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London motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
3,025,952 licensed vehicles in London
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 2,641,458 +1.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 263 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 174,918 6.6% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.7% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 31,371 345 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 9.4% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in London?

There were 2,641,458 licensed cars in London at the end of March 2026, and 3,025,952 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 3.3% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 263 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in London

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in London at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 2,969,1942,558,017
2011 2,971,0792,560,113
2012 2,942,6092,544,600
2013 2,935,1002,537,851
2014 2,970,4702,565,116
2015 3,006,4712,598,337
2016 3,066,1392,650,319
2017 3,097,6662,676,155
2018 3,079,3352,665,465
2019 3,073,5692,666,578
2020 3,051,3912,659,067
2021 3,024,8902,633,704
2022 3,005,8672,611,162
2023 2,995,9712,602,650
2024 2,985,4002,601,666
2025 2,997,8642,614,839
2026 3,025,9522,641,458

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, London compared
Year LondonEnglandUnited Kingdom
2011 313457–
2012 307455–
2013 303458–
2014 303463–
2015 303466473
2016 304471480
2017 306478488
2018 303480490
2019 301483493
2020 296477489
2021 300482493
2022 295478489
2023 290477489
2024 287478490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in London

63.3% of cars in London run on petrol and 13.9% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 31.4% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 11.9%, and cars that plug in 10.5%.

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 London, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 80.8%18.4%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2011 78.7%20.3%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2012 76.6%22.3%0.9%0.0%0.0%
2013 74.4%24.2%1.1%0.0%0.0%
2014 72.2%26.2%1.3%0.1%0.0%
2015 69.8%28.1%1.7%0.1%0.0%
2016 67.6%29.8%2.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 65.7%31.1%2.6%0.2%0.2%
2018 64.8%31.4%3.1%0.2%0.3%
2019 64.9%30.3%3.7%0.3%0.5%
2020 65.6%28.4%4.5%0.5%0.8%
2021 66.5%26.1%5.2%0.9%1.1%
2022 67.9%22.2%6.2%1.8%1.5%
2023 67.9%19.6%7.4%2.9%1.9%
2024 68.0%16.0%9.0%4.2%2.5%
2025 65.9%14.9%10.4%5.4%3.1%
2026 63.3%13.9%11.9%6.6%3.9%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in London

174,918 battery electric cars were licensed in London at the end of March 2026, 6.6% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 276,825 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 140,166.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.7% are battery electric (88,457 cars). Companies keep 49.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 9.4% of its cars overall. There are also 7,031 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, London compared, end of March each year
Year LondonEnglandUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.3%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.5%0.4%0.3%
2021 0.9%0.7%0.7%
2022 1.8%1.4%1.3%
2023 2.9%2.3%2.1%
2024 4.2%3.2%3.0%
2025 5.4%4.4%4.1%
2026 6.6%5.8%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in London

There were 31,371 public chargers in London on 1 July 2026, 2,533 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 345 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 23.1% from 1 January 2025.

For every public charger there are 5.5 privately kept plug-in cars in London (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 London by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2025 25,4742,229
Apr 2025 26,5052,228
Jul 2025 27,4062,190
Oct 2025 29,5222,213
Jan 2026 30,7282,329
Apr 2026 30,9092,455
Jul 2026 31,3712,533

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

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

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Petrol and diesel prices in London

Unleaded petrol averages 172.5p a litre across 502 filling stations in London, 0.8p above the UK average. Diesel averages 196.0p, 1.4p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Esso Asda Alperton Express Petrol Wembley 159.9p
  2. Asda Park Royal Superstore London 161.7p
  3. Jet Greenman Service Station London 161.9p

Every filling station and price in London

How London compares

London compared with England, the UK
London 263 6.6% 3.7% 9.4% 345 5.5
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 London

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

Councils in London
Westminster 178 55.1% 7.6% 57.8% 1,378 1.7
City of London 79 32.0% 7.8% 55.7% 443 2.5
Hammersmith and Fulham 199 18.3% 5.0% 22.2% 1,380 1.4
Camden 158 9.5% 7.5% 12.3% 378 5.3
Kensington and Chelsea 238 7.4% 6.6% 8.0% 637 4.7
Brent 231 7.1% 3.8% 12.5% 367 4.8
Barnet 321 6.4% 5.2% 7.0% 288 9.6
Islington 132 5.9% 4.5% 11.6% 386 3.5
Richmond upon Thames 358 5.4% 4.5% 5.5% 642 4.8
Harrow 335 5.2% 4.0% 6.1% 120 20.9
Hillingdon 361 5.2% 3.2% 15.5% 121 19.8
Merton 293 5.0% 4.1% 5.6% 436 5.3
Southwark 161 5.0% 4.2% 8.1% 618 2.0
Wandsworth 214 5.0% 4.2% 5.0% 532 3.4
Kingston upon Thames 353 4.9% 4.2% 3.9% 242 10.8
Tower Hamlets 127 4.9% 3.6% 10.9% 776 1.6
Ealing 272 4.6% 3.5% 7.5% 264 7.2
Hackney 137 4.5% 3.3% 10.4% 638 1.5
Haringey 213 4.5% 3.5% 8.7% 135 10.7
Lambeth 176 4.4% 3.6% 6.5% 244 5.2
Redbridge 301 4.4% 3.5% 7.1% 198 11.5
Barking and Dagenham 262 4.2% 2.9% 8.4% 100 18.6
Bromley 407 4.2% 3.5% 4.3% 67 39.1
Croydon 316 4.1% 3.3% 5.4% 153 12.9
Hounslow 299 4.1% 3.1% 6.7% 233 8.7
Sutton 377 4.0% 3.3% 4.2% 118 19.8
Greenwich 238 3.9% 3.2% 6.3% 101 14.8
Havering 387 3.6% 2.7% 6.0% 95 23.6
Newham 167 3.6% 2.8% 9.3% 159 7.6
Waltham Forest 250 3.5% 2.7% 7.6% 663 2.1
Enfield 333 3.4% 2.7% 6.8% 137 17.3
Lewisham 232 3.4% 2.9% 5.6% 133 11.4
Bexley 381 3.3% 2.8% 6.2% 269 7.5

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 3,025,952 licensed vehicles in London 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 300,377 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 London 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.
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.