | 502 | 3.7% | 105 |
| Colchester | 471 | 3.3% | 90 |
| Maldon | 598 | 3.2% | 61 |
| Braintree | 533 | 3.0% | 89 |
| Harlow | 442 | 3.0% | 74 |
| Rochford | 549 | 3.0% | 76 |
| Tendring | 509 | 2.6% | 84 |
| Castle Point | 531 | 2.5% | 42 |
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 1,028,822 licensed vehicles in Essex | 15 September 2026 |
| Plug-in and electric vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 52,297 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 Essex 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.