South East · County

Hampshire motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
1,165,007 licensed vehicles in Hampshire
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 910,148 +1.4% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 547 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 36,462 4.0% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.3% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 1,937 134 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 13.0% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Hampshire?

There were 910,148 licensed cars in Hampshire at the end of March 2026, and 1,165,007 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 17.6% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 547 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Hampshire

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Hampshire at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 917,054774,224
2011 941,605791,556
2012 915,333761,460
2013 927,832771,842
2014 948,777787,938
2015 967,739800,551
2016 1,011,624820,153
2017 1,033,484835,268
2018 1,050,091843,690
2019 1,074,240860,251
2020 1,074,638855,591
2021 1,070,344840,842
2022 1,102,964862,650
2023 1,134,705887,749
2024 1,145,098891,977
2025 1,148,049897,417
2026 1,165,007910,148

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, Hampshire compared
Year HampshireSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 582534
2012 577535
2013 584541
2014 592547
2015 599551473
2016 603559480
2017 613567488
2018 618570490
2019 625572493
2020 604561489
2021 608564493
2022 615565489
2023 627567489
2024 621570490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Hampshire

56.4% of cars in Hampshire run on petrol and 26.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 37.9% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 10.7%, and cars that plug in 6.4%.

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 Hampshire, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 71.4%28.2%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 69.0%30.5%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 69.3%30.2%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2013 67.0%32.5%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 65.3%34.1%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2015 63.4%35.8%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 61.8%37.3%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2017 61.1%37.8%0.8%0.1%0.1%
2018 60.7%37.9%0.9%0.2%0.2%
2019 61.6%36.5%1.3%0.2%0.3%
2020 62.7%35.1%1.4%0.3%0.3%
2021 62.1%34.1%2.3%0.5%0.7%
2022 61.4%33.0%3.1%1.0%1.0%
2023 61.1%31.4%4.1%1.6%1.3%
2024 60.4%29.8%5.5%2.2%1.6%
2025 58.5%28.1%7.8%2.9%2.3%
2026 56.4%26.0%10.7%4.0%2.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Hampshire

36,462 battery electric cars were licensed in Hampshire at the end of March 2026, 4.0% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 58,379 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 25,854.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.3% are battery electric (25,885 cars). Companies keep 29.0% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 13.0% of its cars overall. There are also 3,776 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, Hampshire compared, end of March each year
Year HampshireSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.5%0.3%
2021 0.5%1.0%0.7%
2022 1.0%1.9%1.3%
2023 1.6%3.0%2.1%
2024 2.2%4.2%3.0%
2025 2.9%5.7%4.1%
2026 4.0%8.7%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Hampshire

There were 1,937 public chargers in Hampshire on 1 July 2026, 718 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 134 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 5.3% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 22.4 privately kept plug-in cars in Hampshire (UK 11.9). A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Hampshire by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 1,839622
Apr 2026 1,804627
Jul 2026 1,937718

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Hampshire compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Hampshire 13450
South East 15940
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Road traffic and collisions in Hampshire

Vehicles travelled an estimated 9,780 million miles on roads in Hampshire in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Hampshire
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 7,557
1994 7,714
1995 7,861
1996 8,107
1997 8,307
1998 8,461
1999 8,688
2000 8,696
2001 8,859
2002 9,072
2003 9,059
2004 9,161
2005 9,110
2006 9,204
2007 9,225
2008 9,067
2009 8,902
2010 8,884
2011 8,915
2012 8,890
2013 8,908
2014 9,202
2015 9,464
2016 9,659
2017 9,786
2018 9,733
2019 9,850
2020 7,600
2021 8,497
2022 9,232
2023 9,472
2024 9,611
2025 9,780

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Hampshire, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 2,126516
2022 2,276547
2023 2,227525
2024 2,286588
2025 2,325608

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Hampshire

Unleaded petrol averages 173.8p a litre across 164 filling stations in Hampshire, 2.1p above the UK average. Diesel averages 196.4p, 1.8p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

How Hampshire compares

Hampshire compared with the South East, England, the UK
Hampshire 547 4.0% 3.3% 13.0% 134 22.4
South East 496 8.7% 3.2% 18.1% 159 16.9
England 437 5.8% 2.9% 10.6% 173 12.4
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 Hampshire

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

Councils in Hampshire
Winchester 523 5.0% 4.3% 4.8% 213 17.3
Hart 595 4.9% 3.9% 4.2% 210 23.2
Eastleigh 539 4.2% 3.3% 4.5% 117 23.6
Basingstoke and Deane 524 4.1% 3.6% 3.2% 141 20.9
East Hampshire 594 4.1% 3.6% 3.3% 84 42.9
Rushmoor 480 4.1% 2.3% 63.7% 156 11.4
Test Valley 561 4.1% 3.5% 3.9% 118 26.7
Fareham 564 3.9% 3.4% 3.0% 62 47.8
New Forest 603 3.3% 2.8% 3.3% 177 17.2
Havant 507 3.2% 2.4% 4.8% 72 29.7
Gosport 473 2.4% 2.0% 3.3% 100 14.9

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 1,165,007 licensed vehicles in Hampshire 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 63,392 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 Hampshire 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.