East Midlands · County

Nottinghamshire motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
538,607 licensed vehicles in Nottinghamshire
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 442,370 +1.3% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 490 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 18,637 4.2% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.4% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 1,025 120 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.0% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Nottinghamshire?

There were 442,370 licensed cars in Nottinghamshire at the end of March 2026, and 538,607 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.8% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 490 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Nottinghamshire

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Nottinghamshire at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 439,872369,207
2011 441,666371,677
2012 444,084373,713
2013 448,644377,678
2014 456,644384,114
2015 464,508391,112
2016 471,626395,817
2017 481,483402,963
2018 486,255407,049
2019 494,749413,133
2020 500,131418,846
2021 502,207417,506
2022 509,985421,246
2023 514,686425,046
2024 522,596431,159
2025 529,343436,485
2026 538,607442,370

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, Nottinghamshire compared
Year NottinghamshireEast MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2011 475482
2012 475480
2013 480485
2014 486490
2015 488493473
2016 492496480
2017 499503488
2018 502504490
2019 507509493
2020 505501489
2021 511508493
2022 507505489
2023 506505489
2024 507506490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Nottinghamshire

52.8% of cars in Nottinghamshire run on petrol and 33.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 40.1% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.6%, and cars that plug in 6.3%.

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 Nottinghamshire, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 72.9%26.7%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 71.0%28.6%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 69.0%30.5%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 67.0%32.4%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 65.0%34.4%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2015 63.1%36.2%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 61.4%37.8%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2017 59.9%39.0%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2018 58.9%39.8%0.9%0.1%0.1%
2019 58.4%40.0%1.1%0.1%0.2%
2020 58.0%40.1%1.3%0.2%0.3%
2021 57.3%40.1%1.7%0.4%0.4%
2022 56.6%39.5%2.4%0.7%0.6%
2023 56.1%38.5%3.2%1.2%0.8%
2024 55.3%37.2%4.4%1.8%1.0%
2025 54.3%35.3%5.9%2.8%1.4%
2026 52.8%33.0%7.6%4.2%2.0%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Nottinghamshire

18,637 battery electric cars were licensed in Nottinghamshire at the end of March 2026, 4.2% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 27,667 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 12,206.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.4% are battery electric (14,168 cars). Companies keep 24.0% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.0% of its cars overall. There are also 475 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, Nottinghamshire compared, end of March each year
Year NottinghamshireEast 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%0.3%
2021 0.4%0.4%0.7%
2022 0.7%0.8%1.3%
2023 1.2%1.3%2.1%
2024 1.8%1.9%3.0%
2025 2.8%2.7%4.1%
2026 4.2%3.9%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Nottinghamshire

There were 1,025 public chargers in Nottinghamshire on 1 July 2026, 503 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 120 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 4.1% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 20.4 privately kept plug-in cars in Nottinghamshire (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 Nottinghamshire by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 1,069453
Apr 2026 1,065450
Jul 2026 1,025503

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Nottinghamshire compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Nottinghamshire 12059
East Midlands 12247
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Road traffic and collisions in Nottinghamshire

Vehicles travelled an estimated 4,973 million miles on roads in Nottinghamshire in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Nottinghamshire
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 3,369
1994 3,446
1995 3,514
1996 3,612
1997 3,682
1998 3,721
1999 3,843
2000 3,815
2001 3,878
2002 3,995
2003 4,100
2004 4,218
2005 4,225
2006 4,376
2007 4,472
2008 4,361
2009 4,318
2010 4,323
2011 4,356
2012 4,417
2013 4,448
2014 4,602
2015 4,739
2016 4,818
2017 4,868
2018 4,859
2019 4,943
2020 3,901
2021 4,451
2022 4,745
2023 4,814
2024 4,863
2025 4,973

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Nottinghamshire, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 1,206359
2022 1,210345
2023 1,298357
2024 1,308352
2025 1,353357

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Nottinghamshire

Unleaded petrol averages 170.7p a litre across 99 filling stations in Nottinghamshire, 1.0p below the UK average. Diesel averages 193.9p, 0.7p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

How Nottinghamshire compares

Nottinghamshire compared with the East Midlands, England, the UK
Nottinghamshire 490 4.2% 3.4% 5.0% 120 20.4
East Midlands 479 3.9% 2.9% 5.9% 122 18.1
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 Nottinghamshire

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

Councils in Nottinghamshire
Rushcliffe 507 5.6% 4.9% 3.5% 142 31.5
Ashfield 470 4.5% 2.8% 7.9% 103 21.3
Newark and Sherwood 519 4.3% 3.6% 4.7% 120 13.5
Gedling 477 4.0% 3.3% 5.0% 99 24.3
Bassetlaw 514 3.9% 3.1% 4.4% 146 19.0
Broxtowe 467 3.7% 3.1% 3.8% 141 17.6
Mansfield 471 3.4% 2.5% 5.6% 85 23.1

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 538,607 licensed vehicles in Nottinghamshire 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 28,431 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 Nottinghamshire 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.