My Garage

Popular searches

East Midlands · District council

North Kesteven motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
91,205 licensed vehicles in North Kesteven
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 70,886 +1.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 552 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 3,129 4.4% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.6% 93rd highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 123 100 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.6% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in North Kesteven?

There were 70,886 licensed cars in North Kesteven at the end of June 2026, and 91,205 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 22.3% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 552 for every 1,000 residents, 56th highest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in North Kesteven

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in North Kesteven at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 71,92357,983
2011 72,85258,617
2012 73,76959,449
2013 75,34360,633
2014 76,69361,799
2015 77,41362,502
2016 78,93863,565
2017 80,83365,010
2018 82,53565,987
2019 84,08066,845
2020 83,66866,546
2021 86,08867,738
2022 86,94767,976
2023 88,36468,971
2024 89,15069,711
2025 90,25770,190
2026 91,20570,886

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Licensed vehicles by type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 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 Kesteven compared
Year North KestevenEast MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2011 540482–
2012 545480–
2013 553485–
2014 558490–
2015 560493473
2016 562496480
2017 568503488
2018 575504490
2019 577509493
2020 569501489
2021 572508493
2022 567505489
2023 570505489
2024 569506490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in North Kesteven

50.7% of cars in North Kesteven run on petrol and 34.3% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 44.2% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.9%, and cars that plug in 6.6%.

Cars by fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 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 Kesteven, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 67.7%31.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 65.6%34.0%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 63.6%36.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 61.5%38.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 59.5%39.9%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 57.8%41.5%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 56.2%42.9%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2017 55.2%43.8%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2018 54.7%44.1%0.8%0.1%0.2%
2019 54.4%44.2%1.0%0.1%0.2%
2020 54.0%44.2%1.2%0.2%0.3%
2021 53.7%43.4%1.7%0.4%0.5%
2022 53.2%42.4%2.5%0.8%0.7%
2023 53.2%40.9%3.4%1.3%0.9%
2024 52.7%39.1%4.7%1.9%1.2%
2025 51.9%36.9%6.2%2.8%1.7%
2026 50.7%34.3%7.9%4.4%2.2%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in North Kesteven

3,129 battery electric cars were licensed in North Kesteven at the end of June 2026, 4.4% of all cars, 108th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 4,683 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,997.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.6% are battery electric (2,459 cars), 8th highest of 35 councils in the East Midlands. Companies keep 21.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.6% of its cars overall. There are also 103 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 Kesteven compared, end of March each year
Year North KestevenEast MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%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%0.4%
2021 0.4%0.5%0.8%
2022 0.8%0.9%1.5%
2023 1.3%1.4%2.3%
2024 1.9%2.0%3.2%
2025 2.8%3.0%4.4%
2026 4.4%4.3%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in North Kesteven

There were 123 public chargers in North Kesteven on 1 July 2026, 65 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 100 for every 100,000 residents, 94th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 28.1% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 30.6 privately kept plug-in cars in North Kesteven (UK 12.9), 41st 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 North Kesteven by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 9645
Apr 2026 9543
Jul 2026 12365

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, North Kesteven compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
North Kesteven 10053
Lincolnshire 11642
East Midlands 12247
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

North Kesteven has 13 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 3.1% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.9%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in North Kesteven with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
North Kesteven 003 10,698 422 3.9% 5.7%
North Kesteven 013 5,127 199 3.9% 5.6%
North Kesteven 006 5,255 200 3.8% 6.0%
North Kesteven 008 4,186 153 3.7% 5.3%
North Kesteven 005 6,077 221 3.6% 5.0%
North Kesteven 004 6,927 227 3.3% 4.8%
North Kesteven 001 7,520 233 3.1% 4.8%
North Kesteven 011 6,328 197 3.1% 4.7%
North Kesteven 014 5,065 149 2.9% 4.2%
North Kesteven 007 6,279 168 2.7% 4.3%
Lowest electric shares
North Kesteven 010 5,834 119 2.0% 3.5%
North Kesteven 012 6,329 145 2.3% 4.0%
North Kesteven 009 4,959 130 2.6% 4.5%
North Kesteven 007 6,279 168 2.7% 4.3%
North Kesteven 014 5,065 149 2.9% 4.2%

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

Road traffic and collisions in North Kesteven

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in North Kesteven, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 22778
2022 25271
2023 24465
2024 27876
2025 25474

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in North Kesteven

Unleaded petrol averages 172.6p a litre across 7 filling stations in North Kesteven, 1.1p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Shell De Rodes Service Station Boston 166.9p
  2. Jet Virgo Merchants Boston 167.9p
  3. Texaco Bypass Service Station Limited Lincoln 172.9p

Every filling station and price in North Kesteven

How North Kesteven compares

North Kesteven compared with Lincolnshire, the East Midlands, England, the UK
North Kesteven 552 4.4% 3.6% 4.6% 100 30.6
Lincolnshire 522 3.6% 3.0% 4.9% 116 21.3
East Midlands 483 4.3% 3.3% 6.0% 122 20.8
England 440 6.2% 3.2% 10.7% 173 13.4
United Kingdom4445.8%3.1%10.0%17512.9

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 June 2026.

Driving test centres in North Kesteven

There is no DVSA car practical test centre in North Kesteven. The nearest centres are elsewhere in Lincolnshire.

Centres in Lincolnshire:

DVSA publishes pass rates by centre name, with no address, so centres are placed here by the place name in the name DVSA uses. See pass rates at every test centre.

Councils in Lincolnshire

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

Councils in Lincolnshire
North Kesteven 552 4.4% 3.6% 4.6% 100 30.6
West Lindsey 552 4.1% 3.6% 4.3% 70 43.7
South Kesteven 545 4.0% 3.4% 4.4% 112 26.4
South Holland 567 3.3% 2.7% 4.2% 79 32.6
Lincoln 363 3.1% 2.3% 6.9% 176 7.4
East Lindsey 533 3.0% 2.4% 5.5% 143 15.0
Boston 508 2.8% 2.1% 5.4% 124 13.9

Data stories to read next

All insights

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 91,205 licensed vehicles in North Kesteven 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 4,855 plug-in vehicles 26 October 2026
Public chargers Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics Department for Transport 1 July 2026 121,171 public chargers (UK) 26 October 2026
Population Mid-year population estimates Office for National Statistics Mid-2024 404 areas 26 October 2026
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 26 October 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in North Kesteven 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.