East Midlands · County

Lincolnshire motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
550,347 licensed vehicles in Lincolnshire
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 429,077 +1.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 517 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 14,030 3.3% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.6% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 915 116 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.0% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Lincolnshire?

There were 429,077 licensed cars in Lincolnshire at the end of March 2026, and 550,347 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 20.1% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 517 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Lincolnshire

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Lincolnshire at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 449,516357,193
2011 453,252360,399
2012 456,864362,674
2013 461,558366,178
2014 471,009372,800
2015 487,207387,510
2016 486,009385,565
2017 495,982393,371
2018 500,879397,201
2019 509,913403,175
2020 513,847407,518
2021 515,889406,460
2022 524,337410,506
2023 528,653413,746
2024 535,714418,798
2025 543,956424,733
2026 550,347429,077

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, Lincolnshire compared
Year LincolnshireEast MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2011 507482
2012 507480
2013 511485
2014 515490
2015 516493473
2016 520496480
2017 526503488
2018 528504490
2019 533509493
2020 528501489
2021 534508493
2022 532505489
2023 532505489
2024 535506490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Lincolnshire

50.0% of cars in Lincolnshire run on petrol and 37.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 44.2% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.8%, and cars that plug in 5.1%.

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 Lincolnshire, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 69.0%30.7%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 67.0%32.6%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 65.2%34.4%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 63.3%36.2%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 61.2%38.2%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 59.4%40.0%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 57.7%41.6%0.4%0.0%0.1%
2017 56.3%42.9%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2018 55.1%43.8%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2019 54.7%44.0%0.8%0.1%0.2%
2020 54.3%44.2%1.0%0.2%0.2%
2021 53.7%44.1%1.4%0.3%0.3%
2022 52.9%43.6%2.1%0.6%0.5%
2023 52.5%42.6%2.9%1.0%0.7%
2024 51.9%41.4%4.0%1.5%0.9%
2025 51.1%39.7%5.3%2.2%1.3%
2026 50.0%37.7%6.8%3.3%1.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Lincolnshire

14,030 battery electric cars were licensed in Lincolnshire at the end of March 2026, 3.3% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 21,792 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 9,380.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.6% are battery electric (10,653 cars). Companies keep 24.1% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.0% of its cars overall. There are also 422 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, Lincolnshire compared, end of March each year
Year LincolnshireEast 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 0.2%0.2%0.3%
2021 0.3%0.4%0.7%
2022 0.6%0.8%1.3%
2023 1.0%1.3%2.1%
2024 1.5%1.9%3.0%
2025 2.2%2.7%4.1%
2026 3.3%3.9%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Lincolnshire

There were 915 public chargers in Lincolnshire on 1 July 2026, 332 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 116 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 2.9% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 18.3 privately kept plug-in cars in Lincolnshire (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 Lincolnshire by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 889333
Apr 2026 940347
Jul 2026 915332

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Lincolnshire compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Lincolnshire 11642
East Midlands 12247
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Road traffic and collisions in Lincolnshire

Vehicles travelled an estimated 4,474 million miles on roads in Lincolnshire in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Lincolnshire
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 2,788
1994 2,876
1995 2,936
1996 3,013
1997 3,070
1998 3,119
1999 3,205
2000 3,237
2001 3,284
2002 3,415
2003 3,475
2004 3,511
2005 3,585
2006 3,666
2007 3,747
2008 3,702
2009 3,671
2010 3,678
2011 3,688
2012 3,704
2013 3,732
2014 3,829
2015 3,930
2016 4,071
2017 4,202
2018 4,280
2019 4,324
2020 3,404
2021 3,868
2022 4,222
2023 4,272
2024 4,387
2025 4,474

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Lincolnshire, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 1,530493
2022 1,605471
2023 1,724486
2024 1,726478
2025 1,709493

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Lincolnshire

Unleaded petrol averages 171.9p a litre across 111 filling stations in Lincolnshire, 0.2p above the UK average. Diesel averages 194.6p, the same as the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

How Lincolnshire compares

Lincolnshire compared with the East Midlands, England, the UK
Lincolnshire 517 3.3% 2.6% 5.0% 116 18.3
East Midlands 479 3.9% 2.9% 5.9% 122 18.1
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 Lincolnshire

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

Councils in Lincolnshire
North Kesteven 548 3.9% 3.2% 4.6% 100 35.0
West Lindsey 547 3.7% 3.2% 4.3% 70 38.3
South Kesteven 541 3.6% 3.0% 4.4% 112 18.6
South Holland 561 3.0% 2.4% 4.2% 79 28.7
Lincoln 362 2.9% 2.0% 6.8% 176 6.1
East Lindsey 527 2.7% 2.1% 5.6% 143 13.4
Boston 502 2.5% 1.9% 5.5% 124 12.8

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 550,347 licensed vehicles in Lincolnshire 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 22,495 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 Lincolnshire 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.