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East of England · District council

Harlow motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
55,455 licensed vehicles in Harlow
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 45,736 +1.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 444 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 1,449 3.2% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.5% 90th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 73 74 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.6% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Harlow?

There were 45,736 licensed cars in Harlow at the end of June 2026, and 55,455 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 25.8% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 444 for every 1,000 residents, 105th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Harlow

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Harlow at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 42,45736,357
2011 42,67336,580
2012 43,02036,865
2013 43,71037,510
2014 45,13438,771
2015 47,49539,790
2016 48,72140,763
2017 49,51341,388
2018 49,97641,862
2019 50,91442,638
2020 50,57142,521
2021 51,41843,155
2022 51,73343,237
2023 52,75143,860
2024 54,39644,799
2025 54,88745,270
2026 55,45545,736

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, Harlow compared
Year HarlowEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2011 445503–
2012 442502–
2013 443505–
2014 448524–
2015 453529473
2016 459537480
2017 461544488
2018 462542490
2019 464541493
2020 460536489
2021 462539493
2022 458532489
2023 455529489
2024 456531490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Harlow

61.8% of cars in Harlow run on petrol and 23.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 33.0% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.9%, and cars that plug in 5.2%.

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 Harlow, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 79.6%20.1%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 78.1%21.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 76.2%23.4%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 74.5%25.0%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 72.7%26.8%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 70.8%28.6%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 68.6%30.6%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2017 67.1%31.8%0.8%0.0%0.0%
2018 65.9%32.8%0.9%0.1%0.1%
2019 65.3%32.9%1.4%0.1%0.1%
2020 64.8%33.0%1.7%0.2%0.2%
2021 64.4%32.4%2.3%0.4%0.4%
2022 64.3%31.3%3.0%0.7%0.5%
2023 64.2%29.7%4.0%1.1%0.8%
2024 64.2%27.4%5.7%1.5%1.0%
2025 63.3%25.6%7.2%2.3%1.5%
2026 61.8%23.7%8.9%3.2%2.1%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Harlow

1,449 battery electric cars were licensed in Harlow at the end of June 2026, 3.2% of all cars, 96th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 2,390 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,030.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.5% are battery electric (1,086 cars), 11th lowest of 45 councils in the East of England. Companies keep 25.1% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.6% of its cars overall. There are also 74 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, Harlow compared, end of March each year
Year HarlowEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2016 0.0%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.0%0.2%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.1%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.4%0.4%
2021 0.4%0.8%0.8%
2022 0.7%1.2%1.5%
2023 1.1%1.9%2.3%
2024 1.5%2.9%3.2%
2025 2.3%4.1%4.4%
2026 3.2%5.6%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Harlow

There were 73 public chargers in Harlow on 1 July 2026, 15 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 74 for every 100,000 residents, 47th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 9.0% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 25.7 privately kept plug-in cars in Harlow (UK 12.9), 74th most 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 Harlow by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 6715
Apr 2026 7515
Jul 2026 7315

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Harlow compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Harlow 7415
Essex 9045
East of England 15049
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Harlow has 11 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.8% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.3%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Harlow with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Harlow 001 7,352 313 4.3% 6.8%
Harlow 005 5,298 179 3.4% 5.5%
Harlow 009 3,879 89 2.3% 3.6%
Harlow 011 3,969 88 2.2% 3.7%
Harlow 010 4,054 74 1.8% 3.7%
Harlow 006 4,049 70 1.7% 3.0%
Harlow 008 4,022 70 1.7% 3.0%
Harlow 004 4,426 62 1.4% 3.2%
Harlow 007 3,608 31 0.9% 2.4%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026. 2 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Harlow

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Harlow, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 10322
2022 11929
2023 10126
2024 11524
2025 10330

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Harlow

Unleaded petrol averages 177.5p a litre across 8 filling stations in Harlow, 6.0p above the UK average. Diesel averages 199.9p, 1.2p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Esso MFG Linkway Harlow 175.9p
  2. Tesco Harlow Church Langley Superstore Harlow 176.9p
  3. Tesco Harlow E Rd Superstore Harlow 176.9p

Every filling station and price in Harlow

How Harlow compares

Harlow compared with Essex, the East of England, England, the UK
Harlow 444 3.2% 2.5% 4.6% 74 25.7
Essex 511 3.7% 2.9% 6.0% 90 28.6
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 Harlow

There is no DVSA car practical test centre in Harlow. The nearest centres are elsewhere in Essex.

Centres in Essex:

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 Essex

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

Councils in Essex
Uttlesford 593 4.8% 4.2% 12.0% 164 24.4
Epping Forest 499 4.4% 3.6% 5.3% 126 25.2
Brentwood 501 4.2% 3.2% 4.9% 97 33.0
Chelmsford 504 4.0% 3.3% 4.8% 105 27.0
Basildon 461 3.9% 2.5% 11.9% 62 34.8
Colchester 474 3.6% 2.9% 4.6% 90 24.5
Maldon 605 3.5% 2.9% 3.6% 61 49.5
Rochford 554 3.3% 2.9% 4.0% 76 36.3
Braintree 537 3.2% 2.7% 4.1% 89 27.3
Harlow 444 3.2% 2.5% 4.6% 74 25.7
Tendring 513 2.8% 2.2% 4.8% 84 21.7
Castle Point 534 2.7% 2.2% 3.8% 42 51.7

Data stories to read next

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 55,455 licensed vehicles in Harlow 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 2,548 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
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 26 October 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Harlow 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.
  • Neighbourhood figures cover England and Wales only; Scottish data zones and Northern Irish super data zones cannot be placed in councils without lookups we do not hold.
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.