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New Forest motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
139,184 licensed vehicles in New Forest
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 109,723 +0.5% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 603 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 3,634 3.3% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.8% 171st highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 311 177 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 3.3% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in the New Forest?

There were 109,723 licensed cars in the New Forest at the end of March 2026, and 139,184 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 7.9% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 603 for every 1,000 residents, 2nd highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in the New Forest

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in the New Forest at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 123,572101,657
2011 124,303102,213
2012 125,245102,679
2013 125,722103,172
2014 127,706104,598
2015 128,929105,572
2016 130,848107,048
2017 132,873108,341
2018 133,471108,609
2019 135,038109,372
2020 135,278109,715
2021 134,789108,386
2022 136,622109,109
2023 137,475109,138
2024 138,075109,259
2025 138,297109,210
2026 139,184109,723

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, the New Forest compared
Year New ForestSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 581534–
2012 583535–
2013 587541–
2014 595547–
2015 597551473
2016 605559480
2017 613567488
2018 615570490
2019 620572493
2020 616561489
2021 622564493
2022 623565489
2023 624567489
2024 624570490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in the New Forest

58.4% of cars in the New Forest run on petrol and 29.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 35.4% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.6%, and cars that plug in 5.2%.

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 the New Forest, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 73.9%25.8%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 72.2%27.3%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 70.5%29.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 68.9%30.6%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 67.1%32.3%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 65.5%33.8%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 64.3%34.9%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2017 63.6%35.4%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2018 63.4%35.4%0.8%0.1%0.2%
2019 63.6%34.9%0.9%0.2%0.2%
2020 63.4%34.7%1.1%0.3%0.3%
2021 62.9%34.5%1.5%0.5%0.5%
2022 62.1%33.9%2.2%0.9%0.7%
2023 61.3%33.3%3.0%1.3%0.9%
2024 60.4%32.5%4.0%1.8%1.1%
2025 59.4%31.1%5.2%2.4%1.5%
2026 58.4%29.5%6.6%3.3%1.9%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in the New Forest

3,634 battery electric cars were licensed in the New Forest at the end of March 2026, 3.3% of all cars, 152nd lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 5,730 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,649.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.8% are battery electric (2,965 cars), 26th lowest of 64 councils in the South East. Companies keep 18.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 3.3% of its cars overall. There are also 180 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, the New Forest compared, end of March each year
Year New ForestSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.5%0.3%
2021 0.5%1.0%0.7%
2022 0.9%1.9%1.3%
2023 1.3%3.0%2.1%
2024 1.8%4.2%3.0%
2025 2.4%5.7%4.1%
2026 3.3%8.7%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in the New Forest

There were 311 public chargers in the New Forest on 1 July 2026, 118 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 177 for every 100,000 residents, 117th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 10.3% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 17.2 privately kept plug-in cars in the New Forest (UK 11.9), 156th 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 the New Forest by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 28277
Apr 2026 28383
Jul 2026 311118

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, the New Forest compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
New Forest 17767
Hampshire 13450
South East 15940
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

The New Forest has 23 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.3% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.5%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in the New Forest with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
New Forest 023 5,993 211 3.5% 5.6%
New Forest 015 5,960 201 3.4% 5.8%
New Forest 006 4,781 144 3.0% 5.1%
New Forest 007 4,702 141 3.0% 5.2%
New Forest 017 6,200 177 2.9% 4.7%
New Forest 009 5,271 147 2.8% 4.0%
New Forest 022 5,340 146 2.7% 4.5%
New Forest 010 5,624 148 2.6% 4.0%
New Forest 016 5,801 151 2.6% 4.9%
New Forest 001 8,893 223 2.5% 4.1%
Lowest electric shares
New Forest 013 3,487 53 1.5% 2.7%
New Forest 002 3,675 57 1.6% 2.5%
New Forest 014 6,478 109 1.7% 2.7%
New Forest 004 4,777 79 1.7% 2.5%
New Forest 021 5,049 89 1.8% 2.8%

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

Road traffic and collisions in the New Forest

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in the New Forest, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 30583
2022 30484
2023 31582
2024 32792
2025 33792

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in New Forest

Unleaded petrol averages 174.4p a litre across 22 filling stations in New Forest, 2.7p above the UK average. Diesel averages 197.5p, 2.9p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Tesco New Milton Superstore New Milton 167.9p
  2. Tesco Hythe Superstore Southampton 170.9p
  3. Esso Loaders Garage Ltd New Milton 171.0p

Every filling station and price in New Forest

How the New Forest compares

New Forest compared with Hampshire, the South East, England, the UK
New Forest 603 3.3% 2.8% 3.3% 177 17.2
Hampshire 547 4.0% 3.3% 13.0% 134 22.4
South East 496 8.7% 3.2% 18.1% 159 16.9
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 Hampshire

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

Councils in Hampshire
Winchester 523 5.0% 4.3% 4.8% 213 17.3
Hart 595 4.9% 3.9% 4.2% 210 23.2
Eastleigh 539 4.2% 3.3% 4.5% 117 23.6
Basingstoke and Deane 524 4.1% 3.6% 3.2% 141 20.9
East Hampshire 594 4.1% 3.6% 3.3% 84 42.9
Rushmoor 480 4.1% 2.3% 63.7% 156 11.4
Test Valley 561 4.1% 3.5% 3.9% 118 26.7
Fareham 564 3.9% 3.4% 3.0% 62 47.8
New Forest 603 3.3% 2.8% 3.3% 177 17.2
Havant 507 3.2% 2.4% 4.8% 72 29.7
Gosport 473 2.4% 2.0% 3.3% 100 14.9

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 139,184 licensed vehicles in New Forest 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 5,989 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
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 15 September 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in the New Forest 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.