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Oxford motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
57,955 licensed vehicles in Oxford
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 49,151 +0.9% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 279 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 2,058 4.2% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.3% 145th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 278 167 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.6% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Oxford?

There were 49,151 licensed cars in Oxford at the end of June 2026, and 57,955 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 5.9% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 279 for every 1,000 residents, 22nd lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Oxford

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Oxford at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 55,86446,422
2011 55,72946,373
2012 55,22946,160
2013 56,00846,833
2014 55,89147,295
2015 56,35847,720
2016 56,71947,928
2017 57,36348,428
2018 57,66148,691
2019 57,67648,911
2020 56,65648,181
2021 57,65748,934
2022 57,30548,675
2023 56,27548,635
2024 56,39748,727
2025 56,36148,696
2026 57,95549,151

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, Oxford compared
Year OxfordSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 309534–
2012 303535–
2013 302541–
2014 300547–
2015 302551473
2016 299559480
2017 301567488
2018 302570490
2019 304572493
2020 301561489
2021 305564493
2022 298565489
2023 294567489
2024 294570490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Oxford

55.2% of cars in Oxford run on petrol and 28.3% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 36.1% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.7%, and cars that plug in 6.4%.

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 Oxford, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 74.2%25.3%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2011 72.2%27.2%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2012 70.1%29.1%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2013 67.9%31.1%0.8%0.0%0.0%
2014 66.2%32.5%1.0%0.1%0.0%
2015 64.4%34.0%1.3%0.1%0.0%
2016 62.7%35.4%1.4%0.1%0.1%
2017 61.5%36.1%1.8%0.1%0.2%
2018 61.1%36.0%2.2%0.2%0.3%
2019 60.8%35.6%2.6%0.3%0.4%
2020 60.4%35.4%2.9%0.6%0.5%
2021 59.9%34.9%3.3%0.9%0.8%
2022 59.2%34.0%4.0%1.5%1.0%
2023 58.5%33.0%4.9%2.1%1.2%
2024 57.4%31.8%6.3%2.7%1.5%
2025 56.3%30.2%7.9%3.4%1.8%
2026 55.2%28.3%9.7%4.2%2.2%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Oxford

2,058 battery electric cars were licensed in Oxford at the end of June 2026, 4.2% of all cars, 129th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 3,140 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,677.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.3% are battery electric (1,513 cars), 30th lowest of 64 councils in the South East. Companies keep 26.5% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.6% of its cars overall. There are also 183 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, Oxford compared, end of March each year
Year OxfordSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.3%0.3%0.2%
2020 0.6%0.5%0.4%
2021 0.9%1.1%0.8%
2022 1.5%2.2%1.5%
2023 2.1%3.3%2.3%
2024 2.7%4.5%3.2%
2025 3.4%6.4%4.4%
2026 4.2%9.3%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Oxford

There were 278 public chargers in Oxford on 1 July 2026, 53 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 167 for every 100,000 residents, 128th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 1.4% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 8.7 privately kept plug-in cars in Oxford (UK 12.9), 63rd 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 Oxford by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 28247
Apr 2026 27951
Jul 2026 27853

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Oxford compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Oxford 16732
Oxfordshire 17542
South East 15940
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Oxford has 19 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.9% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 7.4%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Oxford with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Oxford 003 2,080 154 7.4% 11.8%
Oxford 001 3,182 162 5.1% 8.0%
Oxford 002 2,547 130 5.1% 8.3%
Oxford 008 1,268 60 4.7% 7.4%
Oxford 007 3,707 144 3.9% 5.9%
Oxford 006 3,408 131 3.8% 6.2%
Oxford 009 1,586 57 3.6% 5.2%
Oxford 012 1,778 58 3.3% 4.8%
Oxford 004 2,680 84 3.1% 5.0%
Oxford 015 4,052 111 2.7% 4.2%
Lowest electric shares
Oxford 018 2,633 36 1.4% 2.6%
Oxford 010 2,062 32 1.6% 3.2%
Oxford 019 2,325 40 1.7% 3.1%
Oxford 014 1,959 34 1.7% 2.8%
Oxford 016 4,731 85 1.8% 3.4%

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

Road traffic and collisions in Oxford

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Oxford, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 23955
2022 24062
2023 23753
2024 25958
2025 24437

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Oxford

Unleaded petrol averages 174.3p a litre across 5 filling stations in Oxford, 2.8p above the UK average. Diesel averages 198.7p, the same as the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. BP MFG Cherwell Oxford 172.9p
  2. BP MFG Cowley Cowley 172.9p
  3. Tesco Oxford Superstore Oxford 173.9p

Every filling station and price in Oxford

How Oxford compares

Oxford compared with Oxfordshire, the South East, England, the UK
Oxford 279 4.2% 3.3% 5.6% 167 8.7
Oxfordshire 486 5.0% 4.0% 6.6% 175 17.6
South East 499 9.3% 3.5% 18.5% 159 17.7
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 Oxford

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Oxford, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 50.6% at Oxford (Cowley).

Other centres in Oxfordshire:

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 Oxfordshire

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

Councils in Oxfordshire
Cherwell 515 5.9% 3.8% 14.4% 204 15.4
Vale of White Horse 542 5.2% 4.8% 3.1% 194 20.0
South Oxfordshire 563 4.9% 4.2% 3.3% 121 31.5
Oxford 279 4.2% 3.3% 5.6% 167 8.7
West Oxfordshire 553 4.2% 3.7% 4.3% 195 17.1

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 57,955 licensed vehicles in Oxford 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 3,614 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 Oxford 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.