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Leicester motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
152,772 licensed vehicles in Leicester
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 135,245 −16.4% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 328 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 3,505 2.6% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 1.7% 16th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 342 88 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.9% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Leicester?

There were 135,245 licensed cars in Leicester at the end of June 2026, and 152,772 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 8.9% fewer cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 328 for every 1,000 residents, 35th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Leicester

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Leicester at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 172,223148,495
2011 170,925147,403
2012 167,734144,708
2013 172,056148,342
2014 177,942153,899
2015 187,319163,249
2016 182,948160,696
2017 193,472170,784
2018 186,851165,295
2019 191,414169,096
2020 175,095152,249
2021 180,198153,907
2022 182,364155,516
2023 187,136161,129
2024 191,880164,984
2025 189,274161,814
2026 152,772135,245

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, Leicester compared
Year LeicesterEast MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2011 447482–
2012 433480–
2013 438485–
2014 449490–
2015 467493473
2016 450496480
2017 472503488
2018 450504490
2019 457509493
2020 413501489
2021 419508493
2022 417505489
2023 421505489
2024 425506490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Leicester

50.8% of cars in Leicester run on petrol and 34.2% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 38.9% in 2014. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 10.1%, and cars that plug in 4.5%.

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 Leicester, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 72.5%27.2%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 70.8%28.8%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 65.3%33.9%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2013 64.0%35.5%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 60.4%38.9%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 60.4%38.9%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 60.7%38.2%0.8%0.0%0.1%
2017 61.1%37.3%1.2%0.1%0.1%
2018 60.7%36.5%2.5%0.1%0.1%
2019 59.2%36.8%3.6%0.1%0.2%
2020 59.2%36.1%4.1%0.1%0.2%
2021 57.8%35.9%5.2%0.3%0.7%
2022 57.9%36.0%4.5%0.5%0.9%
2023 57.8%33.9%5.8%1.3%1.0%
2024 55.0%31.0%8.4%1.8%3.3%
2025 49.8%30.3%13.5%3.1%3.0%
2026 50.8%34.2%10.1%2.6%1.9%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Leicester

3,505 battery electric cars were licensed in Leicester at the end of June 2026, 2.6% of all cars, 28th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 6,142 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 4,959, 1,454 more. DfT notes that big changes like this often happen when a leasing or rental company changes its registered address.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 1.7% are battery electric (2,158 cars), the lowest of 35 councils in the East Midlands. Companies keep 38.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.9% of its cars overall. There are also 160 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, Leicester compared, end of March each year
Year LeicesterEast MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2016 0.0%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.1%0.1%0.2%
2020 0.1%0.2%0.4%
2021 0.3%0.5%0.8%
2022 0.5%0.9%1.5%
2023 1.3%1.4%2.3%
2024 1.8%2.0%3.2%
2025 3.1%3.0%4.4%
2026 2.6%4.3%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Leicester

There were 342 public chargers in Leicester on 1 July 2026, 101 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 88 for every 100,000 residents, 69th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 1.2% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 12.4 privately kept plug-in cars in Leicester (UK 12.9), 108th 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 Leicester by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 338110
Apr 2026 356112
Jul 2026 342101

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Leicester compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Leicester 8826
East Midlands 12247
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Leicester has 38 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.2% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.0%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Leicester with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Leicester 032 3,828 154 4.0% 6.7%
Leicester 043 3,976 122 3.1% 5.5%
Leicester 042 2,972 85 2.9% 4.7%
Leicester 002 4,331 112 2.6% 4.4%
Leicester 034 4,290 112 2.6% 4.2%
Leicester 020 3,836 93 2.4% 4.0%
Leicester 025 4,398 105 2.4% 4.8%
Leicester 001 3,402 78 2.3% 4.5%
Leicester 004 4,585 96 2.1% 3.9%
Leicester 013 4,138 84 2.0% 3.7%
Lowest electric shares
Leicester 018 3,107 0 0.0% 0.9%
Leicester 017 3,837 0 0.0% 1.4%
Leicester 016 2,756 0 0.0% 1.3%
Leicester 022 3,046 6 0.2% 1.8%
Leicester 007 2,768 10 0.4% 2.2%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026. 7 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Leicester

Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,036 million miles on roads in Leicester in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Leicester
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 784
1994 797
1995 809
1996 818
1997 809
1998 817
1999 832
2000 854
2001 859
2002 874
2003 887
2004 894
2005 879
2006 898
2007 907
2008 902
2009 897
2010 878
2011 888
2012 889
2013 886
2014 912
2015 915
2016 928
2017 940
2018 932
2019 958
2020 824
2021 876
2022 992
2023 1,012
2024 1,023
2025 1,036

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Leicester, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 422106
2022 413107
2023 495122
2024 448107
2025 463125

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Leicester

Unleaded petrol averages 172.8p a litre across 16 filling stations in Leicester, 1.3p above the UK average. Diesel averages 198.6p, 0.1p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Asda Leicester Abbey Lane Superstore Leicester 169.7p
  2. Shell EG Fosseway Leicester 169.9p
  3. MFG Morrisons Leicester Aylestone 169.9p

Every filling station and price in Leicester

How Leicester compares

Leicester compared with the East Midlands, England, the UK
Leicester 328 2.6% 1.7% 5.9% 88 12.4
East Midlands 483 4.3% 3.3% 6.0% 122 20.8
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 Leicester

There are 2 DVSA car practical test centres in Leicester, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 51.2% at Leicester (Wigston).

Other centres in the East Midlands:

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 the East Midlands

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

Councils in the East Midlands
Ashfield 473 7.4% 3.2% 15.3% 103 21.4
Rushcliffe 511 6.2% 5.5% 3.6% 142 29.7
North Northamptonshire 521 5.3% 3.4% 7.7% 126 22.2
Harborough 560 5.2% 4.3% 19.3% 126 30.7
Chesterfield 480 5.0% 3.1% 12.0% 258 8.6
North West Leicestershire 547 4.9% 4.1% 4.3% 148 23.1
Newark and Sherwood 524 4.8% 4.1% 4.7% 120 26.8
South Derbyshire 542 4.8% 4.4% 3.5% 114 31.4
Blaby 523 4.7% 3.5% 5.6% 192 14.9
Gedling 480 4.4% 3.7% 5.0% 99 27.7
North Kesteven 552 4.4% 3.6% 4.6% 100 30.6
Bassetlaw 518 4.3% 3.6% 4.4% 146 19.3
Hinckley and Bosworth 553 4.3% 3.6% 3.7% 85 35.8
Amber Valley 533 4.2% 3.5% 4.9% 75 38.0
Bolsover 510 4.2% 3.4% 5.7% 156 16.1
Charnwood 478 4.2% 3.5% 4.6% 79 32.7
Melton 578 4.2% 3.6% 3.5% 63 53.1
Rutland 547 4.2% 3.7% 4.0% 188 18.6
West Northamptonshire 516 4.2% 3.5% 4.5% 144 19.8
Broxtowe 469 4.1% 3.5% 3.8% 141 17.9
North East Derbyshire 538 4.1% 3.5% 4.1% 38 76.8
West Lindsey 552 4.1% 3.6% 4.3% 70 43.7
Derbyshire Dales 587 4.0% 3.5% 3.6% 180 18.5
South Kesteven 545 4.0% 3.4% 4.4% 112 26.4
Mansfield 474 3.8% 2.9% 5.5% 85 25.1
Oadby and Wigston 464 3.8% 3.1% 9.0% 131 18.3
High Peak 514 3.7% 3.3% 3.8% 108 24.0
Erewash 491 3.6% 3.0% 4.9% 66 34.8
Derby 410 3.5% 2.8% 5.5% 120 15.2
Nottingham 299 3.4% 2.4% 7.5% 154 7.6
South Holland 567 3.3% 2.7% 4.2% 79 32.6
Lincoln 363 3.1% 2.3% 6.9% 176 7.4
East Lindsey 533 3.0% 2.4% 5.5% 143 15.0
Boston 508 2.8% 2.1% 5.4% 124 13.9
Leicester 328 2.6% 1.7% 5.9% 88 12.4

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 152,772 licensed vehicles in Leicester 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 6,389 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 Leicester 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.