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Richmond upon Thames motoring statistics

How many cars and electric cars are registered in Richmond upon Thames, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Richmond upon Thames compares with London. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.

Last updated
Records analysed
85,033 licensed vehicles in Richmond upon Thames
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 74,496 +0.1% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 358 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 4,007 5.4% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 4.5% 11th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 1,263 642 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.5% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Richmond upon Thames?

There were 74,496 licensed cars in Richmond upon Thames at the end of March 2026, and 85,033 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 2.2% fewer cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 358 for every 1,000 residents, 45th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Richmond upon Thames

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Richmond upon Thames at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 86,45276,169
2011 87,01576,711
2012 86,96576,847
2013 86,77276,910
2014 86,99577,121
2015 86,98277,321
2016 87,35977,378
2017 87,50777,634
2018 87,08077,429
2019 86,89077,324
2020 86,40577,061
2021 85,56476,151
2022 85,20475,751
2023 84,13974,740
2024 86,98674,833
2025 85,94374,400
2026 85,03374,496

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, Richmond upon Thames compared
Year Richmond upon ThamesLondonUnited Kingdom
2011 411313–
2012 405307–
2013 401303–
2014 398303–
2015 397303473
2016 394304480
2017 395306488
2018 393303490
2019 390301493
2020 385296489
2021 391300493
2022 387295489
2023 381290489
2024 380287490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Richmond upon Thames

66.7% of cars in Richmond upon Thames run on petrol and 13.1% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 30.8% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 10.0%, and cars that plug in 9.6%.

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 Richmond upon Thames, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 79.4%19.4%0.9%0.0%0.0%
2011 77.2%21.5%1.1%0.0%0.0%
2012 75.1%23.4%1.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 73.0%25.4%1.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 70.8%27.5%1.5%0.0%0.0%
2015 68.9%29.3%1.6%0.1%0.1%
2016 67.4%30.3%1.8%0.1%0.1%
2017 66.5%30.8%2.1%0.1%0.3%
2018 66.3%30.4%2.5%0.2%0.4%
2019 66.9%29.1%2.8%0.4%0.7%
2020 67.4%27.6%3.2%0.6%0.9%
2021 68.0%25.4%3.8%1.1%1.3%
2022 68.7%22.4%4.8%2.0%1.9%
2023 69.2%19.3%5.8%2.9%2.5%
2024 69.7%15.3%7.5%3.9%3.3%
2025 68.5%14.0%8.7%4.6%3.7%
2026 66.7%13.1%10.0%5.4%4.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Richmond upon Thames

4,007 battery electric cars were licensed in Richmond upon Thames at the end of March 2026, 5.4% of all cars, 27th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 7,181 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 3,447.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 4.5% are battery electric (3,161 cars), 7th highest of 33 councils in London. Companies keep 21.1% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.5% of its cars overall. There are also 163 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, Richmond upon Thames compared, end of March each year
Year Richmond upon ThamesLondonUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.2%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.4%0.3%0.2%
2020 0.6%0.5%0.3%
2021 1.1%0.9%0.7%
2022 2.0%1.8%1.3%
2023 2.9%2.9%2.1%
2024 3.9%4.2%3.0%
2025 4.6%5.4%4.1%
2026 5.4%6.6%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Richmond upon Thames

There were 1,263 public chargers in Richmond upon Thames on 1 July 2026, 43 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 642 for every 100,000 residents, 7th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 1.4% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 4.8 privately kept plug-in cars in Richmond upon Thames (UK 11.9), 26th 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 Richmond upon Thames by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 1,24543
Apr 2026 1,24743
Jul 2026 1,26343

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Richmond upon Thames compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Richmond upon Thames 64222
London 34528
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Richmond upon Thames has 23 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 3.9% 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 Richmond upon Thames with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Richmond upon Thames 008 2,105 155 7.4% 12.0%
Richmond upon Thames 012 3,159 214 6.8% 12.0%
Richmond upon Thames 001 3,870 257 6.6% 12.0%
Richmond upon Thames 006 2,194 133 6.1% 10.6%
Richmond upon Thames 009 2,554 153 6.0% 10.3%
Richmond upon Thames 002 3,543 199 5.6% 10.6%
Richmond upon Thames 007 2,417 125 5.2% 9.2%
Richmond upon Thames 004 3,977 189 4.8% 8.3%
Richmond upon Thames 016 2,593 109 4.2% 8.6%
Richmond upon Thames 003 3,883 159 4.1% 8.3%
Lowest electric shares
Richmond upon Thames 020 4,319 118 2.7% 4.9%
Richmond upon Thames 010 3,461 99 2.9% 5.2%
Richmond upon Thames 015 4,501 143 3.2% 6.2%
Richmond upon Thames 021 2,763 92 3.3% 6.6%
Richmond upon Thames 017 2,086 68 3.3% 5.9%

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

Road traffic and collisions in Richmond upon Thames

Vehicles travelled an estimated 514 million miles on roads in Richmond upon Thames in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Richmond upon Thames
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 549
1994 556
1995 551
1996 556
1997 558
1998 562
1999 573
2000 568
2001 572
2002 576
2003 577
2004 576
2005 569
2006 568
2007 573
2008 560
2009 550
2010 536
2011 528
2012 536
2013 530
2014 535
2015 534
2016 543
2017 545
2018 533
2019 545
2020 435
2021 488
2022 501
2023 508
2024 508
2025 514

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Richmond upon Thames, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 37199
2022 40190
2023 375108
2024 33991
2025 355106

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Richmond upon Thames

Unleaded petrol averages 172.3p a litre across 12 filling stations in Richmond upon Thames, 0.6p above the UK average. Diesel averages 194.7p, 0.1p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Tesco Barnes Express London 169.9p
  2. Esso MFG Mortlake Mortlake 169.9p
  3. Sainsbury's Richmond Richmond 169.9p

Every filling station and price in Richmond upon Thames

How Richmond upon Thames compares

Richmond upon Thames compared with London, England, the UK
Richmond upon Thames 358 5.4% 4.5% 5.5% 642 4.8
London 263 6.6% 3.7% 9.4% 345 5.5
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 London

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

Councils in London
Westminster 178 55.1% 7.6% 57.8% 1,378 1.7
City of London 79 32.0% 7.8% 55.7% 443 2.5
Hammersmith and Fulham 199 18.3% 5.0% 22.2% 1,380 1.4
Camden 158 9.5% 7.5% 12.3% 378 5.3
Kensington and Chelsea 238 7.4% 6.6% 8.0% 637 4.7
Brent 231 7.1% 3.8% 12.5% 367 4.8
Barnet 321 6.4% 5.2% 7.0% 288 9.6
Islington 132 5.9% 4.5% 11.6% 386 3.5
Richmond upon Thames 358 5.4% 4.5% 5.5% 642 4.8
Harrow 335 5.2% 4.0% 6.1% 120 20.9
Hillingdon 361 5.2% 3.2% 15.5% 121 19.8
Merton 293 5.0% 4.1% 5.6% 436 5.3
Southwark 161 5.0% 4.2% 8.1% 618 2.0
Wandsworth 214 5.0% 4.2% 5.0% 532 3.4
Kingston upon Thames 353 4.9% 4.2% 3.9% 242 10.8
Tower Hamlets 127 4.9% 3.6% 10.9% 776 1.6
Ealing 272 4.6% 3.5% 7.5% 264 7.2
Hackney 137 4.5% 3.3% 10.4% 638 1.5
Haringey 213 4.5% 3.5% 8.7% 135 10.7
Lambeth 176 4.4% 3.6% 6.5% 244 5.2
Redbridge 301 4.4% 3.5% 7.1% 198 11.5
Barking and Dagenham 262 4.2% 2.9% 8.4% 100 18.6
Bromley 407 4.2% 3.5% 4.3% 67 39.1
Croydon 316 4.1% 3.3% 5.4% 153 12.9
Hounslow 299 4.1% 3.1% 6.7% 233 8.7
Sutton 377 4.0% 3.3% 4.2% 118 19.8
Greenwich 238 3.9% 3.2% 6.3% 101 14.8
Havering 387 3.6% 2.7% 6.0% 95 23.6
Newham 167 3.6% 2.8% 9.3% 159 7.6
Waltham Forest 250 3.5% 2.7% 7.6% 663 2.1
Enfield 333 3.4% 2.7% 6.8% 137 17.3
Lewisham 232 3.4% 2.9% 5.6% 133 11.4
Bexley 381 3.3% 2.8% 6.2% 269 7.5

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 85,033 licensed vehicles in Richmond upon Thames 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 7,542 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 Richmond upon Thames 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.