East of England · County

Norfolk motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
649,459 licensed vehicles in Norfolk
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 508,565 +1.1% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 518 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 15,301 3.0% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.4% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 1,524 162 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.3% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Norfolk?

There were 508,565 licensed cars in Norfolk at the end of March 2026, and 649,459 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 18.5% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 518 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Norfolk

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Norfolk at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 535,660429,184
2011 540,690433,304
2012 543,761435,676
2013 547,689440,092
2014 556,760447,314
2015 565,015454,108
2016 577,981463,624
2017 590,010471,902
2018 596,430475,693
2019 604,817480,744
2020 610,470486,561
2021 611,510484,118
2022 621,936488,919
2023 626,787491,739
2024 634,387497,675
2025 641,801503,063
2026 649,459508,565

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, Norfolk compared
Year NorfolkEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2011 507503
2012 507502
2013 511505
2014 516524
2015 518529473
2016 523537480
2017 529544488
2018 531542490
2019 534541493
2020 529536489
2021 534539493
2022 532532489
2023 531529489
2024 533531490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Norfolk

52.6% of cars in Norfolk run on petrol and 36.4% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 41.2% in 2021. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.2%, and cars that plug in 4.5%.

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 Norfolk, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 71.3%28.3%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 69.3%30.3%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 67.5%32.1%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 65.5%34.0%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 63.5%36.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 61.7%37.7%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 60.1%39.2%0.4%0.1%0.0%
2017 58.9%40.3%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2018 58.1%40.9%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2019 57.9%40.9%0.8%0.1%0.2%
2020 57.4%41.1%1.0%0.2%0.2%
2021 56.7%41.2%1.3%0.4%0.3%
2022 55.9%40.9%1.9%0.7%0.5%
2023 55.3%40.2%2.6%1.0%0.6%
2024 54.4%39.4%3.6%1.5%0.8%
2025 53.5%38.0%4.9%2.1%1.1%
2026 52.6%36.4%6.2%3.0%1.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Norfolk

15,301 battery electric cars were licensed in Norfolk at the end of March 2026, 3.0% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 22,862 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 10,704.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.4% are battery electric (11,672 cars). Companies keep 23.7% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.3% of its cars overall. There are also 467 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, Norfolk compared, end of March each year
Year NorfolkEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.1%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.3%0.3%
2021 0.4%0.6%0.7%
2022 0.7%1.1%1.3%
2023 1.0%1.7%2.1%
2024 1.5%2.6%3.0%
2025 2.1%3.8%4.1%
2026 3.0%5.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Norfolk

There were 1,524 public chargers in Norfolk on 1 July 2026, 384 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 162 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 3.5% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 12.0 privately kept plug-in cars in Norfolk (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 Norfolk by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 1,473359
Apr 2026 1,519354
Jul 2026 1,524384

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Norfolk compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Norfolk 16241
East of England 15049
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Road traffic and collisions in Norfolk

Vehicles travelled an estimated 5,646 million miles on roads in Norfolk in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Norfolk
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 4,136
1994 4,253
1995 4,325
1996 4,403
1997 4,462
1998 4,529
1999 4,605
2000 4,638
2001 4,714
2002 4,850
2003 4,878
2004 4,921
2005 4,997
2006 5,047
2007 5,039
2008 5,078
2009 5,010
2010 4,913
2011 4,859
2012 4,851
2013 4,835
2014 4,929
2015 4,991
2016 5,117
2017 5,322
2018 5,387
2019 5,441
2020 4,285
2021 4,869
2022 5,279
2023 5,409
2024 5,544
2025 5,646

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Norfolk, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 1,376354
2022 1,536423
2023 1,354412
2024 1,627502
2025 1,722522

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Norfolk

Unleaded petrol averages 172.5p a litre across 126 filling stations in Norfolk, 0.8p above the UK average. Diesel averages 195.4p, 0.8p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

How Norfolk compares

Norfolk compared with the East of England, England, the UK
Norfolk 518 3.0% 2.4% 4.3% 162 12.0
East of England 497 5.2% 2.9% 8.6% 150 15.7
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 Norfolk

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

Councils in Norfolk
South Norfolk 568 3.6% 3.1% 4.1% 131 18.5
Broadland 571 3.3% 2.8% 3.9% 116 22.1
Breckland 553 3.1% 2.4% 4.3% 114 18.4
King's Lynn and West Norfolk 535 2.9% 2.3% 4.1% 172 12.1
Norwich 350 2.7% 1.6% 5.7% 196 4.7
North Norfolk 569 2.6% 2.2% 3.5% 225 8.0
Great Yarmouth 470 2.3% 1.7% 4.7% 211 6.3

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 649,459 licensed vehicles in Norfolk 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 23,767 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 Norfolk 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.