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Kingston upon Thames motoring statistics

How many cars and electric cars are registered in Kingston upon Thames, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Kingston upon Thames compares with London. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.

Last updated
Records analysed
71,888 licensed vehicles in Kingston upon Thames
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 63,588 +0.1% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 354 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 3,328 5.2% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 4.5% 18th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 417 242 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 3.9% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Kingston upon Thames?

There were 63,588 licensed cars in Kingston upon Thames at the end of June 2026, and 71,888 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 0.0% fewer cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 354 for every 1,000 residents, 42nd lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Kingston upon Thames

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Kingston upon Thames at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 73,20163,612
2011 74,17663,711
2012 73,48463,469
2013 74,27564,226
2014 74,83064,730
2015 75,49665,167
2016 75,92165,667
2017 76,33166,266
2018 76,03266,044
2019 75,92366,081
2020 74,41465,150
2021 74,59865,353
2022 73,77464,739
2023 72,59963,877
2024 71,62063,411
2025 71,69163,528
2026 71,88863,588

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, Kingston upon Thames compared
Year Kingston upon ThamesLondonUnited Kingdom
2011 397313–
2012 390307–
2013 391303–
2014 390303–
2015 389303473
2016 389304480
2017 393306488
2018 391303490
2019 389301493
2020 384296489
2021 389300493
2022 383295489
2023 374290489
2024 367287490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Kingston upon Thames

66.6% of cars in Kingston upon Thames run on petrol and 12.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 29.7% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 11.4%, and cars that plug in 9.0%.

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 Kingston upon Thames, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 81.4%18.0%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2011 79.4%19.8%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2012 77.4%21.7%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2013 75.5%23.4%0.9%0.0%0.0%
2014 73.4%25.3%1.2%0.0%0.0%
2015 71.2%27.1%1.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 69.2%28.7%1.7%0.1%0.1%
2017 67.8%29.6%2.1%0.1%0.2%
2018 67.1%29.7%2.6%0.2%0.3%
2019 67.1%28.9%3.0%0.3%0.5%
2020 67.2%28.0%3.5%0.5%0.7%
2021 67.3%26.6%4.1%0.8%1.0%
2022 67.2%24.6%5.1%1.5%1.4%
2023 69.5%19.3%6.5%2.4%1.9%
2024 70.6%15.0%8.2%3.4%2.6%
2025 68.9%13.6%9.8%4.3%3.1%
2026 66.6%12.7%11.4%5.2%3.7%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Kingston upon Thames

3,328 battery electric cars were licensed in Kingston upon Thames at the end of June 2026, 5.2% of all cars, 40th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 5,709 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,727.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 4.5% are battery electric (2,738 cars), 9th highest of 33 councils in London. Companies keep 17.7% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 3.9% of its cars overall. There are also 101 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, Kingston upon Thames compared, end of March each year
Year Kingston upon ThamesLondonUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.2%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.3%0.1%
2019 0.3%0.3%0.2%
2020 0.5%0.5%0.4%
2021 0.8%1.1%0.8%
2022 1.5%2.0%1.5%
2023 2.4%3.2%2.3%
2024 3.4%4.5%3.2%
2025 4.3%5.7%4.4%
2026 5.2%7.0%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Kingston upon Thames

There were 417 public chargers in Kingston upon Thames on 1 July 2026, 73 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 242 for every 100,000 residents, 56th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 4.4% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 11.8 privately kept plug-in cars in Kingston upon Thames (UK 12.9), 100th fewest 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 Kingston upon Thames by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 43667
Apr 2026 42673
Jul 2026 41773

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Kingston upon Thames compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Kingston upon Thames 24242
London 34528
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Kingston upon Thames has 20 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 4.1% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 8.9%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Kingston upon Thames with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Kingston upon Thames 002 3,546 314 8.9% 14.7%
Kingston upon Thames 012 3,454 190 5.5% 9.1%
Kingston upon Thames 003 2,743 148 5.4% 8.8%
Kingston upon Thames 001 3,350 169 5.0% 9.0%
Kingston upon Thames 008 3,370 164 4.9% 8.3%
Kingston upon Thames 010 2,516 119 4.7% 8.7%
Kingston upon Thames 015 4,035 191 4.7% 8.1%
Kingston upon Thames 014 3,688 165 4.5% 7.8%
Kingston upon Thames 016 3,290 141 4.3% 7.3%
Kingston upon Thames 004 3,664 149 4.1% 7.6%
Lowest electric shares
Kingston upon Thames 019 3,307 69 2.1% 4.3%
Kingston upon Thames 020 4,486 124 2.8% 5.1%
Kingston upon Thames 018 4,051 117 2.9% 5.6%
Kingston upon Thames 017 4,044 123 3.0% 6.6%
Kingston upon Thames 011 2,071 65 3.1% 5.6%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026.

Road traffic and collisions in Kingston upon Thames

Vehicles travelled an estimated 616 million miles on roads in Kingston upon Thames in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Kingston upon Thames
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 611
1994 619
1995 613
1996 623
1997 622
1998 630
1999 637
2000 643
2001 636
2002 633
2003 642
2004 642
2005 642
2006 630
2007 644
2008 634
2009 636
2010 668
2011 620
2012 616
2013 611
2014 612
2015 612
2016 629
2017 618
2018 613
2019 627
2020 505
2021 582
2022 589
2023 594
2024 596
2025 616

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Kingston upon Thames, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 31555
2022 32453
2023 27561
2024 28962
2025 25261

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Kingston upon Thames

Unleaded petrol averages 172.5p a litre across 5 filling stations in Kingston upon Thames, 1.0p above the UK average. Diesel averages 200.6p, 1.9p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. BP MFG Rose Cottage New Malden 169.9p
  2. Esso MFG Robin Hood North Raynes Park 171.9p
  3. BP Rushett Sf Connect Chessington 172.9p

Every filling station and price in Kingston upon Thames

How Kingston upon Thames compares

Kingston upon Thames compared with London, England, the UK
Kingston upon Thames 354 5.2% 4.5% 3.9% 242 11.8
London 264 7.0% 3.9% 9.8% 345 5.8
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 Kingston upon Thames

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Kingston upon Thames, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 53.6% at Tolworth (London).

Other centres in London:

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 London

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

Councils in London
Westminster 179 57.9% 7.7% 60.4% 1,378 1.8
City of London 79 24.6% 7.8% 50.4% 443 2.4
Hammersmith and Fulham 199 18.7% 5.2% 22.4% 1,380 1.5
Camden 159 9.7% 7.6% 12.6% 378 5.4
Kensington and Chelsea 239 7.4% 6.7% 8.5% 637 4.7
Brent 232 7.3% 4.0% 12.8% 367 5.1
Barnet 322 6.6% 5.4% 7.2% 288 10.1
Islington 132 6.0% 4.7% 11.6% 386 3.1
Richmond upon Thames 359 5.6% 4.7% 5.6% 642 5.0
Harrow 337 5.5% 4.3% 6.2% 120 22.8
Hillingdon 364 5.4% 3.4% 16.7% 121 20.1
Kingston upon Thames 354 5.2% 4.5% 3.9% 242 11.8
Merton 294 5.2% 4.4% 5.7% 436 5.6
Southwark 162 5.2% 4.3% 8.1% 618 2.1
Wandsworth 214 5.2% 4.4% 5.1% 532 3.6
Tower Hamlets 128 5.0% 3.8% 11.0% 776 1.7
Ealing 274 4.7% 3.6% 7.5% 264 7.6
Redbridge 302 4.7% 3.8% 7.2% 198 11.9
Hackney 138 4.6% 3.4% 10.4% 638 1.6
Haringey 214 4.6% 3.7% 8.9% 135 11.1
Bromley 409 4.5% 3.8% 4.4% 67 42.1
Lambeth 176 4.5% 3.8% 6.6% 244 5.4
Barking and Dagenham 264 4.4% 3.1% 8.6% 100 18.5
Croydon 318 4.3% 3.6% 5.5% 153 13.9
Hounslow 301 4.2% 3.2% 6.8% 233 8.9
Sutton 378 4.2% 3.6% 4.2% 118 20.5
Greenwich 239 4.1% 3.5% 6.3% 101 15.5
Havering 388 3.8% 2.9% 6.1% 95 24.0
Newham 168 3.8% 3.0% 9.3% 159 8.5
Enfield 334 3.6% 2.8% 6.9% 137 14.0
Lewisham 233 3.6% 3.1% 5.6% 133 10.5
Waltham Forest 251 3.6% 2.8% 7.6% 663 2.2
Bexley 382 3.5% 3.0% 6.3% 269 7.9

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 71,888 licensed vehicles in Kingston upon Thames 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 5,953 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 Kingston upon Thames 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.