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North Devon motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
75,220 licensed vehicles in North Devon
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 54,286 +1.2% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 514 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 1,352 2.5% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.0% 66th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 210 208 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.2% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in North Devon?

There were 54,286 licensed cars in North Devon at the end of March 2026, and 75,220 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 18.3% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 514 for every 1,000 residents, 122nd highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in North Devon

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in North Devon at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 60,49045,870
2011 61,15846,306
2012 61,53146,368
2013 61,77646,440
2014 62,48247,045
2015 63,35447,574
2016 64,57248,216
2017 66,30349,280
2018 67,19949,681
2019 68,46950,423
2020 69,11151,087
2021 70,12851,338
2022 72,05452,257
2023 72,88852,618
2024 73,86753,246
2025 74,38053,668
2026 75,22054,286

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, North Devon compared
Year North DevonSouth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 494524–
2012 497527–
2013 501533–
2014 509541–
2015 510546473
2016 514550480
2017 519565488
2018 521569490
2019 524580493
2020 519573489
2021 525575493
2022 524571489
2023 527570489
2024 531571490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in North Devon

53.0% of cars in North Devon run on petrol and 36.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 41.1% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.0%, and cars that plug in 4.0%.

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 North Devon, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 69.2%30.5%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 67.3%32.4%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2012 65.5%34.2%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2013 64.0%35.7%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 62.7%36.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2015 61.3%38.2%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2016 60.2%39.2%0.4%0.0%0.1%
2017 59.0%40.2%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2018 58.0%40.9%0.6%0.1%0.2%
2019 57.8%40.9%0.8%0.1%0.3%
2020 57.3%41.1%1.0%0.2%0.3%
2021 56.7%41.1%1.3%0.3%0.4%
2022 55.7%40.9%1.9%0.7%0.6%
2023 55.0%40.2%2.7%1.0%0.8%
2024 54.3%39.5%3.6%1.4%1.0%
2025 53.7%38.1%4.8%1.8%1.2%
2026 53.0%36.7%6.0%2.5%1.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in North Devon

1,352 battery electric cars were licensed in North Devon at the end of March 2026, 2.5% of all cars, 44th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 2,151 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 978.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.0% are battery electric (1,030 cars), 5th lowest of 27 councils in the South West. Companies keep 23.8% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.2% of its cars overall. There are also 76 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, North Devon compared, end of March each year
Year North DevonSouth WestUnited 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%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.4%0.3%
2021 0.3%1.0%0.7%
2022 0.7%2.1%1.3%
2023 1.0%3.2%2.1%
2024 1.4%4.2%3.0%
2025 1.8%5.2%4.1%
2026 2.5%4.9%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in North Devon

There were 210 public chargers in North Devon on 1 July 2026, 71 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 208 for every 100,000 residents, 75th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 1.9% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 7.8 privately kept plug-in cars in North Devon (UK 11.9), 59th 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 North Devon by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 21470
Apr 2026 22371
Jul 2026 21071

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, North Devon compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
North Devon 20870
Devon 17661
South West 15750
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

North Devon has 14 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.6% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 2.5%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in North Devon with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
North Devon 011 5,036 124 2.5% 3.6%
North Devon 004 4,176 100 2.4% 3.9%
North Devon 006 5,389 116 2.2% 3.7%
North Devon 003 3,461 66 1.9% 2.8%
North Devon 012 7,525 138 1.8% 2.9%
North Devon 009 3,573 59 1.7% 2.9%
North Devon 014 5,972 93 1.6% 2.6%
North Devon 005 5,803 84 1.4% 2.6%
North Devon 002 4,268 54 1.3% 2.2%
North Devon 013 8,103 105 1.3% 2.3%
Lowest electric shares
North Devon 008 2,927 8 0.3% 1.1%
North Devon 007 3,215 36 1.1% 1.9%
North Devon 001 2,752 29 1.1% 2.0%
North Devon 013 8,103 105 1.3% 2.3%
North Devon 002 4,268 54 1.3% 2.2%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 1 neighbourhood is left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in North Devon

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in North Devon, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 20342
2022 19438
2023 15334
2024 16531
2025 15940

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in North Devon

Unleaded petrol averages 168.6p a litre across 22 filling stations in North Devon, 3.1p below the UK average. Diesel averages 191.9p, 2.7p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Asda Barnstaple Superstore Barnstaple 164.7p
  2. Tesco Barnstaple Taw View Extra Devon 164.9p
  3. Sainsbury's Barnstaple Barnstaple 165.9p

Every filling station and price in North Devon

How North Devon compares

North Devon compared with Devon, the South West, England, the UK
North Devon 514 2.5% 2.0% 4.2% 208 7.8
Devon 516 3.2% 2.5% 8.6% 176 11.2
South West 506 4.9% 2.6% 9.6% 157 13.3
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 Devon

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

Councils in Devon
Exeter 355 4.5% 2.5% 34.1% 259 5.4
South Hams 568 3.6% 3.0% 3.8% 145 16.6
East Devon 542 3.1% 2.7% 3.4% 200 11.5
Teignbridge 547 3.0% 2.5% 3.7% 147 13.9
Mid Devon 557 2.8% 2.4% 3.9% 91 22.8
West Devon 561 2.7% 2.4% 3.5% 178 11.7
North Devon 514 2.5% 2.0% 4.2% 208 7.8
Torridge 550 2.4% 2.0% 4.5% 107 15.6

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 75,220 licensed vehicles in North Devon 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 2,280 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 North Devon 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.